These notes were originally posted, in a somewhat different form, on David Squires’s LinkedIn account. Follow David on LinkedIn.
“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”
YOU GOTTA LOVE MARK TWAIN. There’s never been anybody better at saying smart things in a way even the dumbest person could understand.
The quote above is Twain at his trenchant best.
Maybe your business is struggling. Or maybe it’s just not succeeding as you expect.
If so, ask yourself … what are you SURE about? What are you absolutely SUPER-SURE about?
Owners of a certain type of store might ask themselves: am I absolutely SUPER-SURE that the number-one factor that determines whether customers buy from me is price?
Another type of owner might ask: “Am I SUPER-SURE my customers and I haven’t drifted apart on what looks good?”
And another might query himself: Am I absolutely SUPER-SURE that the friendly customer-service I brag about is all that friendly? And even if it is, am I absolutely SUPER-SURE that “friendly service” is a feature at all and not a minimum requirement of owning a retail business?
Keep asking yourself the tough questions.
Advertisement
A Wild Gift-Wrap Idea for the Holidays
A thought for today as Christmas barrels toward us like a freight train with jingle bells:
The best jewelers know you’re not really in the jewelry business. You’re in the SURPRISE business. The gasp business. The hand-flying-to-mouth business. The “I can’t believe you DID this” business. You’re in the business of creating moments that make someone feel SO seen, and SO loved, that words stop working and all they can do is reach for the person who gave it to them and not let go.
Which brings me to this: if you’re selling moments, shouldn’t your do everything in our power to make the presentation the biggest possible MOMENT?
Look, I get the velvet box. It’s classic. Elegant. But it’s also completely obvious under the holiday tree. Might as well slap a label on it: JEWELRY INSIDE.
That’s why years ago I started telling jewelers: offer a vintage lunchbox option. Scooby Doo. Brady Bunch. Whatever. Customer walks in, you say, “Want us to put that in something unexpected?” They say yes, and suddenly Christmas morning goes: confusion, then nostalgia, then the REAL surprise.
That was my favorite gift-wrapping idea for a long time.
But then I saw this. (Video below.) And it’s probably my new favorite — I think these are called “exploding gift boxes”.
Obviously, you shouldn’t fill your “exploding gift boxes” with chocolates, chips and beer. That’s not really the image you want for yourself.
But what if you adjusted the packaging and contents for a high-end clientele? Premium wrapping paper. Hand-drawn art and customized messages on every layer. As the gift recipients goes deeper, the middle layers build tension with lovely-but-not-THE-thing surprises — silk scarves, cashmere-lined gloves, spa vouchers, concert tickets, meaningful photos in beautiful frames. (As long as we’re dreaming crazily, how about a refrigerated champagne and Beluga caviar layer as well?) And then, in the end, when you finally get all the way down the center? That’s the gasp. The jewelry. Nestled in velvet. Surrounded by the many wonderful things that came before it.
Anyway, the idea is to turn the “exploding gift box” into a once-in-a-lifetime memory for special clients. (Exposure bonus: such a gift box would also be something your clients would be much more likely shoot video of and share on social media. Which means referrals up the proverbial wazoo.)
Build on the idea from there. But our strong belief is that offering “something different” will help you both create memories and make sales.
