UNLESS YOU’VE GOT a sudden interest in wide-format printing or glacier sunglasses, it’s unlikely you’d stumble across INSTORE’s sister magazines. But our beloved INSTORE is part of a family of publications serving independent business owners in wildly different industries — pet retail, eyecare, signage and beyond. Different products, same fight. So each month, we’re rounding up the smartest advice from those worlds and bringing it to yours. We call it “Borrowed Brilliance”.
From the World of Pet Care
Break Up Softly with “Impossible” Customers
If you have a client you simply cannot please after multiple attempts, try a “soft” breakup. Eric Mack of Purrrfect Bark in Columbus, NC, suggests recommending a competitor’s brand that you don’t carry. Explain that you can’t special order it because the other store has exclusivity. It’s an effective, professional way to redirect a high-maintenance customer elsewhere while maintaining your reputation, he tells the latest edition of petsplusmag.com.
From the World of Signs
Boost Creativity with “Boring Breaks”
If you’re stuck on a design or business problem, put down the phone. Rian Doris of the Flow Research Collective suggests taking “boring breaks”—short periods where you deliberately cut off all stimulation. No scrolling, no podcasts, no email. Dopamine-heavy breaks actually deplete the neurochemicals you need to stay focused. By staring at a wall for five minutes, your brain begins to make “ideas and connections it can’t reach when it’s busy being entertained”. It’s a low-tech way to find your next high-concept breakthrough.
From the World of Vision
Deploy the “Secret Signal” for Sales
To help undecided customers, create a secret code word for your team to use when they all agree a product is the perfect fit. This provides the buyer with instant, unified validation that can push a sale over the line. At McCulley Optix Gallery in Fargo, ND, the staff uses this tactic to provide patients with “instant, unified validation” when they find the right look. It moves the conversation from “I’m not sure” to “the experts agree,” removing the friction of a second-guessing customer, Dr. Melissa McCulley tells invisionmag.com
Parting Words:
“Don’t lose your mission because of the busyness around you.” — Sam Youngblood, owner of Youngblood’s Natural Animal Care Center and Massage in Wilkinson, IN.
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