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Ask INSTORE: July 2011

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Is counter-suing a customer a good idea, improving your Google rankings, and more.

 [h3]THE ROUGH SCALES OF JUSTTICE[/h3]

[dropcap cap=Q.][h4][b] A customer has threatened to sue us over a custom job they weren’t happy with but which followed their instructions. I am thinking of counter-suing for damage to our reputation. Should I?[/b][/h4][/dropcap]

[dropcap cap=A.] As a general rule, it almost never pays to go to court to resolve a small commercial dispute — even when you are absolutely positive you’re 100 percent in the right. Doubt us? Go ask anyone who has been through a small claims case. When you get to court, there is a good chance the judge will send you away to negotiate anyway. Settling beforehand means you will have to accept less than you feel is right but it will save you money in the end, not to mention months of aggravation, distraction and the time lost thinking about a lawsuit, meeting about it, worrying about it — and getting deposed and sitting in court. Call the customer’s lawyer and make an offer to settle. It puts you in control. Your adversary may reject your offer but his legal bills are mounting as he does. In the end, everyone will probably walk away a little unhappy — but that’s what usually happens in the best deals.[/dropcap]

[componentheading]INTERNET [/componentheading]

[h4][b]A local competitor’s Google rankings are so much better than ours. Their site doesn’t seem so fancy. Why are they beating us so bad?[/b][/h4]

Advertisement

It could be any number of reasons, some of which you can check yourself, starting with keywords. Simply go to their site and click on “View” at the top of the browser, then “Source” (or “Page Source”). A page of html code will pop up and the keywords will be buried near the top of the page. You can then compare their words with yours. You can also monitor their site for things like unique visitors, most viewed pages, and where their visitors are coming from, by using free analytical sites as Alexa.com, Google Analytics and Quantcast.com. It could also be that their traffic isn’t being driven by search optimization at all. A survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project found only 50 percent of American Internet users actually use a search engine every day. What’s driving the traffic is link backs. That is, other sites that may link back to your rival’s, sometimes for a small fee. Ask your webmaster to do some snooping.

[componentheading] DISPLAYS  [/componentheading]

[h4][b]I’ve been told not to use anything bigger than 5 and 7 ring trays in my ring cases. Is that good practice or doesn’t it matter?[/b][/h4]

The rule for ring trays and just about all jewelry displays, is that the better the piece, the less the tray density, says Larry Johnson, senior VP of Pacific Northern and author of The Complete Guide to Effective Jewelry Display. “These pieces deserve the extra emphasis. If this can be done with trays no larger than 5s and 7s, then OK,” he says.

[componentheading] ADVERTISING [/componentheading]

[h4][b]We cut way back on marketing during the recession and don’t seem to be missing it. What’s the risk in keeping it small?[/b][/h4]

Advertisement

When you shrink the dollars you invest in what makes you most visible, it’s almost inevitable you will surrender market share to competitors who do spend on branding, marketing and advertising. You may have been lucky in that all your rivals did the same as you, but the general rule is that if you lose visibility at a crucial time, such as during the recovery from a recession, you lose it forever. Everyone is desperate for customers, and being “top of mind” is the key to getting them. Consider too that maybe the problem was that your past advertising wasn’t effective. Did it identify your strengths? Define your turf?

[componentheading] BAD CHECKS [/componentheading]

[h4][b]I occasionally get dud checks, which are returned for amounts such as $100 or $300. These are too small to call for small-claims court or collection agencies, but add up over time. What can I do?[/b][/h4]

Needless to say, writing hot checks is a crime, and your local district attorney’s office may be willing to help you file a complaint. But there is a simpler way to foil them: Ask your credit-card processor about its check-service programs, which set you up with a scanner tapped into a national database. You run the check through the scanner and, if the account has a history of bounced checks, you’ll be warned, for a fee of about 2 percent of the sale. Another tactic is to try what a group of jewelers in Central Texas did and form a loose network to tip each other off when a bad-check writer seems to be doing the rounds. Their cooperation resulted in the recent arrest of an alleged serial offender who tried to use a dead checking account to buy $10,000 worth of gold at one of the stores.

[span class=note]This story is from the July 2011 edition of INSTORE[/span]

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SPONSORED VIDEO

This Third-Generation Jeweler Was Ready for Retirement. He Called Wilkerson

Retirement is never easy, especially when it means the end to a business that was founded in 1884. But for Laura and Sam Sipe, it was time to put their own needs first. They decided to close J.C. Sipe Jewelers, one of Indianapolis’ most trusted names in fine jewelry, and call Wilkerson. “Laura and I decided the conditions were right,” says Sam. Wilkerson handled every detail in their going-out-of-business sale, from marketing to manning the sales floor. “The main goal was to sell our existing inventory that’s all paid for and turn that into cash for our retirement,” says Sam. “It’s been very, very productive.” Would they recommend Wilkerson to other jewelers who want to enjoy their golden years? Absolutely! “Call Wilkerson,” says Laura. “They can help you achieve your goals so you’ll be able to move into retirement comfortably.”

