December 2016 | Business View Caribbean

120 121 Seraphine, two in Port Carenage, and one in Windjammer. Since we have two ports, about 60 percent of the ships arrive at Seraphine and the other 40 percent at La Place Carenage. So we need to be in both places. And each port has a Tanzanite International and a Diamonds Inter- national.” Like all of its sister stores in the Caribbean, the St. Lucia branches promote themselves, via their hired promotion companies, at the is- land’s hotels and, most especially, on the cruise ships, before the passengers disembark. “So when they come to the stores, they are already acquainted with Diamonds International and ready to buy,” says Eitan. This pre-educating of tourists is a necessity since they generally spend only a short time on land, and the store personnel must engage their customers and close their sales, quickly. Therefore, says Eitan, the sales staff has to be trained, not just in diamonds and jewelry but in how to sell. “Most of my people arrive with no knowledge and we train them,” he explains. “We like to bring people and let them grow up in the beauty of Diamonds International in St. Lucia, specifically, and Diamonds International, in general.” The company also likes to promote from within. Some of Eitan’s people started out as sales associates and now are floor managers, or specialists say, in watches or other items. “If they’re good and give a hundred percent, and are passionate – I myself, started eight years ago in Cozumel, Mexico as an auditor and, today, I’m a general manager,” he adds. Eitan also sees a great benefit that his em- ployees gain, most of who are native islanders, DIAMONDS INTERNATIONAL by working for a multi-national company. “Through interaction with other employees from other countries and cultures, they learn about other ways of thinking. This makes it more interesting, more progres- sive, when you come to work with all kinds of cultures.” According to Eitan, business on St. Lucia has slowed down consider- ably over the past several years, as the country has yet to fully recover from the Great Recession. The number of airline passengers on each flight to the island is down, as are the number of flights coming in each week. Eitan believes that St. Lucia has to do a better job of promoting the island as a tourist destination, and as far as lo- cal marketing is concerned, there’s little more that an individual store can do, because all marketing efforts are generated in the New York or Miami offices of the parent company. Meanwhile, St. Lucia’s General Manager is enthusiastic about Diamonds International’s particular value proposition to its customers. “We are a shop that gives you the option to really find the piece that you’re looking for, because of its big variety, or the option to custom-design your own piece, because of our loose diamonds and our jewelers that are here with us,” Eitan states. “You choose your diamond, you choose your ring or setting, and in one hour and a half, you have your piece. And that’s something very unique for a jeweler. Because sometimes, you have only what you see and you may want something bigger or something less fancy.We have whatever you need in one house.”