I was tasked to train myself in selling cufflinks by next week. Therefore, I have decided to do some research on how to make a customer pay hundreds of dollars for a pair of cufflinks. How to justify the exhorbitant price they are paying. I'd start with tateossian.


WHO’s TATEOSSIAN?

- Tateossian was established in 1990

- His unique and original style has revolutionized the cufflink industry.

- Fun, functional and fashionable cufflink designs have soon gained him the accolade

- “The King of Cufflinks”.

- One of the world’s leading jewellery and accessories brands.

- Based in London, sells in 45 countries around the world within the most prestigious, fashionable boutiques and department stores.

- In 2001, Tateossian opened its first stand-alone retail boutique at The Royal Exchange in the City of London, followed by its flagship store at The Duke of York Square on the King’s Road in Chelsea in 2004

WHAT ARE THEIR CUFFLINKS LIKE?

- luxury product with a unique design ethos.

- Distinctive signature, constantly reflecting and reinterpreting trends in fashion.

- Designs are contemporary, but unusual, fashion-forward, but timeless.

- Exquisitely and individually hand-crafted, with an uncompromising level of quality


WHY SHOULD I PAY SO MUCH? - HALLMARKING!

For the manufacturing of jewelry and silverware, precious metals are not used in their purest forms. Instead, they are alloyed with other metals. It is not possible to discern by sight or by touch what the precious metal content of an alloy is.

In the UK, the consumer enjoys a guarantee of the precious metal content through the 700-year-old practice of an independent third party: Hallmarking.

The 1973 Hallmarking Act makes it unlawful to describe an item over a certain weight as gold, silver or platinum without an independently applied Hallmark.

• All Silver articles weighing more than 7.78 grams must be hallmarked.
• All Gold articles weighing more than 1 gram must be hallmarked.
• All Platinum articles weighing more than 0.5 grams must be hallmarked.This mark is known as the fineness or purity mark and describes the precious metal content, expressed in parts per thousand.


THE MATERIALS?

Innovative materials!- Including semi-precious stones, fiber optic glass, and CRYSTALLIZED™ - Swarovski Elements, are mixed and paired in unique combinations.

Crystals- All crystal RT products are made with CRYSTALLIZED™ Swarovski® Elements.

Enamel- A widely used material within the RT collection. It is produced with specialized cold setting techniques, in order to create and build resilience and durability.

Fiber Optic Glass- This is one of the RT collection’s signature materials. It is produced from a fusion of millions of transparent fibers, effective for transmitting light. These are then injected with a variety of colors, hand-cut and polished into the desired shape. This is a very precise and labor-intensive technique, whereby the material is embedded, flush into the metal, to create an evenly finished surface. On other occasions, combinations of fiber optic glass colors are inlayed together to create interesting patterns before being flush into a cufflink. Both of these processes are carried out entirely by hand.


Fresh Water Pearl- A Fresh Water Pearl is formed in a mollusk that lives in fresh water, rather than salt water. Freshwater pearls come in various pastel shades of pink, peach, lavender, plum, purple and tangerine; as well as white and black.

Gold- The most malleable and ductile of all metals. Due to its softness, gold is often alloyed with other base metals. The carat is the indicator of the amount of gold present in an item/piece, with 9ct being the lowest amount and 24ct being the highest. Gold is of yellow color when in mass, although when finely divided it can be found in shades of black, ruby and even purple. It is found in sea water, although even in these modern times, no economic process has been designed to extract it from its source. The primary use of gold throughout the world still remains currency, considered so valuable that we measure all other values by it.

Mother of Pearl- This is produced from calcium carbonate, from the lustrous lining in the shells of sea substances such as pearl oysters and mussels. This lining occurs in tones of milky white.

Colors available are Blue, Pink and white.

Onyx- Formed by layered deposits of limestone, the name translates from the Greek word meaning ‘fingernail’. Onyx is black and occurs in parts of Africa, Argentina and Mexico.

Rhodium- All RT products are rhodium plated. Rhodium is a precious metal, deriving from the platinum family. Rhodium plating allows the product to have a hard, corrosion-resistant, silver-like coating. Its finish is highly polished and, most importantly, non-tarnishing.

Silver- A malleable material, which can often be found - along with copper, lead and gold - in rocks. It is most commonly found in Mexico, Canada, Peru and the United States. The most outstanding feature of silver is its luster, which - when untarnished - can give a brilliant white shade. In ancient times, silver was valued more highly than gold. Its name comes from the Anglo-Saxon word Seolfer but it’s also related to the German word Silber and the Dutch word Zilfer. Its chemical symbol, Ag, derives from the Latin word for silver, argentum. Sterling silver contains 92.5% silver with the remainder being copper and a nominal amount of other base metal.

MORE SALES TALK?

… are a great accessory for a night out.

The simple design but striking combination make them a great set of cufflinks for a wedding.

They are sure to impress

For men and women who are confident with their own sense of style, and choose key pieces each season to reflect and underscore their individual sensibility and approach to fashion.

