FairJewelry.Org Exclusive: An Interview with Sharee Coffey, Marketing Consultant for Buyer’s International Group (BIG)
“This is NOT a jewelry issue. It’s a lifestyle issue. It’s a moral issue. It’s an ethical issue. It’s a humanitarian issue. It’s an environmental issue. It’s about the choices we are making with everything in our lives.”
FJ: Let’s start by talking about how Buyer’s International Group (B.I.G.) supports independent jewelers and your function in the organization.
Sharee: B.I.G. is an analysis, inventory management and consultancy based buying group, before we recommend a vendor or inventory we analyze sales and on hand inventory, so as to ensure that we are making the right recommendations. To us, it’s not about just getting stock into the store, it’s about growing sales, decreasing aged inventory and increasing cash flow. I’m the Merchandise and Marketing Consultant, which means that I work with both vendors and members; I see myself as the conduit between the two.
I work with vendors developing collections and making sure we have the right vendors. Our philosophy is not to have the longest vendor list but meaningful relationships with those we do have, our aim is to cover all the departments and categories, that we are strategic sourcing and using prime manufacturers where possible. With the members I work at getting the right inventory in their store, and making sure all their price points are covered.
Once I can visit the store, I have a much better understanding of their market place and their demographics, who their customer is and which inventory will work best for them. For many store owners it’s a classic case of not being able to see the forest for the trees. It’s very hard when they are going into the store everyday and are emotionally involved to see it objectively.
I’m in stores all across the country on a regular basis which gives me a more “global” perspective. Every independent thinks that they are the only one with the problems that they have, in reality, I can honestly say that I am yet to come across and issue that I’ve not had to deal with before.
FJ: I was fascinated to learn about your background in both business and service in the developing countries before you got involved with the jewelry industry. Would you please give us a bit of your background?
Sharee: I was a full time counselor, working with Christian women in a non denominational environment. Then I went to New Guinea, to Chimbu province on the border of Irian Jaya, anthropologists say this is the last uncharted place in the world, it really is like going into a different universe. There is no power, no running water, if you can’t grow it, you don’t eat it. There is a leper colony up there, it was a life changing experience, you never view your existence in the same way again.
FJ: You mentioned when we met that you were faced with a choice: join B.I.G. or work on an aid project in Bangladesh. As someone also who did aid work years ago now in the jewelry business, I often wistfully look back at those days when I felt my actions were in a very direct way helping poor people. Why did you choose to work for B.I.G.?
Sharee: I agonized over this (still do sometimes). I was talking it through with a friend of mine who own an advertising studio in Australia. His comment to me was, if you go to Bangladesh, you might be able to help the women in one village, if you go to America and become successful, you could potentially have the power to change so many more lives…it really hit the spot.
FJ: I know and have talked to your group of jewelers about the marketing opportunity around fair and ethical sourced jewelry products last spring. By ethical sourcing, just to be clear, I’m talking a product based on fair wages and environmentally responsible mining—something far beyond Kimberly and even “No Dirty Gold.” What did you tell the jewelers?
Sharee: Absolutely, it goes far beyond those two initiatives, though they are a start. As a consultant, (which I’ve been doing here and in Australia for some years now), I’ve found that the most important thing is to gain trust and then real change can be implemented. This takes time.
I’m really not the kind of person that believes in the fire hose approach. I don’t think that is productive or long lasting. Change must come from within, so it’s a matter of bringing these issues to the fore and encouraging people to make choices for themselves. Our industry is very much immersed in tradition and the old way of doing things, it’s very difficult to bring change but we must persist. The more we can get the message out there, and just keep repeating it, then jewelers will start to make the right choices. I would like to do a lot more, we (B.I.G.) own the domain name www.blooddiamonds.com and we would love to do something with that — something that goes far beyond just talking the talk.
FJ: What was the response and level of interest from the jewelers? Was their receptivity or general resistance?
Sharee: Once again, this is not something that will happen overnight, some are very receptive, others are skeptical. But, as I talk with more jewelers, and can repeat that I believe the BIG marketing opportunities out there are Green and Grey…..and that I think so many traditional jewelry stores are losing market share and will continue to lose more if they don’t start listening to their customers, hopefully more will become aware.
FJ: Based on what you are seeing in the US market and around the world, how long do you think it will be before ethically sourced jewelry catches on in the US?
Sharee: Generally speaking, the American market is not terribly aware of environmental issues. It’s starting to get out there, movies like “An Inconvenient Truth” and now “The 11th Hour” is doing a great job of increasing awareness. But, there is so much more that governments need to do. I’ve just come back from Australia after 2 years away, and was blown away with the progress that they have made in the last 2 years. Newspapers are now available for an extra 2c that are 100% recycled paper and consumers can now elect to pay a little extra (approx $400 per year) to use alternative power in their homes. Granted not everyone can afford that but the more people that do it now, the more the cost will come down and eventually it won’t cost more. Every Australian household has 3 trash cans, one for recycling, one for trash and one with food scraps wrapped in newspaper, and the difference is….EVERYONE does it but it has taken time and persistence, and education.
FJ: Anything else you’d like to ad?
Sharee: This is NOT a jewelry issue. It’s a lifestyle issue. It’s a moral issue. It’s an ethical issue. It’s a humanitarian issue. It’s an environmental issue. It’s about the choices we are making with everything in our lives. Personally, I don’t drive a car, I walk 5 miles (round trip) to my local supermarket 3 – 4 times a week, I have bulk items delivered once a month or I catch public transport. I eat organic food whenever possible. We can’t MAKE other people change the way they do things, we can change the way we do things and lead by example.
