Hello, my name is World’s Greatest Bulletin for Jewelers. But you can call me Greatest. My mission on this planet is to inspire and excite you — jewelry-store owners and jewelry-store managers — and to, once again, make you fall in love with your work.

Maybe not passionate, LOVE-love your work. I mean, Lord knows there will still be days when you are seriously considering GHOSTING your work and starting fresh under an assumed name in a new town.

But we really want to help you to more often remember why you got into this profession, and to more frequently find those moments of grace within the life we have all chosen.

My goal is to help you make your store floor fun and exciting. To help you poke and prod and mold your team into a happy family, or at least a healthily functioning community. To help you add that little extra that makes a customer think, “Hey, that was cool. I’m DEFINITELY coming here for my next jewelry purchase”.

World’s Greatest is a paid bulletin. That is something new for INSTORE. But it is happening more and more around the publishing world — premium advertising-free digital information products readers value enough to pay for. This seems especially essential as our digital world sinks, incrementally, into a sea of AI-produced slop.

Here’s what we plan to offer:

• Original writing (usually not as long as this)
• Daily talking points you can use with your customers
• An expanded list of daily manager’s to-dos designed to keep you on track at multiple levels — today, next week, next month, this year
• Fresh tips and out-of-the-box ideas inspired by top business thinkers, plus a curated selection of the very best ideas from 23 years of INSTORE (and other SmartWork Media group publications.)
• Plus lots and lots of actionable/fun/inspiring departments we’re going to make up as we go along.

We are EXTREMELY EXCITED!!! (Can’t you tell?)

Here’s how this is going to work.

This week, from Monday to Friday, we’ll send this bulletin to our entire bulletin list free of charge. After that, we are going to ask you to pay $20 to receive the World’s Greatest Jewelry Bulletin, 5x weekly, for the month of April.

That’s all the commitment we’ll make at this point. And all the commitment you need to make.

If it turns out that, like, three people are willing to pay for a $20 April subscription, this experiment will end quickly. We’ll continue pumping out bulletins to a tiny audience through the end of April and probably make a sad/funny gesture like changing our official name to “Instant Failure Jewelry Bulletin” or “World’s Biggest Flopperoni”.

But, if enough people value this and want to continue, we can advance into May. And so on. If, after a few months, interest appears sustainable, we can consider annual subscriptions.

So, enjoy the read.

And, if you are enjoying the read, be SURE to forward to your co-workers and industry friends so they can also enjoy it.

Word of mouth is key. We CAN'T say it enough. Word of mouth is EVERYTHING.

Thanks for reading.

Morbidly curious to see what happens next?

Questions? Write [email protected].

Ready to help us spread the word? Here’s how.  

METALS REPORT

Gold drops after record-high week.

Gold dropped 0.68% to $3,024 before Friday's market close; platinum was down 0.61% to $988; palladium was up 1.07% to $984. (Go to Kitco.)

Jonathan Geller: How to adjust to $3,000 gold.

CRIME REPORT

Two weeks later, police recover swallowed $700,000 earrings.

Officers swarm teen suspects in botched Toronto jewelry store break-in. / South Florida jeweler popular on social media targeted in home invasion robbery. / Catch an extra security tip below.

AROUND THE INDUSTRY

Snoop Dogg, Jason Derulo to headline JCK Rocks.

CIBJO backs new definition for recycled gold. / Korman Fine Jewelry readies 11,000 foot Austin, TX store for summer opening. / Tiffany & Co. debuts Mexico City flagship.

Today’s Dates

• “Days” of the Day: World Tuberculosis Day (help here), National Puppy Day, National Cheese Steak Day ("best cheesesteaks near me")
• “DAYS” THIS WEEK: Teachers' Day (March 28), National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day (March 29), National Doctor’s Day (March 30)
• MILESTONE Birthday: 95th birth anniversary of Hollywood’s “King of Cool” Steve McQueen (b. 1930-d. 1980)
• UPCOMING: Sarah Jessica Parker (March 25, the big 6-0!), jewelry designer Kendra Scott (March 27), Lady Gaga (March 28)
• Entertainment Anniversaries: Debuted today in 2005: the US version of The Office — an all-time workplace comedy classic. (Got time for a quick laugh? Here’s Dunder Mifflin’s attempt at office first aid training.)

This Week’s Jewelers' Horoscope

This week, the universe is rolling out a red carpet for Leo. But for Sagittarius, every day feels like a never-ending shift at work.

CHECK YOUR HOROSCOPE: Aries / Taurus / Gemini / Cancer / Leo / Virgo / Libra / Scorpio / Sagittarius / Capricorn / Aquarius / Pisces / Best and Worst Signs of the Week