Pantone Selects Color of the Year for 2008

Today, there was a customer who asked me whats the colour in trend this season. I know that I am supposed to say that all the colours in our store are of the latest season, but I just thought that I could do some research, and say convincingly that a particular colour IS the colour of the season.

Here is what I found:

Pantone, Inc. had selected PANTONE 18-3943 Blue Iris, a beautifully balanced blue-purple, as the color of the year for 2008. Combining the stable and calming aspects of blue with the mystical and spiritual qualities of purple, Blue Iris satisfies the need for reassurance in a complex world, while adding a hint of mystery and excitement."

"Look for it artfully combined with deeper plums, red-browns, yellow-greens, grapes and grays."

These are some ways to play around with Iris Blue:

Today, Chris gave me feedback about my progress. He said that although I picked up things fast, I haven't been putting in my best effort. Especially so when he doesn't explain to me the rationale behind his instructions, I'd be even more slipshot with my work. I agree - I wouldn't do things just because I was told to do so. But things became clearer after he explained to me why he made me do certain things repeatedly- like ironing clothes, rolling ties, pinning shirts. It all made sense to me, and I was ashamed of my defiance.

I was glad we had this conversation and I promise myself to be more serious with these basic techniqes.

However, as I go through all these training, the question I ask myself is this- there are things that are always done/taught in a certain manner in the company, but are they necessary the best? Is there really a one size/ technique that fits for all? Personally, I feel that there should be criteria and benchmarks that new staff should adhere and stick to. And these criteria and benchmark must be consistent throughout all outlets, agreed upon by the central management, and not by virtue of seniority in the boutique. Various standards in the boutiques should be aligned to the image that the company wants to portray, and in order to ensure consistency, it has to be strictly enforced by the top management. As insignificant as it sounds, I feel that the customer touchpoints are the most crucial when it comes to brand image.

Oh wells, just my thoughts again as usual.

Matching Ties to Shirt

Today, there was a customer looking for a gift for his friend, who always wears blue and pink stripes. And he asked me for a suitable tie. I recommended him a few but he took no liking to either of them. Not wanting to risk losing sales, I asked Chris to step in to help.

I thought his delivery was confident and professional. I, on the other hand, sounded like I was very dubious of my own matching. Reason being, I'm not sure of what goes with what.

Therefore, the post today shall focus on how to match ties to shirts. I believe I will be more confident after doing some research.

Did some googling and I realise colour matching begins with the colour wheel:

I found out that there are a few ways to match colours (this will be in my own terminology and language, to aid my understanding) :


(1) Colours of the same hue (slice of pizza) .

This is the safest way to match. Just take a basic colour and imagine myself mixing it with different amounts of white poster colour. Especially so when its three colours of the same hue, it creates harmony that is soothing and beautiful. I can vary the order of the lightness ( instead of going from dark to light) to create variety and synchrony at the same time.

(2) Colours of similar hue (adjacent slice of pizza)

I can also match these colours, but whats important will be the shades.
[ Light - white base. Dull - gray base. Dark- Black base. Vivid- original shade of pizza]

Light + Dull colours = Spring
Dull + Dark = Autume/ Wintery Sombre
Vivid + Light = Summer

2 light + Dull/Vivid
2 Dull + 1 Dark = Autumn

Never add too many vivid colours together, one method would be to separate them with a light colour.

(3) Contrasting Hues ( slices of pizza separated by 3 slices in betwn them)

2 light colours= soothing effect
light + dull = contrasting blend

For three colours of contrasting hues, the trick is to use three colours that are separated by three slices of pizza in between them.

2 Dark + 1 Dull
2 Dark + 1 Vivid

(4) Complimentary Hues ( opposite slices of pizza)

Never vivid+ Vivid!
2 light, Dark+ Dull, Light+vivid, Dark + vivid.

(5) Achromatic Hues ( Gray/Black + 1 slice of pizza)

Light + Gray/ Dark Gray
Dull + Dark Gray/Black
Vivid + Light Gray/ Black
Dark + Gray/Black

We have to watch out for dull muddled colors like dark brown or olive green. These colors have a tendency to have too much gray in them and make blending against gray difficult.

Other colors when used in achromatic hues color coordination should always be used as an accent. For example, a gray suit with a dull-colored pocket square to bring out a nice subtle contrast.

Armed with this basic knowledge of colours, I hope I can better serve the customers today. I can do it.

Today, most of the time was spent readjusting the display of our shop. Chris mentioned that when the store is not churning a lot of sales, it's advisable to change the store layout and keep readjusting until it does- a quote from boss. I will always remember this and also pay more attention to the display from other shops when I shop around.

I have also learnt another lesson from Chris and Uncle. They said that we always have to agree with the customer's taste, and that they would always push the stocks that are not moving. I don't know, but I don't quite agree. I think this is not a hard and fast rule that we always have to apply to customers?

The incident that sparked off this friendly discussion was this customer whom I was serving. I thought he was really a nice customer, needing some professional advice with regards to fashion. He really didn't have any idea what's nice nor whats in fashion.

And Chris pushed him a two pink colour shirts.

