How To Develop The Marketing Mindset

You know you need to do it…you see other’s being successful because of it.  What is it that I speak of?  I’m so glad you asked…the answer is becoming the “Maverick Marketer” of your store!  Marketing truly is the engine that drives your store’s business.  Dare you neglect it?

Early in my career as a store owner we were doing ok.  However, larger, older and better financed competitors still were getting the lion’s market share in our area.  So what did I do?  I got help from those who knew what I didn’t in the marketing realm.  Coaching and developing a marketing mindset is what set our store on fire!

While so many retailers concentrated on brand building otherwise known as “Image Marketing”, I started learning about “Direct Response” marketing.  After putting direct response principles in place, I noticed an uptick in sales the very first month.  Therefore, I started crafting more offers, writing better headlines that would elicit a “Direct Response” to my marketing efforts.

You’ll discover as I did that building your in house mailing list is the center post that you build your marketing efforts on and everything else should follow and connect to it after that.  Here’s a marketing tip you shouldn’t ignore…with direct mail, postcards, etc…your client has to at least look at it.  If you do your job well in crafting a good offer, they’ll do more than just look!

Let me give you one more tip about direct response marketing.  The next time you go to your mailbox, carefully look at the offers being made to you from other businesses.  The best direct marketing minds in the world craft offers every day and send them to you.  So before you throw it away…look at the headlines, the offers, coupons and subscriptions they send you to see how you might use them in your operation.

Quit building a brand for someone else…if you create the right offers and store traffic, you’ll build your own brand in the minds of your customers.  When you develop the “Marketing Mindset” using sound direct response marketing principles, you’ll beat the “Image Marketers” every time!

Don't Miss My Info Packed Seminar at The Atlanta Jewelry Show!!!

Have you worked hard to build a mailing list for your retail store but can't seem to figure out how to put it to good use? No worries...help is at hand! Make plans to attend my FREE seminar on "How To Find The Riches in the Niches of Your Store's Mailing List!" This will be held at the Atlanta Jewelry Show on Friday, August 3rd from 4:00 to 5:00 PM. This seminar is based on real world experiences in my own jewelry & gift store. Cut time and waste by learning from my successes as well as failures! Make plans to attend today so you'll be able to find those "Hidden Profit Centers" in your store's mailing list! Find out more well as sign up info by visiting: https://www.atlantajewelryshow.com/sessions/find-the-riches-in-the-niches-in-your-mailing-list/

Discover this and other hidden nuggets of gold I'll be teaching....it would be a shame for others to learn these techniques! I really do look forward to seeing you in Atlanta...let's all profit together! Sincerely, Bill Warren, DDJM (Doctor of Dynamic Jewelry Marketing) 828-729-1020 Email: goldman86@bellsouth.net www.warrenmarketing.blogspot.com P.S. - need a marketing speaker for a group you belong to? I'd love to help...call 828-729-1020. P.P.S. - I'm a retailer just like you who has a love of teaching others! I like to keep things simple..no fancy websites or a bunch of bells & whistles...just results!

Keeping the Thing..."The Thing!"

Let me ask you a question - how many of you are bombarded daily with things that seem to pull you away from the important task of running your store? You know, you have three civic groups wanting you to donate an item for an auction or you’re hit up by someone wanting you to do a hole sponsorship for the latest golf tournament.

It seems we have time vampires all around us wanting to suck up all of our time and attention!

Since childhood I’ve been a huge Star Trek fan and I’ll never forget what Captain Kirk once told Captain Picard in one of the movie versions of Star Trek. He said something to the effect of, “While you’re captain of the ship, you’ll get to explore, do things and see things that no one else gets to see or do! Don’t let them promote you, don’t get distracted because while you’re in the captain’s seat… you’ll make a difference!” In other words, Keep the Thing, “The Thing!”

For those who’ve followed my columns over the years, you know my story - how finding success meant quitting being a jeweler per say and instead becoming a “Marketer of Jewelry” and related services to our area’s consumers. It was a subtle shift in my thinking, but a very important one.

Over the years I’ve found it easy to become distracted with day to day challenges, administration, employees, etc. However whenever I came out of the fog and realized that as “Captain of The Ship” and “Chief Marketer” it’s very important to constantly be developing marketing strategies that create the loyalty and store traffic we’ve enjoyed. 

