THERE’S A GOOD chance that you think you are in the business of selling jewelry. You’re actually not (or at least, I hope you’re not). Let me explain by way of comparison.
I have fired very few people in my career, and I remember each of them, but one really stands out. “Brian” was in his early 30s with incredible intelligence and an engaging personality. He was a team player and was always busy. A voracious reader, he brought new and exciting ideas to the table.
So, it took me a while to figure out that Brian wasn’t accomplishing anything. At all. We reviewed the purpose of his role, tracked how he spent his time, discussed saying no to distractions and being a better delegator. But eventually, it became clear that he could not align the way he spent his time with the expectations of his role. Regretfully, I had to let Brian go.
I see a similar pattern often in business. It’s a one-two punch of not being clear on the overarching goal and not aligning marketing to achieve the goal.
Let’s go back to what you sell. It’s tempting to think you sell jewelry, because that’s what goes out the door in exchange for money. But in most cases, you are selling something else, something more ephemeral, and you are transacting jewelry as a result.
What you should be selling is one big idea. You’re the store to go to for … fill-in-the-blank. And remember: You don’t need all the customers; you just need the right customers. Avoid the temptation to create a big idea that will appeal to everyone, because it will end up being so generic that it doesn’t appeal to anyone.
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When businesses haven’t defined their big idea, they find they are very busy creating marketing and promotional elements with no payoff.
If your marketing is focused on selling the diamond, the ring, the designer brand or the custom service — the things — the result is fragmented messaging that yields disjointed impressions and a diluted brand.
Imagine this example instead: Let’s say the primary thing you’re selling is “trust.” Do these photographs and colors inspire trust? Do these word choices inspire trust? Does this policy inspire trust? Does every piece of social media reinforce trust? Does this ad say anything about trustworthiness? When you launch a new collection or brand, you do so through a trust lens, not just the prettiness of the jewelry.
Don’t be like Brian. Don’t be busy at the expense of being effective. When you define what you are selling and align every molecule of your marketing to convey that message, you can penetrate the noise and make an impression.