I thought he really wasn't a pink guy. And Chris told me that he pushed it to him because the pink stocks weren't moving as well. I didn't like it a single bit. I mean, yes, it makes sense to clear old stocks. But if the customer didn't look nice in that colour, what would his friends say? His friends might say tell him the truth that he looks awful in that colour! And would he come back? He wouldn't. So, is it more beneficial to choke up instantaneous sales or recurring sales?

I would go for recurring sales.

Unless, the customer liked a colour that I thought looked awful, then I would agree whole-heartedly with his statement.

BUT, if a customer asked me for advice on what's nice on him/ whats in fashion, I would never recommend him something awful just becaue I want to clear stocks. Especially so if the guy is a nice person, genuinely looking for fashion advice.

Oh wells, differing opinions again. I shall observe more and see if this guy comes back : )

I arrived at the outlet much earlier than usual. I didn't have the key so I observed our store from outside. I didn't like our mannequins. They weren't really eye catching and I thought they looked a bit lifeless. I always remember mannequin displays from boutiques like zara and armani- the unique colour combination, stylish designs, and the atmosphere of the storefront. So during break, I made it a point to go around suntec to notice the difference between the other boutique's store display and ours.

This is our storefront: ( I took it at an angle because I realised that customers glance at display windows at 45degrees)


These are the storefronts of other boutiques:

These are the main observations I made from them:

1) Most of the mannequins had synchronised colours and this created some form of atmosphere that's eye-catching. Humans are probably attracted to colours in a way.

2) I thought that the mannequins from GG>5 was exceptionally eye-catching as the display was less cluttered and their mannequins stood out as a result. I would notice these two mannequins as compared to the other two from Iora ( the picture above it)

So then. Is our storefront display eye-catching?

This is just my personal opinion but I wouldn't really classify our storefront as one.

I thought that it was too cluttered that cudtomers do not know where to focus on. There was nothing that was particularly eye-catching and our mannequins didn't stand out either. Their colours weren't strong nor attractive. I would always notice the colours of clothes worn by mannequins as I always liked how they give me new ideas on how to match colours or match my clothes. So, I thought that we can probably do something more to our mannequins that would make customers focus their attention on them.

Or maybe our strategy is to let customers look around our store to have a look at our brands? This might be possible, but I am not too sure.

Elisa and I served a couple who were shopping for the groom's wedding ceremony shirt and tie. I did a terrible job.

We flipped through almost all the sample fabric booklets, as we weren't sure of the colours that are in our collection at all.

We called to ask for specific prices as we didn't know where else to get them.

We showed them 5, 6 ties but they liked none.

I have to confess that I chased the customer away, by saying that our master tailor (uncle) wasn't around, and that I could get back to them regarding the specific colour they were looking for. I shouldn't have said that. Because it indirectly made them want to return for an appointment with uncle, which might not happen if they were to change their minds. It was a terrible blunder.

Apart from saying the wrong things, this incident also exposed my inadequacy in terms of product knowledge- instead of selling and convincing the customer, I was frantically searching for information, which should jolly well be in my brain. I didn't sell. I was basically throwing the customer anything that vaguely fits their description, leaving them even more confused than ever.

I hope to have a very good idea of the product and prices in the boutique by the end of this week- which brand offers what design. That, if a customer gives me a list of description, I want to be able to come up with a few top choices of ties to recommend. I want to be able to match a tie to the customer's personality.

And to be able to do that, I would start from the fundamentals. I will have to start getting acquainted to all the products in the boutique, from the most basic level- stock taking, trying on, and drawing personal experiences. I hope that by making things more personal, I would know the products in the shop faster.

Chris taught me a few useful tips during our sales practice as well. He told me that I just needed to be like the customer's friend helping him decide/ shop. I thought this was quite useful because it'd probably make me less nervous. And also, simple body language like nodding the head can be a gesture to confirm sales as well. He mentioned that my sales talk was incoherent and truncated. My reaction probably wasn't fast enough, especially when I get a negative response. ( for e.g. I don't like it), I get stunned and have difficulty carrying on the conversation.

I also had a fair bit giving out flyers today. Learnt a lot about positioning myself such that it pushes the customer into the boutique. Only managed to chase 3 customers in, I will have to try out different phrasings and words, and find out for myself which is the most effective method to guide customers in. I think I do not observe and think enough.

However, there are quite some things which I don't agree with.

Maybe because I am a marketing major, that's why I scrutinised the materials we were giving out.

I thought that the b/w flyers printed on white flimsy paper didn't convey our brand image well. Like, I can't imagine if Takashimaya or LV gives our these black and white flyers? I would think that they have down graded or something. And all along I thought we were the equivalent of LV and takashimaya? In addition, although the black mini catalogued looked much classier, I thought the big cravate ( which means tie, in french) word on top was misleading - if I were a typical unrefined customer I would think that the shop name was cravate. I talked to Chris about it but he says that these materials works. So I shall see how it goes in the next few weeks.

I will observe, and who knows, my opinion might really turn out to be wrong.