Tip Sheet

h3]Mars, Venus, Maps [/h3]

Creating a map for your store, or even a flier or directory? Keep in mind that men tend to remember numbers, and women are better at recalling colors. It’s why mall directories assign each store a numeric address and color.

Surge Protection

When it comes to business threats, power surges probably aren’t near the top of your list. But they happen much more frequently than commonly thought and the damage can be extensive, with disruption to business and repair bills running to tens of thousands of dollars for damaged equipment. Cathy Calhoun, owner of Calhoun Jewelers in Royersford, PA, said she was still struggling to get or business back in order more than a month after a power surge struck her store. The answer is simple and inexpensive — surge protection devices, or SPDs, says Jewelers Mutual, which has handled an increasing number of claims in the past few years. Get yourself one.

Keep It Positive!

Keep website language simple, friendly, and positive. So say participants at the last Shop.org summit in Las Vegas.  “Orders received by 2 p.m. will be shipped out today!” is much better than “Orders received after 2 p.m. will not be shipped until the next business day.” “Buy,” instead of “Submit” for orders. “Join Now” or “Sign Up,” again rather than “Submit” to register for an e-mail bulletin.

Beat the Clock

Never on time? The Alltop Procrastinator’s Clock can help. (Get it at componentx.com/Alltock/). This application displays a clock in your menu bar that’s up to 15 minutes fast — but you never know for sure. It doesn’t change the system clock; it just fakes you out.

Aim Small

Instead of dreaming of The Next Big Thing, focus on introducing change in small, short bursts. Look for improvements to current products and services and use little experiments to test ideas, says Rosabeth Moss Kanter, the author of Find the 15-Minute Competitive Advantage.

Oscar Action!

Oscar strategy: As soon as the awards end, hit your favorite fashion websites to find out who wore what. In your showcases, place a photo or two of your favorite stars wearing a piece from a designer you carry. Mention your discoveries in an e-mail bulletin to your most fashion-conscious customers.

Bead Demo

Darlene Felton, owner of Felton Jewelers in Warrenton, VA, had a great idea for a bead event in early December, bringing in bead artist Christie Michalos-Kaniewski to get shoppers excited about the store’s Italian glass bead jewelry. Sadly, heavy snowstorms killed attendance. We can only urge Darlene to keep up the good ideas.

Model Customers

Thinking of an event for young consumers? Take a tip from fashion retailer Topshop, whose New York store has a studio where a photographer snaps its young customers in their new clothes and allows them to post the pictures to their Facebook pages.

Think by the Week

Most planning tools — daily planners, calendars and to-do lists — help you be more efficient. But you’re only prioritizing your crises each day. Effective Habits author Stephen Covey’s cure-all: a weekly worksheet. Organize your life on a weekly basis; this allows you to schedule time for your priorities and the actions that prevent crises.

Friend Factor

Another sign of where social marketing is going: Online retailer JamesAllen.com has introduced a feature on its website that allows customers to ask friends via Facebook for their opinions on a diamond they are considering.

Bring Your Numbers Man

If you’re seeking a new bank loan, pay your accountant to help prepare the application or even accompany you to the bank. It saves the banker a lot of work and will ensure you get a loan with the right maturity. Most small businesspeople tend to be hopeless optimists when it comes to revenue projections.

This story is from the March 2010 edition of INSTORE

Inspired by the December issue which suggested commemorating Elvis Presley’s 75th birthday in the Retailer’s Planning Calendar, Garcia & Co. of Farmington, NM, hosted an Elvis event in January. (We figure that photo of Eileen Alexanian, owner of Diamonds ‘n Dunes in Kitty Hawk, NC, dressed as “Felvis” — female + Elvis — on page 57 had to have played a part as well.)

“Being a huge Elvis fan myself, we put together a ‘Love Me Tender’ bridal event to honor the King’s 75th Birthday,” says Mark A. Garcia. “Staff is ‘all shook up’ and ready to rock!”

The store produced a newspaper ad (pictured) and a radio spot. “Besides the advertising, we’ve got life-size talking Elvis cut-outs in the store,” Garcia says. “Radio stations have jumped all over doing Elvis trivia contests and promos for us, and everyone that comes in gets a pair of Elvis sunglasses!”

Try an idea you read about in INSTORE? Write us here.

This story is from the February 2010 edition of INSTORE

How to work with the person you love and not start to hate each other.

Ideas for improving your business in February 2010.

Ideas for improving your business in January 2010.

Okay, you've got a clean slate. Here's how you can make the most of it.

Lingering Tunes

CHOOSE RIGHT The art of choosing the right songs in your store can be a counterintuitive one. With a lot of people still hurting financially, the best option is “happy” music rather than nostalgic Christmas carols.  Depending on the demographics of your customers, this could be something  like “Every Day is a Holiday With You” by Esthero, says Leanne Flask, of the branding firm DMX. Bottom line: Make your customers feel comfortable and they will linger, she told the Associated Press.

E-card Mail

SURF & SEND Not looking forward to writing and mailing hundreds of Christmas cards, but you’d still rather send something more personal than a mass e-mail? Use a service like SendOutCards.com. You log on, choose a card, write your message and hit send. SendOutCards prints it, stuffs it and mails it, all for less than a greeting card.

