Entry-Level Fine Jewelry Sales & Sales Support Associate

About Us

Summerwind Jewelers & Goldsmiths is a family-owned & operated independent fine jewelry business in downtown Portsmouth, NH. Our specialties include diamonds, bridal, high-end designer jewelry, full-service jewelry repair, and custom design. We are a fun, professional, engaging, and innovative team in pursuit of our goal to provide unique, high-quality jewelry products and services in a comfortable, collaborative, and inclusive environment where every client feels valued, respected, and has an exceptional experience every time they enter our store.

Our work environment includes:

• Relaxed, yet professional atmosphere
• On-the-job training
• Growth opportunities
• Safe work environment
• Lively atmosphere
• Casual work attire
• Company perks

Job Description

We are looking for our next dedicated associate to learn the business from the ground up and become an important member of our future team. This in an entry-level position, although some experience in retail, sales support, or customer service is preferred. You must be comfortable selling high-end, luxury goods. You will be responsible for building strong relationships with senior sales team members, observing, learning from, and working closely with them to serve our customers and maximize sales.

Candidates should be friendly, outgoing, motivated self-starters, task-oriented. You must possess integrity, enthusiasm, attention to detail, readiness to learn, and the ability to be a team-player. You will be responsible for many support duties as you are starting out. You will be trained in all areas of the store, so as to contribute in whatever way possible to the team while you are learning. You will be required to turn over sales to more experienced team members until effective sales skills are learned and proven over time.

You will learn a great deal about diamonds, gemstones, jewelry, and the industry through your training and observation. The learning curve for new associates starting out in the field is approximately 1.5-2 years, and the expectation is that new hires intend to stay with the company for at least this period of time, become fully contributing members of the team, then hopefully continue to grow with us for many years after that. This is a wonderful career opportunity for the right candidate(s). We are investing in you and your professional development, and hope you will return this investment with hard-work, dedication, and investment in the long-term success of the company and your fellow team members.

This is a full-time position - 40 hours/week plus seasonal overtime, a year-end bonus, and benefits. You must be available to work full shifts 9AM - 6PM (opening hours are 10AM - 5:30PM). Your regular schedule will include Saturdays, and may include Sundays and evening hours during busier times of year.

The starting salary for this position is $35,000 - $50,000/year depending on previous sales or other relevant experience or education. Benefits including health insurance, paid time off, professional development assistance, sales incentives, generous employee discount, and more.

Key Duties:

• Ultimately, your main focus and goal will be to learn to sell. You should always allow the most experienced/qualified salesperson available to assist the customer, but when others are busy you should be aware to avoid anything that stops you from selling and taking good care of the clients.
• Your number one priority will be to greet all customers, including repairs, when they walk in the door and direct them to the appropriate team member to assist them with their needs. You will inspect all repairs coming in with the view of selling new stock, a re-make, or a re-design, converting the repair customer to a higher average sale and repeat client. Your goal is always to upsell or add-on to a sale or repair.
• During your training period, you will work closely with the senior sales team members and provide direct support throughout each sale: listening, learning, selecting stock or getting stock requested by the salesperson to keep the salesperson with the customer, taking over at the point-of-sale to allow the salesperson to move to the next client, writing up receipts, taking payment, answering questions, and providing gift wrap services as needs.
• You will work diligently to learn about and assist the sales team with their clienteling, the goal of which is to establish long-term relationships with key customers and provide more personal and informed customer service which can influence customer behavior to shop more frequently, lift the average transaction value, and other retail key performance indicators. Adding this layer of personal touch to the shopping experience plays a significant and vital role in retaining clients, creating brand loyalty, and growing our business. You will follow up with clients who have yet to make a purchase, send thank you notes and other written correspondence at appropriate times, draft statements of value, and follow through with any and all necessary back-end tasks relating to special orders, custom projects, and repairs at the direction of the other salespeople.

Responsibilities:

• Greet and engage with in-store customers, direct them to the appropriate team member to meet their needs
• Support top sales people throughout a sale
• Assist at point-of-sale and with customer follow-up as needed
• Oversee and maintain the lost sales book
• Perform regular store set up, break down, cleaning, merchandising, operating and maintenance tasks as directed by senior team members
• Stay up-to-date with new product and feature launches
• Be dedicated to learning all you can about the products you are selling
• Quality control all stock regularly when cleaning or putting it out to be displayed
• Be conscious of profit and able to sell without discounting
• Review old stock and learn the exchanging and remodeling process
• Work with top salespeople on regular clienteling, marketing campaigns, social media, and other projects

Qualifications:

• Experience working directly with customers in a retail environment and/or customer service role (Preferred)
• Experience with selling, ideally with selling high ticket items (Preferred)
• Familiarity with display and merchandising products
• Ability to type efficiently and use a computer to work with our inventory and POS systems, for online training, and to use MS Word/Office
• Always dress and behave professionally and appropriately to reflect the quality of merchandise being sold
• Present yourself with confidence, self-esteem, and personality
• Possess the strength of character to turn over sales to the best possible person to help the customer when they are available, rather than attempt to sell beyond your abilities

Skills:

• Proven work experience in retail sales, customer service, or as a sales support specialist or associate (Preferred; min. 1-3 years)
• Hands on experience running a Windows operating system for point-of-sale transactions and inventory management
• General computer usage skills and experience using basic Microsoft programs
• Basic understanding of sales principles and customer service best practices
• Excellent communication skills
• Analytical and multitasking skills
• Teamwork and motivational skills
• Attention to detail, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills
• High School diploma or equivalent (Required)
• BS or associates degree in relevant field a plus (Preferred)

Come join our close-knit, high-motivated, fun-loving team! Our store is a professional, relaxed yet lively environment in which we all enjoy coming to work, serving our customers, and working together toward shared goals and growth. Every member of our current team, including the owners, started out in the business at a young age and from the bottom up, making a conscious choice to pursue this as a career and become respected, true professionals in the industry. You could be next... If this sounds like an exciting career opportunity, we look forward to meeting you!

Summerwind Jewelers is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $16.00 - $25.00 per hour

Expected hours: 40 per week

Benefits:

• Employee discount
• Health insurance
• Paid time off

Work Location: In person