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Most Popular

Ask INSTORE

Ask INSTORE: July 2011

Published

on

Is counter-suing a customer a good idea, improving your Google rankings, and more.

 [h3]THE ROUGH SCALES OF JUSTTICE[/h3]

[dropcap cap=Q.][h4][b] A customer has threatened to sue us over a custom job they weren’t happy with but which followed their instructions. I am thinking of counter-suing for damage to our reputation. Should I?[/b][/h4][/dropcap]

[dropcap cap=A.] As a general rule, it almost never pays to go to court to resolve a small commercial dispute — even when you are absolutely positive you’re 100 percent in the right. Doubt us? Go ask anyone who has been through a small claims case. When you get to court, there is a good chance the judge will send you away to negotiate anyway. Settling beforehand means you will have to accept less than you feel is right but it will save you money in the end, not to mention months of aggravation, distraction and the time lost thinking about a lawsuit, meeting about it, worrying about it — and getting deposed and sitting in court. Call the customer’s lawyer and make an offer to settle. It puts you in control. Your adversary may reject your offer but his legal bills are mounting as he does. In the end, everyone will probably walk away a little unhappy — but that’s what usually happens in the best deals.[/dropcap]

[componentheading]INTERNET [/componentheading]

Advertisement

[h4][b]A local competitor’s Google rankings are so much better than ours. Their site doesn’t seem so fancy. Why are they beating us so bad?[/b][/h4]

It could be any number of reasons, some of which you can check yourself, starting with keywords. Simply go to their site and click on “View” at the top of the browser, then “Source” (or “Page Source”). A page of html code will pop up and the keywords will be buried near the top of the page. You can then compare their words with yours. You can also monitor their site for things like unique visitors, most viewed pages, and where their visitors are coming from, by using free analytical sites as Alexa.com, Google Analytics and Quantcast.com. It could also be that their traffic isn’t being driven by search optimization at all. A survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project found only 50 percent of American Internet users actually use a search engine every day. What’s driving the traffic is link backs. That is, other sites that may link back to your rival’s, sometimes for a small fee. Ask your webmaster to do some snooping.

[componentheading] DISPLAYS  [/componentheading]

[h4][b]I’ve been told not to use anything bigger than 5 and 7 ring trays in my ring cases. Is that good practice or doesn’t it matter?[/b][/h4]

The rule for ring trays and just about all jewelry displays, is that the better the piece, the less the tray density, says Larry Johnson, senior VP of Pacific Northern and author of The Complete Guide to Effective Jewelry Display. “These pieces deserve the extra emphasis. If this can be done with trays no larger than 5s and 7s, then OK,” he says.

[componentheading] ADVERTISING [/componentheading]

Advertisement

[h4][b]We cut way back on marketing during the recession and don’t seem to be missing it. What’s the risk in keeping it small?[/b][/h4]

When you shrink the dollars you invest in what makes you most visible, it’s almost inevitable you will surrender market share to competitors who do spend on branding, marketing and advertising. You may have been lucky in that all your rivals did the same as you, but the general rule is that if you lose visibility at a crucial time, such as during the recovery from a recession, you lose it forever. Everyone is desperate for customers, and being “top of mind” is the key to getting them. Consider too that maybe the problem was that your past advertising wasn’t effective. Did it identify your strengths? Define your turf?

[componentheading] BAD CHECKS [/componentheading]

[h4][b]I occasionally get dud checks, which are returned for amounts such as $100 or $300. These are too small to call for small-claims court or collection agencies, but add up over time. What can I do?[/b][/h4]

Needless to say, writing hot checks is a crime, and your local district attorney’s office may be willing to help you file a complaint. But there is a simpler way to foil them: Ask your credit-card processor about its check-service programs, which set you up with a scanner tapped into a national database. You run the check through the scanner and, if the account has a history of bounced checks, you’ll be warned, for a fee of about 2 percent of the sale. Another tactic is to try what a group of jewelers in Central Texas did and form a loose network to tip each other off when a bad-check writer seems to be doing the rounds. Their cooperation resulted in the recent arrest of an alleged serial offender who tried to use a dead checking account to buy $10,000 worth of gold at one of the stores.

[span class=note]This story is from the July 2011 edition of INSTORE[/span]

Advertisement

Advertisement

SPONSORED VIDEO

This Third-Generation Jeweler Was Ready for Retirement. He Called Wilkerson

Retirement is never easy, especially when it means the end to a business that was founded in 1884. But for Laura and Sam Sipe, it was time to put their own needs first. They decided to close J.C. Sipe Jewelers, one of Indianapolis’ most trusted names in fine jewelry, and call Wilkerson. “Laura and I decided the conditions were right,” says Sam. Wilkerson handled every detail in their going-out-of-business sale, from marketing to manning the sales floor. “The main goal was to sell our existing inventory that’s all paid for and turn that into cash for our retirement,” says Sam. “It’s been very, very productive.” Would they recommend Wilkerson to other jewelers who want to enjoy their golden years? Absolutely! “Call Wilkerson,” says Laura. “They can help you achieve your goals so you’ll be able to move into retirement comfortably.”

Promoted Headlines

Most Popular