SALES FLOORYour Home as a Fortress
The spate of home invasions targeting jewelers last year highlighted the domestic threat to people in the industry. If someone does break into your home, try to call 911 from a landline so your name and address display automatically. Cellphones ping the closest tower; a dispatcher may have trouble determining where to send the police, Chris McGoey, a security consultant told Men’s Health. He also suggested adding an exterior-door deadbolt to a bedroom door, so if a break-in does occur, you can hide in that room with your family.
Buddies for Life
In his book Predictably Irrational, behavioral economist Dan Ariely notes that if you go the “I’m your buddy route” in retail, you need to maintain it. Firms that invite people to come in and buy stuff as a social transaction (“Join the family!”) but then treat the deal later as a purely economic matter (“You should have read the fine-print”) will provoke enormous enmity from their disgruntled former BFF, he says.
Social Networker
The next time you attend a networking event, leave the business cards at home, advises sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer. Writing in his new book, 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling, he says: “Force people to link with you or follow you if they want to connect with you via LinkedIn or Facebook. Think about that pile of cards on your desk from people that you’ve never really connected with.”
SHOWKeep Your Shoes Clean While Traveling
Packing your best dress shoes for the Plum Club gala dinner? Wrap them in white tissue to keep them shiny and prevent polish from bespoiling the clothes in your bag, recommends the tipsheet at kiwicare.com.
Budget for Your Buying Mistakes
Everyone makes buying mistakes. Budget for them, says merchandising consultant Sally Furrer. “Try to learn from them … and then expect to make more of them in the future,” she says.
Bring Your Own Juice
There are public charging stations within the showrooms at JCK Vegas, but given the lines it’s better to bring your own portable power pack (a charger like the popular Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation will set you back about $80). One thing to keep in mind, say the posters on the Apple forum boards, charge your device only to about 80 percent — trying to get that final 20 percent drains your backup battery faster.
MANAGEMENTBoost Your Brainstorm
Stuck on a problem? Reach out to someone outside the jewelry retail field. Their lack of industry baggage may enable you to approach the issue from a different angle. Having to explain the problem in simplified terms will also help rephrase the issue for your brain, says Alaina Levine, blogger and president of Quantum Success Solutions.
Artificial constraints as a driver of creativity have received a lot of press lately, with Twitter’s Jack Dorsey among the best-known advocates. The Scottish artist Martin Creed explained to the New Yorker recently that “by taking on the role of prison guard of your own mind, you can then break free.” So, stuck in a rut with a problem? Start with the most basic restriction: a time limit. Set a timer and go!
Give Better Criticism
If an employee has screwed up, don’t go on and on about it, says consultant Peter Bregman, author of the workplace efficiency book 18 Minutes. Be clear and direct in your talk, with an emphasis on ensuring the mistake doesn’t happen again. Then stop talking. “Silence locks in the message and allows for a response,” Bregman says. If your employee thanks you at the end of your chat, then you know you’ve got your message across in the right way.