Leonard Zell, who went from managing his family jewelry store to a decades-long career as a sales trainer, died on Aug. 15 in Albany, Ore. He was 97.
Zell was born in 1927. After graduating college, he began working at Zell Brothers, a well-regarded Portland-based jeweler that his father and three uncles founded in 1912. There, he received his first lesson in jewelry sales.
“My father stood next to me and we looked at the many display cases in the showroom,” Zell told Southern Jewelry News in 2023. “He asked me, ‘What do we sell in these cases?’ My response was ‘Jewelry, diamonds, sapphires, and emeralds.’ His response was ‘No. We sell memories.’”
Years later, those words came back to him when a girl was shopping for a gift for her mother. “The girl talked at length about the locket from her grandmother, which she kept close to her heart,” he said. “As I listened to her words, it hit me between the eyes like an arrow. We don’t sell products. We sell memories. How great of a business is that?”
Zale Corp. bought Zell Brothers in 1973, merging it with high-end chain Bailey Banks & Biddle. Zell stayed on post-acquisition, and when his new employer bumped him up to sales trainer, a second career was born.
In 1981, Zell started Professional Jewelry Sales Training and became an in-demand instructor and educator, eventually teaching in 16 countries. He often wrote about sales for trade publications, and was still contributing articles in his nineties.
His advice was often simple and homespun, touting the virtues of listening, friendliness, and, in particular, a warm smile.
“Sell as you would like to be sold,” he told JCK in 2014. “Treat a first-time customer like a friend in your home. There’s no science. It’s very simple common sense.”
Zell’s hobbies included photography, skiing, scuba diving, and tennis.
“He never missed writing a poem for every wedding anniversary or birthday,” said an online obituary. “His zest for life was inspiring, his optimism boundless, and he was proud to have made a difference in so many lives.”
Zell is survived by Marietta, his wife of over 30 years.
(Photo courtesy of Professional Jewelry Sales Training)
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