Friends, I feel sure you’ll discover that marketing is the engine that drives your store’s business - dare you neglect it? It is easy to set aside that next e-mail blast, Facebook/Instagram post, direct mail promotion for the daily administration of business, etc. I get it! But when you do set it aside, just like letting off the accelerator of your car, you’ll slow down. 

Take 15 minutes each morning before everyone gets to work to plan your daily, weekly & monthly marketing. If that is not practical, take just one morning a week, lock yourself away and give yourself time to think about the systems that run your business. Above all else remember, Keep the Thing, “The Thing!”

"til next time,

Bill Warren

WANT TO MAKE A WITHDRAWAL? YOU'VE FIRST GOT TO MAKE A DEPOSIT

Let me ask you a question. How many times have you said to yourself, “I sure wish we were doing more business and that we had more clients coming in the door”? Answer - I’m sure all of us have thought this very thing! Let us take a look at a simple analogy…

When you go to the bank and wish to make a withdrawal, would it be fair to say you must first have made a deposit? If you ask your body to jog five miles, would it be fair to say you must first give it the proper fuel with a good meal? Then how can we as sensible adults reasonably ask our stores to produce business and clients without first marketing properly?

You see, marketing would be likened unto a farmer plowing a field and planting the seeds. Only then can he “reasonably” expect to reap a harvest. So what am I getting at with all of these analogies? Gee, I thought you’d never ask! 

Instead of sitting around living off past successes and glory of days gone by, waiting on a client to darken your door, why not do something about it? Get your calendar out and plan a succession of promotions, sales and events that will attract someone to your store?

I’ll give you a few examples that have worked well for me as of late. In the fourth quarter of 2016, I took the time to invest in doing inexpensive Facebook social media promotions that really paid off. The nice thing about this was, I could target the exact client I wanted. One ad I ran costing only $50 brought in a new client who purchased a ring for $2499 - not to shabby!

Another success was that I took the time to identify a newspaper in a small town near me that still works well. Taking a small part of my Christmas ad budget, I placed several ads in this newspaper I’d never used before. The results? Several sales from new clients who’d never visited our store or town even though they only lived a half hour away! 

Are you starting to see what I’m getting at? In this day and age, you simply have to be proactive instead of being reactive. It’s my personal opinion that gone are the days we can just open our door and wait for customers to flock in. It’s up to you to give them a reason to come visit. That reason is something only you can answer, but good marketing is the vehicle!

You’ll also discover that integration is key to your marketing success. It is not good enough to just run an ad in one medium. Take the time to plan your marketing and have key elements of it appear in each form of marketing you do. For example: combine newspaper with a radio ad combined with Facebook, combined with a well-timed e-blast to your e-mail list.

Over time, your efforts will build and start paying off with more regular visits from your customers as well as new visits from new customers! I admonish you, don’t complain to the stove about not providing heat if you didn’t put any wood in to start the fire!

HOW TO SQUEEZE EVERYTHING YOU CAN OUT OF EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT

How To Squeeze Everything You Can Out of Everything You've Got

Many years ago as a kid I went on a road trip with my father who was a long haul truck driver.  While traveling up Interstate 40 at a pretty good clip of speed, I noticed an older, compact foreign car pull out in the lane to pass us.  This seemed quite remarkable to my young mind at the time because my father in his big rig was already doing well over 80 miles per hour!  Undaunted the little foreign car with smoke coming out his exhaust and an engine that sounded like it could explode at any minute did pass us and pulled on off into the distance.  My father remarked, "It appears he's squeezing everything he can out of everything he's got!"

Perhaps you and I could take a lesson from this little foreign compact car and apply the same philosphy to our jewelry stores.  Many times while in prayer we often ask for more strength, more grace, more of this and more of that when in reality we've not done the most with what we've already been given.  Can you see how this might apply to you?

Lets take marketing for a minute.  One of things I'm often asked is "How in the world do you find time to do all of the nifty marketing things you do?"  Pretty simple..I take the time to get to my store one day a week when its early and no one else is there.  I then plan out my marketing calendar that week, execute it and then let it go on autopilot.  One example of this is my weekly store emails to my customer database.  Its easy to plan a month's worth of emails using a simple online program like Constant Contact.  Just pick one of their templates, copy and paste a picture in and add the text you want and there you have it!  It only takes 10-15 minutes to do a month's worth and then you're on autopilot..free to get out on the sale floor or do whatever it is you do best!

