Tip Sheet: March 2005

Published

20 years ago

March 1, 2005

Four fresh ideas to better your business

[componentheading]MUST-SEE WEBSITE[/componentheading]

A9.com, the new search engine from the folks who brought you Amazon.com. The website includes a virtual “Yellow Pages” — including pictures of each business (taken automatically by vans equipped with cameras). Not all areas are available yet, but just give them time. Enter the search jewelry and then your zipcode to see if you’re online. You can then add comments about your business.

Source: Instore

[componentheading]NEGOTIATING TIP[/componentheading]

Negotiating tip: Forget the stone face. When a customer balks at your price or asks for a discount, go ahead and cringe visibly. The flinch will often put your opposite member on the defensive and force him or her to try to justify the request or offer a concession. Don’t overdo it, though: you’re not supposed to appear terrified, merely surprised.

Source: Selling Power Magazine

[componentheading]INSTRODUCING: YOUR BIGGEST SALE OF THE YEAR[/componentheading]

Your biggest sale of the year is here, and you want to make sure that you’re jam-packed with customers. You’ve spent big on advertising and done heavy direct mailing. What else can you do? On the day of the sale, hire people to wear sandwich boards promoting the sale in big red letters. (“50% Off! Today Only!”) Have them stand at major intersections within a one-mile radius of your store.

Source: IDEA SITE FOR BUSINESS

[componentheading]KEEP ADVERTISING FOCUSED[/componentheading]

Take Coca-Cola, for instance. The company owns nearly 80 different brands of soft drinks, but they’ve never run an advertisement for all of them with some catch-all claim like “Bubbly, sugar-based liquids in a variety of different tastes for all your thirst needs”. If you feel you have three important things that you absolutely have to say … well, then just buy three ads.

Source: Luke Sullivan, Hey Whipple, Squeeze This

[span class=note]This story is from the March 2005 edition of INSTORE[/span]

Family Legacy, New Chapter: How Wilkerson Turns 89 Years of History Into Future Success

After 89 years of serving the Albany community, Harold Finkle Your Jeweler faced a pivotal decision. For third-generation owner Justin Finkle, the demanding hours of running a small business were taking precious time away from his young family. "After 23 years, I decided this was the time for me," Finkle explains. But closing a business with nearly nine decades of inventory and customer relationships isn't something easily managed alone. Wilkerson's comprehensive approach transformed this challenging transition into a remarkable success story. Their strategic planning handled everything from advertising and social media to inventory management and staffing — elements that would overwhelm most jewelers attempting to navigate a closing sale independently. The results speak volumes. "Wilkerson gave us three different tiers of potential goals," Finkle notes. "We've reached that third tier, that highest goal already, and we still have two weeks left of the sale." The partnership didn't just meet financial objectives—it exceeded them ahead of schedule.