The Importance of Product Knowledge Chrissie Bolger Head of Professional Retail Development 62-66 Farringdon Road, London, EC1R 3GB Tel: 020 7405 0197 W: www.holtsacademy.com   QUALIFICATIONS|CAREERS|COURSES|APPRENTICESHIPS

Definition ‘Product Knowledge’ The expertise of a sales-person to give enough information about an item, with the ability to convince the customer to buy.

Product Knowledge gives us the power to….. Present a product with confidence and passion and answer questions confidently Builds customer relationships and trust Outline the Features and Benefits of each product Know enough about our products to overcome objectives Recommend suitable products to each individual customer Personal after sales service

What to Know About Your Products Pricing structure Styles, colours and models available History of the product How to use the product Special manufacturing process Servicing, warranty and repair information Product delivery

It is important to understand how the product is made, the value of the product, the materials used and what products work well together. Therefore moving into the natural sales process of cross selling and up selling

Jewellery Metals Platinum Gold GG Palladium Titanium Silver

Metals used in Jewellery Palladium Palladium is a precious metal used in jewellery production.  It is a rare metal extracted from the earth’s crust and has the same white colour as platinum therefore aesthetically they look very similar. Platinum Platinum is a white metal, but unlike gold it is used in jewellery in almost its pure form (approximately 95% pure). Platinum is extremely long wearing and is whiter than gold. Gold Gold is the most popular choice for mens and ladies wedding rings and engagement rings. Silver Sterling silver is a white-grey coloured metal which is less expensive than gold, platinum and titanium. Sterling silver is an alloy that contains 92.5 percent of pure silver and 7.5 percent of other metals such as copper, lead, zinc, nickel, gold etc. Titanium Titanium is a natural element which has a silver-greyish-white colour. It is the hardest natural metal in the world.

Modern UK Hallmarks

Diamonds

The 4 C’s

Colour Whilst colourless diamonds are the most popular, they are just one category of diamonds. The other category is known As fancy colour diamonds.

Clarity This refers to the cleanness or purity of the stone. Most gemstones contain small impurities, or inclusions. In a diamond these are usually small pieces of black carbon.  

Cut As it sounds, describes the way that the diamond is cut. For a diamond to display its full beauty and sparkle, the cut has to be correct and follow certain proportions.

Carat Diamonds are weighed in carats; this is the recognised international standard. In fact, all gems are weighed in carats other than pearls.

The 4 C’s revised

It may take a while to easily articulate product knowledge Within time, staff will become confident in providing all the information customers need to make their purchase Confidence is POWER The result …….

Improved Sales Results Measured through customer shopping experience, Feedback and Key Performance Indicators Increased staff motivation and team dynamics