10 Things To Do In Your Store Today

• MARKETING: April’s birthstone is diamond. You probably know a little bit about how to sell THAT particular gemstone, but why not refresh your memory of a few interesting diamond facts?
• STAFF: March and September are optimal for employee reviews, we think. Six months apart, with neither month busy and the September review perfectly timed to be motivational for the holidays. (Here’s a great tip from Andrea Hill on how having employees review themselves can be a positive change.)
• SARAH JESSICA PARKER's 60TH: As mentioned up top, tomorrow (March 25) is a milestone birthday for SJP. If Greatest had been active last week, he would have pre-alerted you to this promo opportunity. Ranging from no-effort to high-effort, here are a few ways to celebrate the birthday of one of the pretty major style icons of the last 25 years:
  • By doing abso-freakin'-lutely nothing.
  • Maybe mention it to a couple of customers tomorrow. “Can you BELIEVE she’s 60? I feel so OLD.”
  • Grab a photo of her (here’s a recent one from INSTORE) and write a social media post wishing “Happy 6-0 to a true style icon!”
  • Build conversation by asking readers for stories of moments “when their lives most felt like an episode of Sex in the City”. Or what character they identify most with and why.
  • Curate a selection of “10 Jewelry Designs Carrie Bradshaw Would LOVE!”
  • Invite SJP fans to visit your store to watch the latest Sex in the City movie and sing “Happy birthday” to a cake with a printed photo of SJP stuck to it. (You would OF COURSE have to record this and post on social media.)
• CUSTOMER SERVICE: Beware the ex-brides of March! Divorce filings are highest this month. Do you have a script ready explaining why the resale value of an engagement ring may not meet the customer’s expectations? If not, get busy. (Here’s a pretty great explanation on Reddit from an estate jewelry buyer to a confused customer.)
• NATIONAL PROM DAY: Celebrated on March 31, this day marks the start of prom season for jewelers. Do you have tiaras ready to promote on the 31st? Consider launching a special section on your homepage for tiaras and other prom jewelry. You might even offer to sponsor the prom queen’s tiara at local school(s). Here are more prom ideas.
• MARKETING: Administrative Professionals' Day is just under a month out (April 23). The Etsy folk have cornered the low end of the market with their “Best Admin Ever” gift candles, coffee cups and t-shirts. Can you create a higher-end package to steal back some of those customers? How about a platinum compass necklace or lapel pin (representing how a skilled admin can point an entire office in the right direction) and a selection of artisan chocolates (or even a giant, personalized Toblerone bar)? Promote this package on your home page and start taking orders. Maybe try local Facebook or LinkedIn advertising aimed at business/corporate customers.
• SPORTS: NCAA Sweet 16 games are later this week. Why not invite a few favorite customers over to watch the games at your bar?
• TEACHERS' DAY: Friday is the day to honor educators. Do you carry products appropriate for teacher gifts? Mention them in your store email bulletin, on your social channels and/or highlight on your website. (Maybe include the inspiring story of a teacher who meant a lot to you.)
• SECURITY: The threat of home invasion targeting jewelers is not to be taken lightly. To increase your safety and sense of security, install an exterior-door deadbolt on a bedroom door. That way, if a break-in does occur, you can hide in that room with your family.
• CUSTOMER SERVICE: Set up a phone charging station near the front of the store with cables for Android and Apple devices. Customers will appreciate it, and you’ve given them a reason to linger and look.

Sales Contest of the Week

Here’s one David Geller favorite designed to build the habit of getting customers to try on jewelry. (Because trying on a jewelry item makes them wayyy more likely to buy it.) Geller’s game is called “A Buck a Try-On”. Basically, you (or your sales manager) monitors floor activity and every time a salesperson gets a customer to try on a different item of jewelry, they get a dollar. Give an additional reward to the salesperson who gets the most try-ons over the week.

Disclaimer: Sales spiffs and contests are not appropriate for every store. But, used correctly, they can create energy and fun in your store and incentivize sales-boosting behaviors.

Project “Add Personality”

PROJECT ONE: STORE BAGS

Each week, we’re trying to add personality to one specific area of your store. The idea is to eliminate areas in your store that are ho-hum. For this project, we’re going to use the philosophy we’d use in an exercise program — easy reps first — to help you build momentum.

One smart place to start is with your store bag. Instead of seeing your bag as simply a functional device to carry purchases, why not regard it as an important promotional tool and make it stand out?

Love & Luxe of San Francisco is one jeweler who takes a creative approach with their bag. Says owner Betsy Barron: “The Love Comes First tagline featured on our tote bag both conveys our core values to our customers and reminds our team of the guiding principles we rely on when dealing with our artists, customers and each other.”

Ask World’s Greatest

QUESTION: I bought a struggling store eight years ago and have turned it into a thriving business. When I took it over, I didn’t like the name (it was the previous owner’s family name) but people said it had brand value so I didn’t change it. But it still bugs me. Just how big is the downside of rebranding?

It’s big and it’s expensive, especially now that you’ve built up equity in the name. And as soon as you change it you’ll probably have to start dealing with rumors that you went out of business, says retail expert Rick Segel. The general rule is change the name only when your core business changes or the name takes on negative connotations, like the case of Ratners Group, which became Signet not long after its CEO Gerald Ratner told a business audience his company could sell its earrings so cheaply because they were “crap,” a joke that almost overnight wiped nearly $800 million off the value of the group.

Segel notes there are plenty of successful companies out there with less-than-snappy corporate monikers that owe their names to their founders (Abercrombie & Fitch, Smuckers, Orville Redenbacher’s). If you must change, try a phase-out. Smith’s Jewelers for example could become Smith’s High Plains Jewelers, before eventually dropping the Smith’s altogether.

Send your questions to [email protected]