Case Study

Mark Perle - Mark & Jean Perle: "The Heart Shaped Diamond From The Cornfield"

Sometimes customers don't take us seriously because our store is almost completely surrounded by fields of corn. We're out past the Chicago suburbs in a town of 2,500 – definitely agriculture country. But it's not just farmers. Plainfield is fast becoming a bedroom community for yuppies. Had a guy come in a few weeks ago who'd been looking all over the area for a ninety-point heart-shape diamond.. I could tell from his expression he didn't expect to find anything in my store.

I didn't have a ninety-point heart in stock, of course, but that wasn't going to stop me. I had Poly-Power. I pulled up a list of heart shapes between .85 and .99 on my computer screen. There were about twenty of them, most with certificates. Since my markup was already built in, I printed out the list and handed it over. I think I must have knocked the guy's socks off!

"Uh, I don't get it," he said, puzzled. "How come a little store like this out in the middle of nowhere has this kind of inventory?" I explained how we're part of the Polygon network, which gives us access to inventory all over the world. He took the list and shopped it for a few days, but no one could beat my price and quality. It was an easy sale.

I know the other jewelers around here are scratching their heads, not understanding how I do it. They've even told customers my prices were too low, and there must be "something wrong. Nope. There's something right – Poly-Power! I remember the first month on the system, my close rate on diamond sales went up about 45%. Why? I could sell for less without cutting my margin. Now I even undercut the "wholesalers" in downtown Chicago, and my sales have doubled.

The truth is – even if you're not located in a cornfield – I don't understand how it's possible for jewelers to survive these days and not be on Polygon!

Mark & Jean Perle / Mark Perle
Plainfield, IL
Lifetime member since 1988 / Poly ID 447