1. Use your business cards. One company directed that every piece of first-class mail sent out include a business card, even the bills they paid! This led to a call from the local electric copmany asking about their product. Another literally tossed his cards in the air at football games when the home team scored. Cards do no good sitting in your desk drawer. Get them out. — Source: Paul Timm, 50 Powerful Ways To Win New Customers
2. Losing the “Yellow Pages” advertising wars? Here’s a deliciously sneaky tip to help level the playing field. Place an advertisement in the local newspaper offering a discount to any customers who cut a competitor’s advertisement from out of the yellow pages and bring it to you. Then, the next time they look for jewelry, the biggest ad on the page won’t be there. — Source: Raleigh Pinskey, 101 Ways To Promote Yourself
3. One common mistake made by jewelers who advertise is to refer to their inventory as “GIA-certified”. Don’t do it — or, chances are, you will quickly find a letter from GIA in your mailbox, telling you to cease and desist and that they do not “certify” diamonds. You can refer to diamonds as having a “GIA Gem Laboratory Grading (or Identification) Report”, but nothing else. — Source: Instore
4. Want great word of mouth? One way to jump-start it is by getting women who own beauty salons to wear your jewelry. They deal with women all day long, and have loads of time to talk about their lives, loves, and best of all, the fantastic jewelry they’re wearing. Start by offering all beauty salon owners in a five-mile radius a very big discount on their next purchase from your store. — Source: Jay Levinson, Guerrilla Marketing
Safe Way: Security Issues to Remember
It’s a fact … most jewelers who do bench work have dirty fingers. And if your jeweler is the one who closes your store, there’s a good chance you might inadvertently be creating a major security risk. How? First, go to your alarm keypad and look at it. Are there dirty smudges on the keys that make up your four “magic numbers”? If so, wash them down, and make sure your jeweler washes his hands thoroughly before locking up each night.
Four Decades of Excellence: How Wilkerson Transformed a Jeweler's Retirement into Celebration
After 45 years serving the Milwaukee community, Treiber & Straub Jewelers owner Michael Straub faced a significant life transition. At 75, the veteran jeweler made a personal decision many business owners understand: "I think it's time. I want to enjoy my wife with my grandchildren for the next 10, 15 years."
Wilkerson's expertise transformed this major business transition into an extraordinary success. Their comprehensive approach to managing the going-out-of-business sale created unprecedented customer response—with lines forming outside the store and limits on how many shoppers could enter at once due to fire safety regulations.
The results exceeded all expectations. "Wilkerson did a phenomenal job," Straub enthuses. "They were there for you through the whole thing, helped you with promoting it, helping you on day-to-day business. I can't speak enough for how well they did." The partnership didn't just facilitate a business closing; it created a celebratory finale to decades of service while allowing Straub to confidently step into his well-earned retirement.
