On Running Your Shop: Tout the Shop
Speed up your slow months with a direct-mail piece.
BY DAVID GELLER
Published in the March 2012 issue
For many jewelers, the end of March and early April are slow. For us, it hurt cash flow and took months to play catch up. So we started a yearly tradition for the spring. In early March, we mailed our whole customer list a piece advertising the shop. Additionally, we pushed the sale of old merchandise.
We advertised in general:
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- Jewelry repair of all types
- Custom design (we would use the customer’s gold)
- Design using our loose gemstones
- Older merchandise. The older it was the more it was discounted. Customers didn’t know that, but they saw the increase in discounts on merchandise.
We sent out postcards and later a small catalog. The response was awesome.
When we advertised jewelry repair we gave examples. There was a picture of a ring with a separated shank. Next to it were before and after pictures and text touting: “Save 20% on jewelry repair.”
We used the same type of advertising for designing new jewelry. Most stores that custom design jewelry charge $400 to $600 to start. We had more than 1,000 wax models we showed customers, and if they chose an already made wax, we charged $195 to make any ring with their gold! But a majority of customers opted for having something custom made, and that started at $450. So the advertising was: “Custom design a new ring just for you! Use your own gold and stones and save money. Prices start at only $195.” The direct mail was sent out in mid-March.
Toward the end of the month we started to take in a lot of repairs and custom work, which continued though the end of April. But man, April was great, going from being a 25-percent off month to a break-even month, and May soon became our second-best month, next to December! All from direct mail advertising of the shop.
Family Legacy, New Chapter: How Wilkerson Turns 89 Years of History Into Future Success
After 89 years of serving the Albany community, Harold Finkle Your Jeweler faced a pivotal decision. For third-generation owner Justin Finkle, the demanding hours of running a small business were taking precious time away from his young family. "After 23 years, I decided this was the time for me," Finkle explains. But closing a business with nearly nine decades of inventory and customer relationships isn't something easily managed alone.
Wilkerson's comprehensive approach transformed this challenging transition into a remarkable success story. Their strategic planning handled everything from advertising and social media to inventory management and staffing — elements that would overwhelm most jewelers attempting to navigate a closing sale independently.
The results speak volumes. "Wilkerson gave us three different tiers of potential goals," Finkle notes. "We've reached that third tier, that highest goal already, and we still have two weeks left of the sale." The partnership didn't just meet financial objectives—it exceeded them ahead of schedule.
