Zen Jeweler: Make It Work With Your Staff

Published

17 years ago

April 2, 2008

INSTORE Staff

WHAT ARE THE ODDS of actually finding the one person you are right for? You meet 20 people of the opposite sex in your lifetime with whom you develop any kind of attraction, and then you pick one. Of the 1.5 billion other possible mates on the planet, somehow the person you went to college with turns out to be the right one. What are the odds of that?

Then, after you think your new relationship isn't working out, you break up and, amazingly, right down the block is another perfect mate for you! That's why, when the experts get together and talk about making a marriage work, the key word is “making.” They just don't work out by themselves. Good marriages are made. Assembled. Created. Built. Constructed. Look at the odds. How could it be otherwise?

Now, about that staffer who is not working out …. Are you giving him the time and effort needed? Or are you just writing him off, hoping that down the block is another perfect match? Just think of what you could build if you gave everyone the effort he deserves!

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.