Modern-day Sleigh

DELIVER The week before Christmas last year, a snowstorm blanketed Portland, OR. That wasn’t going to stop Carl Greve Jewelers from doing business with its customers. The 85-year-old store rolled out a four-wheel-drive shipping service to deliver Christmas purchases. “Scary? Yes. Worth it? Absolutely!” says store president Tim Greve, adding that it made this customer a “holiday hero” on Christmas morning.

Teetotal Networker

DESIGNATE YOURSELF It’s party season, which means it’s networking season. And a good way to take full advantage of the opportunities to mingle, mix and meet potential customers is to volunteer to be the designated driver for your social circle. That removes a huge headache for partygoers and ensures you’ll get invited to many events, says networking guru Keith Ferrazzi, co-author of Never Eat Alone.

Low Interest Times

TAKE THE DISCOUNT Taking advantage of vendor discounts for fast payment has always been a good policy. The near historically low interest rates being offered on savings deposits at the moment make it even smarter. Laurie Owen notes that by not taking the discount, which is typically 2 percent for paying in the first 10 days, you’re effectively paying 2 percent for each of the remaining 20-day cycles in the year (18 in all). That’s an annualized interest rate of 36 percent! Compared to the 1 percent you might get for cash sitting in your bank account, they are some serious savings.

Make ’em Smile

GET BEHIND A CART Robert Sandelman, who died aged 81 in mid-September, was one of the founders of “sales promotions” and made his name doing things like putting magicians in the waiting lines of supermarkets and selling Royal gelatin in the produce aisle along with a coupon for fruit. Two beliefs drove his work: Get people in a good frame of mind, and they’re likely to buy more (hence the magicians), and consumer research. Sandelman liked to approach shoppers while pushing a cart down the aisle to ask their opinions of products (which inspired the gelatin idea).

Heel Halving

SHORTEN Got a pair of 4-inch high heels you’d love to wear but don’t because of the toll they take on your feet? Trim down those heels. Shoe-repair specialists can shorten most stilettos by up to half an inch and still maintain the shoe’s original pitch and alignment for between $8 and $15. Even a quarter inch can make a difference to reduce the pressure on the ball of your foot.

This story is from the November 2009 edition of INSTORE

 

Halloween Wishes

SEND ALTERNATIVE CARDS Christmas cards are a terrific way to deliver a holiday shopping reminder and a terrible one — because everyone else is doing the same thing. Networking guru Keith Ferrazzi recommends sending an annual Halloween card instead, because it's an uncommon practice and the gesture really stands out. "Thanksgiving's probably not a bad choice, either, just to reach out and say how thankful you are for them and your relationship," says the author of Never Eat Alone.
    
   

MINUET IN G

    MUSIC SELLS If you send out a regular e-mail to your customers, consider throwing in a quick song recommendation or a couple of words about a tune you've been listening to recently. Duct Tape Marketing blogger John Jantsch, who has been doing that for eight years in his weekly newsletter, notes it is a very effective way of getting people to think of you as something more than just another business making a pitch. "I actually sold a pretty significant piece of business one time and the person told me that when they saw I liked The Band they knew I was the right choice," he writes on his blog.

Kisses Tell

INTERRUPT We're not sure a younger man could pull this one off, but 90-year-old Bill Schifrin, who has been selling wedding rings in New York City's diamond district since 1947, will rush over to couples kissing on the street, tap the man on the shoulder and offer him his card. "You know why?" he explained mischievously in an interview on NPR. "Because married couples don't kiss on the street."

Timely Greeting

WAIT A MINUTE The right moment to approach a customer who has just entered your store has vexed retailers for generations. Jump too early and they are likely to flee the store or get too defensive. Wait too long and they may slip out or worse, consider it poor service. Retail expert Paco Underhill, whose company collects some 50,000 hours of consumer behavior on tape every year, has concluded about one minute is the golden time when shoppers are most amenable to being approached by an employee.

Paper Anniversary

HOLD A RECEIPT CONTEST Got a significant store anniversary (25th, 50th) coming up? Hold a contest with a prize going to the customer who brings in the oldest sales receipt.

Teen Power

NETWORK SOCIALLY For years we — along with many others — have recommended hiring a tech-smart teen to help you with your website. It's advice that works even better when it comes to social networking. Steve Zamaras, the owner of Zachary's Jewelers in Annapolis, MD, says hiring a college student this summer to manage his store's social networking campaign was one of the "smartest things we did this past year."

Surprise, Surprise

POP THE QUESTION Proposal-popping season is almost upon us, and once again the story of how De Beers' ad agency basically created the diamond-engagement-ring custom is getting play in the press. While that episode is fairly common knowledge, less well known is how De Beers also promoted the "surprise" proposal after it learned that when women were involved in the selection process, they picked cheaper rings. By encouraging surprise proposals, De Beers shifted the purchasing power to men, the less-cautious spenders. Next time a man is wavering on whether to bring his intended in on the selection process, recommend the joy of surprises.

