What do Fed-Ex, The Ritz-Carlton, McDonald’s, Disney, Hertz, IBM, and Nordstrom have in common? They all have non-negotiable sales and customer service standards. Could you imagine the Fed-Ex guy showing up in brown shorts and a brown shirt? What do you think would happen if the McDonald’s employee refused to say, “Would you like fries with that?”

Jewelry stores should have non-negotiable sales and customer service standards. Standards are those policies and directives that must never be compromised. Standards are non-negotiable. They should be considered a minimum requirement for sales employees to maintain their positions. If you allow people to disregard standards, you won’t be as effective as you should be.

Sales standards are policies that have a direct effect on sales. For example, salespeople should be required to try to close every sale and sell additional items. There are many others. You have to establish and instill these standards in your salespeople.

You also must have a set of customer service standards that, again, cannot be compromised. These standards ensure that customers receive either exchange in abundance or complete satisfaction. Are they leaving your store with a positive impression that will motivate them to return? Are they leaving with an indifferent impression? Or are they leaving thinking the store is so terrible they’ll tell others to stay away?