FACE to FACE plus ONLINE Selling   ...   

http://www.belovedtreasures.com.au/online_selling_vs_face_to_face.asp

I owned and operated a successful direct selling Jewellery Business in Melbourne for 13 years in the 1980’s and 1990’s (Jewellery Design & Import). I did not have a mobile phone, or a computer, the internet was only a concept, I had NOTHING in those days except a Vision, me and the jewels! I also had a pager on my hip and my customers rang a paging service who then paged me (beep, beep, beep) and I had to find the nearest phone box to call the customer. True!After a 15 year break, I re-launched the business on the Gold Coast as so many customers from my previous business in Melbourne came looking for me (mostly on Facebook) to buy more jewellery – 15 years later, that is wonderful and that sure is saying some-thing about my service.

FACE TO FACE

So, what can I say after launching a professional website and selling online for the past 9 months?
The vast majority of my Sales still do happen face to face. There are numerous local advertising sites where I present my jewellery to the public, they come to my showroom, see the jewellery, pick it up, hold it, admire it, touch it, adorn themselves with it, and purchase a stunning piece for themselves or for that Special some-one else they know will Love that piece. 




What I have learnt? 
The Customer Service I can provide being with some-one face to face is Priceless …
My Love & Passion for what I do, the beautiful creations I personally ‘dream’ and design, the genuine excitement I feel when presenting the Jewels to them and the knowledge and expertise I freely share with them about their Precious Metal, Gemstone & Swarovski Crystal jewellery purchases is so rewarding.They leave knowing, with all my Heart that I am Grateful for their patronage.
There are also the home based business sellers, market sellers, jewellery makers, party plan operators that come here to the Showroom to buy Jewellers Supplies and they leave here feeling supported, learning some-thing new, acquiring some-thing beautiful & unique and most importantly, they leave here happy and uplifted by the interaction.

                                          FRIENDLY CASUAL ENVIRONMENT

An online website has its positives too. It provides me with credibility and expresses my enthusiasm for the eclectic business Beloved Treasures. I am able to reach people internationally and nationally, in the comfort of their homes customers can shop online and make their purchase using a Credit Card or PayPal which offers buyer protection, and Direct Deposit is also an option. 

I attempt to recreate across cyberspace, the same Customer Service I provide to those in my presence, by having a well organised website so it is easy for customers to navigate around, quality photographs, detailed descriptions of the items including size weight material etc, educational & interesting informative articles and I am only a phone call away & very happy to spend the time with them to answer any of their questions. 
I post within 24 hours of receiving cleared funds, and always follow up to make sure they have received their jewels and I openly welcome their feedback. 
We must ‘go back to the people’. 

We must put ourselves in their shoes and feel what they feel.
For me they are not nameless faces behind keyboards some-where else on this planet, they are souls who deserve to have the best experience when dealing with Beloved Treasures. It is my desire for customers to enjoy the shopping experience, to leave the keyboard happy with their purchase, to be excited and looking forward to the parcel arriving, to feel elation when they see the beautiful unique innovative Real creation for the first time and for them to feel like a million bucks when they adorn themselves with the jewels. Reading the customer feedback on Beloved Treasures website speaks for itself.
It’s all about the people, it’s all about a win win positive experience for all, it’s all about old fashioned Customer Service in a casual friendly environment; and it’s as simple as that!

How to use SOCIAL MEDIA to BUILD YOUR BUSINESS

When I decided to create my jewellery business and launch in Dec 2012, my Northern NSW web designer (Chain Me Up & Charm Me) expressed to me that it would take at least 2 years to develop a high Google rating .. it makes sense that hundreds of business's can't all fit on page 1 .. so I had to learn 'real quick' how to use other social media sites to get my business off the ground. I have discovered in the 6 months I have been operating, is that 'the personal touch' is the way to go...  http://www.belovedtreasures.com.au

I have created Boards on my Pinterest profile (visual social media) reflecting the things that I am interested in - shoes, glass art, inspirations, Gold, Birds, Butterflies etc ... and I have all my jewellery boards there too, which actually has generated some sales.. but apart from the few sales, hundreds of people have discovered Beloved Treasures website and they are now familiar with my business, which I expect will be a big International Company one day - yes, I dream big!
In such a short time I already have 1,201 International followers (today 24/6/13) and I did not know a soul when I joined..... I find that people want a bit of insight into you, which is expressed from the Boards you create and what you 'Pin'... UPDATE 19/8/13: Followers = 2,531.
If you have a look at my Pinterest profile and peruse my Boards, you will discover a lot about what interests me and even get a feel for me as a person. It's a good feeling for the potential customer to know who you are and actually quite exciting for me because I spend at least 8 hours a day behind the keyboard (my shop-front) and these social media sites frequented by the people I meet has become my social life, warm by the heater!. http://pinterest.com/CatherineSaliba/boards/ 

Facebook: some form of engagement is important. I sit here at my keyboard working away on photography, marketing etc ..and if some-one comments or likes one of my jewellery posts on Facebook (notification bell sounds) I always engage and say something about the piece or about their comment etc ... it's like I am sitting here at my shop front waiting for a customer to walk in to my store .. lol
Unfortunately very few friends 'share" or 'like' Beloved Treasures posts so I was stuck on around 70 Likes for months, so for the past month I have paid for Facebook advertising (has cost me around $100) and those Ads have attracted over 1,100 new likes. I targeted certain markets to attract buyers - so far I am building trust with most of these people, which is why I always engage when some-one comments, so they know I am a real person here who passionately and absolutely loves her business.
LinkedIn: I only started joining the groups a few weeks ago, and just watched how everyone was engaging.. and this is my first big write up  ... so hope some of what I have written here helps.
For me, I prefer to Connect with people I know or trust, rather than accept invitations from everyone and anyone. Quality of connections is more important to me than Quantity .. for a number of reasons which is another blog in itself. If the perception of you is established by the Company you keep .. well your LinkedIn will speak for itself.

To give you some idea of what I am expressing with regards to my social media personal exposure:

Visit Beloved Treasures website: http://www.belovedtreasures.com.au ... 

and Beloved Treasures Pinterest Profile: http://pinterest.com/CatherineSaliba/boards/ ... 

and Beloved Treasures Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Beloved.Treasures.Australia ... 

and Beloved Treasures LinkedIn Professional Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/catherine-saliba/4b/335/57a

As for Twitter, Tumblr ETC - I have not actively engaged in building exposure as yet, that is on the To Do list ..

I also do try to get out of the office once a week to present my jewels to people face to face; I meet the customers on Facebook pages in specific areas of the community such as Online Garage Sales, Online Party Plan advertising (there are dozens of Online Facebook Groups) ... and either the buyer comes here to pick up the jewellery or I personally deliver it to them if I know I will be in their area that week ... then I let word of mouth do it's natural thing !!

In this competitive industry with soooo much competition on the internet, it's important to expose yourself over a variety of different sites, present yourself and enjoy yourself.
So, after all that, at the end of the day ... I believe in myself, I love what I do and I will not give up!! 

Hopefully in 2 years I am on page 1 of Google (most of the time) ... and that will only be a possibility if I take the time and make sure I always have the correct keywords in the description of the jewellery on Beloved Treasures website (helps with Google Ratings) http://www.belovedtreasures.com.au

LOVE WHAT YOU DO AND YOU WILL NEVER HAVE TO WORK A DAY IN YOUR LIFE!

Catherine Saliba
(Beloved Treasures Australia)