How about buying inventory?  Another simple thing...pull a report from your store's POS system of what you sold in the last week or month (whichever works best for you).  Then analyze what has sold best for you and replinish it then and there. When it stops selling well...stop ordering it!  Rather than always loading up on inventory at shows, how about replinishing your store's best sellers a little at a time?  I'll bet it'd help your cashflow and if it sold quickly once, it'll probably do it again!

Do you take the time to make sure you've got your "Never Outs" covered?  This can be anything from popular watch batteries to repair stock/findings, etc.  In other words, don't be out of anything crucial in your inventory or your repair shop!

How about add-on sales?  Do you have a counter special set up near your cash register so as to enduce impluse sales?  Of course, this should come after you've already maximized the main sale by offering additional add-on's to it...

Are you leveraging trade associations and vendor relationships to their fullest?  Remarkably, I wasn't taking advantage of my Polygon membership like I should be.  Now I check it out daily for great last minute vendor specials, bargains and closeouts that allow me to make that little bit of extra gross profit that benefits the bottom line.

The real "Bottom Line" is...are you really doing your best to "Squeeze Everything You Can Out of Everything You've Got?"  What would it hurt to get to your store an hour or so early one day a week and to take time to think about the systems that run your business?  I'll bet if you do and you really implement positive changes...you'll be like that foreign compact car and you'll leave your competitors in the distance!

'Til Next Time,

Bill Warren, DDJM (Doctor of Dynamic Jewelry Marketing)

www.warrenmarketing.blogspot.com

goldman86@bellsouth.net

828-729-1020

HOW TO COOK WITH GAS, TAKE NO PRISONERS & BUILD A WINNING JEWELRY STORE!

Greetings & Happy New Year from the Doctor of Dynamic Jewelry Marketing - Bill Warren!!!

I'm already off to a great start with my first speaking engagement to be at the Ballayntine Resort in Charlotte, NC for the upcoming SJO Jewelers Show to be held on February 1st & 2nd.  I'll be speaking both days at 8 AM on my ever popular topic of "How To Cook With Gas, Take No Prisoners & Build A Winning Jewelry Store!

During this 2 day seminar, you'll learn how I more than doubled my own jewelry store's business in a few year's time using such techniques at:

• Out of the Box Direct Mail Methods
• Social Media
• Email Blasts
• Voice Blast Technology (My store was one of the first to do this)
• Private Events
• Plus much, much more!

Since the SJO Jewelers Group is a member only event, you may need to call Paul Downey at (216) 896-9850 or email at:  P.Downey@SJOrg.com to make sure you're eligible to attend but let me urge you to do so!!!  SJO is a great group to be a part of and you can probably attend for FREE just to get your feet wet so to speak!

As always, feel free to call me at (828) 729-1020 if you have any questions or if I may help you in any way!

Success,

Bill Warren, DDJM (Doctor of Dynamic Jewelry Marketing)
www.warrenmarketing.blogspot.com 
828-729-1020

HOW TO REINVENT THE WHEEL IN YOUR STORE

Do you ever wonder about ways you can improve your business?  You sit and think about it, but you’re just not sure what to do?  As I write this article, the New Year has recently started and I find myself being reflective about things, but looking forward as well.  Many things we tried in our jewelry store worked well last year, but some of the marketing, strategies and events were clunkers just like any other business has.

The title of this article is “How to reinvent the wheel in your store,” but perhaps it should have been “How not to reinvent the wheel.”  What do I mean by that statement?  Simple - I’m a big fan of the “Modeling Process” or in other words, copying the successful systems, attitudes and behaviors of those I wish to emulate or be more like. Just like you, I have my heroes in the jewelry biz and in the retail world at large.

One of the things I find helpful to stimulate new ideas is visiting other successful jewelry stores to see what they’re doing and to see if I can implement some of the ideas I learn in my own store.  No one, and I repeat no one, has all the answers and we should all keep learning our trade each and every day.  If we don’t do this, it’s my opinion that our business could cease to exist as our competitors locally and not so local, aka the Internet, Blue Nile, etc., move forward with innovative ideas.

Perhaps the best marketing advice I can give to any jeweler seeking to improve their store’s operation is to get out and visit other jewelry stores.  On one recent visit to a store near our vacation condo I saw how this jeweler had integrated a very successful “Estate Jewelry” operation in their store that obviously set their store apart from others in their region.  This made me question myself - why I had never seriously put in a estate jewelry case in our store.  I also noticed this jeweler marketed to his client mailing list with postcards and special offers to those clients who love this type of jewelry.  Duh!!!  Why haven’t I been doing this???

