inventoryOrigin Stories
Have the rough on hand for your best-selling gemstones to show customers and help you “tell the story of that particular gemstone,” says industry veteran John Nicolosi, a GIA Accredited Jewelry Professional. Nicolosi notes humans are wired to respond to stories. And there is also a secondary benefit: “Customers can’t shop a story like a price point,” so have a story for every item, he says.
TIME MANAGEMENTSchedule Emails for Work Hours
It can feel good to crush some work on the weekend, but as the owner of a business, it’s good to remember that your staff aren’t thinking about work 24/7, especially on the weekends. (They’ll actually be better workers if they can effectively switch off for a time every week.) In line with this, use “schedule send” to ensure your email arrives during business hours, no matter when you send it, says Tim Harford, writing in his The Undercover Economist column in the Financial Times. “This is a kindness, but also trains your colleagues not to expect instant responses.”
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INVENTORYBinge Shop for Mandrels
You’d think that by 2022, the industry’s system of “standard ring sizes” would ensure uniformity, but that’s not always the case. Somewhere between the sales floor and the shop, sizes seem to mysteriously change. To ensure consistency, do what one INSTORE reader suggested: “Buy all ring mandrels from the same supplier at the same time, so the sales floor and shop have the same ones and ring sizing is consistent.”
SELF-HELPHold Off on the Joe
If you’re like most Americans, you couldn’t imagine getting through a workday without coffee. And if you’re also like most Americans, you’re doing coffee wrong, says Dan Pink in his latest book When: The Scientific Secrets Of Perfect Timing. Don’t reach for the brown elixir when you first wake up. “Wait 60 to 90 minutes, which is when your cortisol levels start to decline,” he says. Then take your first hit, and you’ll get that essential boost of caffeine to get you through the morning.’
TASK MANAGEMENTIt’s Never Too Late to Start
Delay a task long enough, and you can fall into the trap of feeling like it’s simply too late to get started. Rather than berate yourself, reach for a can of forgiveness. That was the conclusion of a study by Carlton University’s Department of Psychology into the connection between forgiveness and task initiation among students. The study found those who were able to forgive themselves for putting off studying for an exam were better able to overcome procrastination and hit the books sooner for their second exam. “Remember that there’s no designated ‘right’ time to start,” noted productivity website Lifehacker.com. “It’s never too late and, after all, you’re only human. So know your weaknesses, forgive yourself, and just get going.”
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