Store Ambassadors

LOAN PIECES Think your end-of-season party schedule is heavy? Give some thought to the local broadcast celebrity. The holiday season can be a never-ending string of appearances at fund-raisers, corporate dinners and other community dos. The Canadian Jewelry Exchange in Kelowna, BC, does its bit by inviting celebrities down to the store to borrow an estate piece that matches their evening wardrobe. "They give us an authorized credit card number and voila, they are happily strutting around the event while showcasing our wares," says general manager Lisa Maloney. "It creates ambassadors for the store as well as many sales by the celebrities themselves," she says.

This story is from the October 2009 edition of INSTORE

Presentation is Everything

GENERATE HATE Originality is good, but execution is better. Lucian Lee, owner of Hale’s Jewelers in Greenville, SC, says the humble gift certificate saved his holiday season last year. In truth, this was no ordinary gift cert but a mini catalog mailed first-class in a clear cellophane envelope so it stood out in the mailbox. Inside was a $500 gift certificate toward any purchase over $1,000 with an expiration

date of Dec. 24. Hale says the redemption rate was over 10 percent and generated comments such as “I hate you. Why did you send this to my wife.” James Porte, whose company Porte Marketing Group prepared the program, says it underscores a simple marketing truth: Presentation is everything!

    
   

Well Fed

    DONATE TO THE EXPIRED Here’s another lesson in how the little things can generate huge rewards. Nancy and David Fine Jewels in Millburn, NJ, pays a part-time worker to walk the nearby streets and top up expired parking meters. A note is slipped under the windscreen wiper saying, “Dear Millburn-Short Hills Shopper, Your meter was expired! We fed your meter and saved you from a $25 ticket. Please return and shop in downtown Millburn. Diamond wishes, Nancy And David.” Goodwill aside, the initiative has generated customer spending of more than $72,000, say store-owners Nancy and David Stone.

Giving Gainsl

PREPARE TO RECEIVE Any way you look at it, 2009 will not go down as a normal year. So why not take some contrarian approaches to life and business? Here are four from lifehack.org based on the idea that giving is the best way to receive.

1. Lacking confidence? Give it away! Find someone you know who is lacking in self-confidence and give him a boost.

2. Short on creative ideas? Give them away. Suggest creative ways to increase their profits.

3. Cash shortage? Give some away. Consider giving money to a friend or family member to help them out. It’ll refocus your thinking.

4. Stuck with a problem? Help others first. Think of someone with a similar problem and think of a way you could help him. When you help others, help will always come back to you, lifehack.org assures.

Bias Challenged

FIND THE BALANCE Being a successful jeweler requires two skills that often aren’t complementary: craftsmanship and salesmanship. Store owners who are heavily task-focused — that is, love to tool away at the bench — don’t tend to be great at relationships. Yet those with too strong a bias for human contact often have a tough time getting things done. Neither inclination makes for a good business, says David Peck, head of business coaching service Leadership Unleashed. “Locate your bias and then challenge yourself to try more of the other — when you do, you will likely discover new ways to lead your small business,” he says.

Jewelry Fairy

DRESS UP When a customer couldn’t be there to deliver the ring he’d bought as a gift for a particular date, Diamonds ’n Dunes in Kitty Hawk, NC saw a chance to step in and help him out in memorable fashion. Co-owner Eileen Alexanian dressed as the “Jewelry Fairy” and delivered a box filled with shipping peanuts, a bottle of store-branded champagne — and down at the bottom — a “gorgeous” tanzanite ring. “The guy has been a hero ever since,” says Eileen, adding that the story has been a great word-of-mouth builder.

Eyes on the Prize

VISUALIZE Got a salesperson who’s in a slump? Get him visualizing his goal with some specific questions, says sales trainer Jeff Goldberg in a column for the New York Enterprise Report. If you know he’s saving up for a new car, remind him that his next sale is going to take him that bit closer to owning it. Follow up with questions about the color he’s thinking of, and how he thinks the car will look in his driveway. “By helping Bob visualize his goal as already having been achieved he was able to get turned on again, even though he had hit some rejections,” Goldberg says.

Net Busters

EXPLAIN THE DIFFERENCE The Internet turns 40 next month. So you’d think that by now we’d all be pretty knowledgeable about online shopping. But that’s not the case, says Kate Peterson of Performance Concepts. Most customers have little idea of what a drag it is to buy jewelry online — how many diamonds are not available, that you have to pay before you see a stone, that your credit card is frozen and you can wait weeks for your credit to be freed up, etc. Finding a gentle way to explain this while highlighting your advantages will often ensure success, says Peterson.

Underdogs

REMEMBER THE LITTLE GUYS When negotiating with a vendor or another potential business partner, make it a point to win over “the associates,” writes Harry Beckwith in What Clients Love. “Top Dog doesn’t need reminding she’s top dog, but ignore the subordinates, and they’ll take offense and think of you as a shameless bootlicker.” If you can get the associates on your side they’ll argue in your favor when you leave the room.

This story is from the September 2009 edition of INSTORE

Markdown madness, the Facebook effect and a long-term strategy.