PRODUCTIVITY
Protect Your Two Golden Hours
Josh Davis, director of research at the NeuroLeadership Institute and author of “Two Awesome Hours”, says carve out one daily two-hour block at your peak energy. Treat it like sacred ground — no interruptions allowed. You’ll get more done in that window than in two distracted days of “busy.” Everything else? Schedule it for when you’re running on fumes.
MOTIVATION
Lower the Stakes
Perfection kills progress. Writer Anne Lamott, in her book “Bird By Bird”, calls the fix “shitty first drafts” — start messy, suspend the demand for brilliance, and just get moving. By lowering the mental stakes, you sidestep the fear of failing and finally get started. Later, refine. For now, act.
SALES
Make Your Colored Gems Legendary
In colored gemstone sales, the sparkle is only half the story. The rest is, well … the story. Laurie Watt of Mayer & Watt hooks clients with tales of chasing sapphires through Sri Lanka, while Bruce Bridges of Bridges Tsavorite shares how his father Campbell discovered tsavorite in 1961 — and the danger that followed. “My father’s life story and legacy have become true lore,” Bridges says. Gems shine brighter when they come with a legend.
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BENCH
Don’t Ghost Your Custom Clients
If your customer is texting you “any updates?” you’ve already screwed up. Consultant Kathleen Cutler says every job needs one shepherd — a point of contact who shares updates on pricing, deposits, updates, everything. “Be proactive, not reactive,” she says. Silence equals panic. Your default policy should be to over-communicate with your customers until they beg you to stop.
STAFF
Teach “Bomb Recovery” for When a Joke Fails
Michael Kerr, author of The Humor Advantage, says the trick is self-deprecation: “Wow, that joke died faster than a broken watch battery.” Then move on. Staff don’t need to be comedians — just quick enough to laugh at themselves. Nobody hates the humble.
BRIDAL JEWELRY
Rent the Ring First
The proposal can’t wait. The perfect ring can. MAKE MADE Jewelry in Greenville, SC, solved every nervous groom’s nightmare with temporary engagement rings. “A customer can take a ring, make a deposit, and propose with it,” explains the store. “They hold onto it until Make Made can create the ring of her dreams.” She gets the surprise, he gets the yes, you get the sale. Everyone wins.
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MARKETING
Send Ice Cream Money
Forget thank-you cards. The Richter & Phillips Co. in Cincinnati, OH, sends customers gift certificates for ice cream cones with their thank-you notes. “It’s simple, but our customers really seem to like this,” says owner Eric Fehr. Cost: $3. Memory: Priceless. They remember the cone, not the card. Sugar beats sentiment when building loyalty.
PRICING
Just Point and Shut Up
Revolutionary pricing technique from pricing authority David Geller: Stop talking. When quoting repairs, write the price on paper (no dollar signs, no cents), point to it, and say “and that’s all it’ll be.” Everyone can read. The more you explain price, the more expensive it sounds. But here’s the second part—if you DO have to say a price out loud, never end your sentence with it. Bad: “To fix your ring will be one fifty-two.” Better: “To fix your ring will be one fifty-two and we’ll have it ready Friday.” Price at the end hangs in the air like a fart. Price in the middle disappears into the conversation. Pure psychology.
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