MANAGEMENTThe Power of Appreciation
To be sure, salespeople like performance-based pay incentives, especially when the fish are biting, but to ensure that the drive and focus of the holiday season extend into the new year, don’t overlook the power of appreciation, says Wharton professor Adam Grant. “Extrinsic motivators can stop having much meaning —your bonus gets spent, your raise in pay feels like your just due, your new title doesn’t sound so important once you have it,” he told The Wall Street Journal last year. “But the sense that other people appreciate what you do sticks with you.” So, give the people what they want, and what they want is compliments and pizza, he says.
HealthPrep a Flu Kit
Flu activity typically starts to pick up around now. This year, be prepared with a “wellness” box in the back of the store. The medicine kit at Toner Jewelers in Overland Park, KS, includes EmergenC, cough drops, Vitamin C drops, pain medicine, alcohol wipes, Lysol and more, says manager Alisha Moore. “Temperatures vary so much at this time of year that someone is always sick.”
MarketingPet Appeal
It can be hard to tell what is most important in the lives of millennials, but pets are certainly up there. Gold Casters Fine Jewelry in Bloomington, IN, had the field covered last year with a clever marketing offer in which customers were invited to come in for a photo session with Santa. “Two days with dogs, bring your dog in for a picture with Santa. One week for children,” explains manager Georgena Kincaid.
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Customer ServiceChristmas Hit List
As the key holiday selling period approaches, Natasha Henderson, owner of Saxon’s Fine Jewelers, Bend, OR, prepares her “hit list.” “It’s a chalk board and I write down the customer’s name as I see a piece of inventory that will fit their significant other or even for a self-purchase. I also include clients that I am just going to call and make sure they know I am available and have specifics in mind for them,” she explains.
MarketingBlogs That Work
December is the most popular month for would-be grooms to pop the question. If you don’t have a blog post titled “32 Places to Propose In and Around (Your City)”, you should, a la Reis-Nichols Jewelers in Indianapolis, IN. instoremag.com/indianapolisproposal
ProductivityDo Breaks Better
The most important thing to understand about breaks is that they are not a deviation from performance; they are part of performance, says Dan Pink in his latest business best-seller, When: The Scientific Secrets Of Perfect Timing. “And the most restorative breaks are social rather than solo, outside not inside, moving instead of stationary, and fully detached rather than semi-detached.”
