Sales Truths : Ownership is the Smorgasbord of Insecurity
BY DAVID RICHARDSON
Published in the November 2013 issue.
WHY IT IS TRUE: If you are the owner of your business, you constantly worry about
sales, worry about costs. You worry about your store, employees, vendors
and customers. If you didn’t, you would be out of business or at
best working for someone else. Owners worry … employees work.
PLAN OF ACTION: Sit down by yourself with a nice glass of Chardonnay and make a list
of the worries, concerns or real challenges that keep you up at night.
If the answer you come up with is “Gee, I don’t have any,” you’re probably
not being totally honest with yourself. Take a sip of the wine,
close your eyes, and dig deep, very deep. Make a list and check it twice.
If Santa can do it, so can you. Develop two or three specific action
steps you can take that are practical and economically feasible. Share
your thoughts with your best employees, other retailers, jewelers in
noncompetitive markets or anyone whose counsel and confidence
you completely trust. The worries won’t totally go away overnight,
but you sure can make some powerful strides forward. — DAVE RICHARDSON
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.