With thanks to David Geller for inspiring me to do this many years ago, I modeled one of his behaviors in that I started sending “Thank You” notes to every customer who made a purchase or had a repair done in my store. With each of these thank you notes also came a gift certificate in whatever amount I deemed appropriate that the client could use on their next purchase.  These days this is quite easy due to the advent of POS systems such as Edge, Winjewel and many others making it simply a “click of the button.”

One of the things I’ve been paying particular attention to lately in other jewelry stores, as well as other retailers, is the use of text marketing where you have a customer send a text message to your service and a special offer, gift certificate or message pops up on their smartphone.  I’m experimenting with this as I write this and think there is some merit to it that we jewelers should incorporate ourselves.

As we continually become a more smartphone dominant society instead of desktop computer or laptop, it also seems very important to make sure our store’s websites are optimized for viewing on a smartphone.  Over the holiday season, it absolutely amazed me how many younger clients came in my store with a picture of a ring from some website that they wanted to purchase in my store.  I was very glad of this, but also kind of ashamed that I hadn’t optimized my own website sooner!  Note to self... hey self, get off your butt and get your website optimized for viewing on the small screen!!!

One more thing - if you’ve not had the opportunity, go visit a Chico’s ladies store.  My wife goes there often. Ok, maybe too often, but watch these folks in action. They are simply some of the best at clienteling I’ve ever seen!  A few days after a purchase, my wife gets a card saying “Thanks” along with a special offer to come in again.  Did I mention they also know her preferences and call her anytime something has come in that she might like?  They also call her anytime there is a special event and give her a FREE gift just for coming in. Plus, they never forget a birthday and send a gift certificate for that as well.  How often do you do this for your clients?  Another note to self... start clienteling like Chico’s does and watch the bank account grow!

Most successful retailers belong to several organizations and often get great ideas, brainstorming sessions and many more benefits simply by being a part of them. I currently belong to four groups, two of which are jewelry specific and two made up of all types of retailers. It never ceases to amaze me the knowledge that is shared and how much I come away with. I suggest you find a group that you enjoy being a part of. Go out and try some until you find the right one.  Like me, you may have to try several. Let some go, but by all means find one you can learn and grow with!!

These are just a few ideas I’ve been thinking about and hey, I really didn’t have to reinvent the wheel either. I just borrowed ideas from others and found a way to apply them in my store.  Can you do the same? I’ll bet you can and probably even better than me! Drop me a line sometime at goldman86@bellsouth.net and let me know what you come with. Maybe we can brainstorm something together! 

Good luck until next time...

Dr. Bill

PERSERVERANCE - THE KEY TO SUCCESS

Twenty years ago my wife and I opened our jewelry store in downtown Hudson, NC.  Like many of you, we got started on a “wing and a prayer.”  I had been running a store in nearby Lenoir, which was a chain operation and had only moved to the area two years prior.  My wife was a hairdresser and like many young couples, we had the dream of owning a business.

Thanks to the customer following I had built up, a little start up money and my wife’s commitment to do whatever, we got our jewelry store going.  Needless to say, things weren’t easy, but from day 1, the good Lord smiled on us and we developed a good trade of our own.

A few weeks into the whole thing, we were ready for our grand opening and that’s when it happened.... we heard one of our local competitors was going to try and knock our grand opening in the head with a huge media blast. Essentially, they were going to make our meager effort look like it got lost.

Fortunately, we have lots of friends in local media and I was tipped off about the whole thing. So I waited and let “the other guy” blow his wad - and he did!  Right after this, we had our grand opening, which thankfully was successful.  What am I getting at by telling you this story?

No matter what, never give up!  Yes, its easy to get frustrated by your competitors, your lack of funds (at times) and all of the many other things that we jewelry store owners face, but let me say this, “PERSEVERE!”

One of the reasons I see so many jewelers being unsuccessful is that they give up on something way too easily; for example, new lines, new marketing, employees or themselves.  Stand tough no matter what you face and meet it head on - you’ll come out stronger on the other side!

Now twenty years into this whole thing, we find ourselves with one of the busiest and largest volume stores in our area.  We often get comments from others like, “How is it that you have this much traffic in such a small mountain town?”  “How do you do well over a million dollars a year in the environment you are in with the economy being what it is?”

