CONTRARIAN THINKING
Go Poaching
When the economy slows, most businesses instinctively look to cut costs and freeze hiring. But a recession can be a good time to take on new staff, specifically your rival’s best performers. “A downturn can be an excellent time to poach,” because other companies are trimming bonuses or other benefits or even pay, writes economist Ram Krishnan in a recent edition of Forbes magazine. When things slow down, keep one eye on the future.
JAILBIRD WISDOM
Forget Time
The late electrical engineer and inventor Jacob Rabinow used an interesting mental technique to slow himself down when he was on a job that required more endurance than intuition: He’d pretend he was in jail, Psychology Today reported in a recent edition. “If I’m in jail, time is of no consequence. In other words, if it takes a week to cut this, it’ll take a week. What else have I got to do? This is a kind of mental trick. Otherwise you say, ‘My God, it’s not working,’ and then you make mistakes,” he once said. It probably goes without saying, Rabinow didn’t promise three-day turnarounds.
IT’S A WRAP
Disguise A Gift
Here’s a variation on the jewelry-gift prank in which a ring or pendant is placed inside a series of successively smaller boxes and 17 layers of wrapping paper: Joke gift boxes from theonion.com. The empty boxes claim to hold, in The Onion’s words, “crappy bric-a-brac” such as a 28-piece professional whisk set. Perfect for that specially created 6-carat diamond and gold bracelet from Marco Bicego.
CALL TO ACTION
Leave Phone Bait
Caller ID, voicemail, receptionists … it can be tough getting through to a person these days. Gene Spath from Spath Jewelers in Bartow, FL, says he always tries to leave customers with a reason to take action when he calls. “So, if I am calling a customer to let them know we got new inventory, I would say, ‘Hi, this is Gene from Spath Jewelers. I have some exciting information for you if you could call me back.’ That way when they call back you can speak to them directly and explain what that exciting news is.”
ZIP, LOCK AND LOAD
Go Prospecting
With gold at historic highs, Ronald Scott of Scott’s Jewelry, goes prospecting — in the community around his Americus, GA, store. Scott hands out “gold mining kits” — Ziploc bags with his business card in it — to everyone he meets and urges them to bring in whatever’s lying at the bottom of their jewelry boxes. “Most customers are very surprised at what they can get for that old chain,” he says, adding that the ploy often generates appraisals and repairs too.
HANDS-ON
Book A Massage
If you’ve read INSTORE over the years, you’ll know we’re big fans of massages; either for yourself after a long day at work, as an inducement to get customers in the store, or as a spiff for staff during the holiday sales period. Many balk at the idea, however, because of the price and concerns about finding a reputable massage therapist. If that’s you, take a look at amtamassage.org, which features a locator service for qualified providers and fees. On-site massage rates vary by location — expect hourly rates of about $75 and up. (A therapist will typically fit in three 15-minute massages per hour.)
SPLASH OF PAINT
Rent a Masterpiece
Your store is more than a retail outlet, it’s a gallery for beautiful expressions of human creativity. So why not ramp up the ambience with some serious artwork for your walls? A number of major art museums have rental programs, and many will even help you choose the best pieces for your space. The Artists Gallery at San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art, for example, charges about $350 to rent a $5,000 painting for three months. Photos are even cheaper. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Seattle Art Museum, and the Racine Art Museum in Wisconsin all have rental programs, as do many community galleries that support local artists.