All I can tell you is - “PERSEVERANCE!”  We stand tough when others give up and we take on jobs that often other jewelers refuse to do.  Investing in a laser welder, CAD/CAM technology, learning to market our store in different ways has made us successful.  We only have an average size store in a very, very small town that still surprises many readers when they stop by. But as I often say, “This is a jewelry store on STEROIDS!!”

One last word on competitors. I’m a huge fan of the late great football coach Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers.  Good ‘ole Vince would make his players study the moves of his competition until they could almost predict the exact plays they would run and when they would run them.  He also made his players practice the moves and countermoves until it became second nature.

You see, I’m a firm believer that you should study what the large jewelry chains are doing as well as your local competition - shop them, learn their habits, know what they carry!  Then you can develop a plan that differentiates you from your competition.  By all means, make your store stand out in the crowd.

Maybe you are like we were twenty years ago and sometimes feel overwhelmed by people and circumstances. Don’t get caught up in worrying about what others are doing either. Let your competitors worry about what you’re going to do!  Let me encourage you to be like “The Little Engine That Could” and “PERSEVERE.” It’s what those at the front of the pack do!

'TIL Next Time,

Bill Warren

How To Bring In The Bucks When The Bucks Are Hiding!

Here is a short video shot by my friend Jim Ackerman of the Marketing Wizards Alliance a year or so ago. In this video, Jim & I talk about how we've been able to consistently bring in the bucks in my jewelry store using "Out of the Box" as well as "Tried & True" marketing principles.  If these ideas worked for me and allowed me to win a marketing contest and a FREE trip to Park City, Utah...they will work for you!

Watch the video and learn at:

http://marketingwizardsalliance.com/magic-wand-marketing-contest-winner-bill-warren-shares-valuable-philosopy-with-marketing-speaker-jim-ackerman/

Let me know your thoughts...happy learning!

Sincerely,

Bill Warren, DDJM (Doctor of Dynamic Jewelry Marketing)
www.warrenmarketing.blogspot.com
828-729-1020


P.S. - if you'll follow the ideas I've outlined in this video...marketing success could happen to you!

Adapt or Die, The Choice is Yours...

Adapt or die - that’s kind of an abrupt title for an article isn’t it?  Before I get into the meat of this, let me digress for a moment.

Like many of you, I have a deep love for this industry and the independent jeweler.  Perhaps many of you just like me have watched this industry for almost 30 years or longer.  Its been an incredible ride in my own career, that’s for sure. 

When I entered the jewelry biz as a goldsmith’s apprentice in downtown Statesville, NC, the landscape was quite different than it is today.  Some called this time the “good ole days” or the Reagan “Glory Years.”  Things were easier then, that’s for sure!

I remember in the ‘80s when I could place a full page ad in our local newspaper with several sale items such as a gold nugget watch or ring, some diamond solitaire specials and a few other things.  The ad would hit on Wednesday and by Saturday our telephone would have rang off the hook and we’d have sold out of most the items. Yes, back then it was just that easy!

Nowadays, jewelers don’t have it so good.  Many report that newspapers no longer produce results, or at least most don’t (in some unique markets it still works).  One of the comments I most often here is, “What do I do now?  Newspapers don’t work like they used to, discount sales no longer work, what should I try?”  Maybe you’ve felt the same way.

You’ve probably found that it does take quite a bit more technique to make things produce like they should. Simply put, “Jewelers Must Adapt To An Ever Changing Marketplace or Die.”

You see, I’m afraid if many of our friends don’t try to adapt and change, they simply will not be here much longer.

It really pains me to see those who could have a thriving independent jewelry store simply wither away.  Why is this happening?  I think its because being creatures of habit, we (independent jewelers) are afraid to embrace new ideas, new marketing, new lines and in doing so, many are sealing their destructive fate.

Years ago, I stopped by to visit a dear friend and mentor of mine who is now departed, Bob Deitz of Salisbury, NC.  While visiting Bob, I kiddingly asked him about a line of pocketbooks he was carrying in his jewelry store. His answer even way back then, showed what a wise man Bob really was. He said, “Bill, I’ve learned to be happy with whatever makes my cash register ring!”  And let me tell you, this man knew how to make his cash register ring!  I miss you Bob.

I say all of that to say this: “What are you doing today that is different?  What new lines and innovative lines are you carrying today that you didn’t yesterday?  Are you experimenting with direct mail and your own instore customer mailing list?  You do have one, don’t you?  Have you tried social media?  Many report great success. I’ve had great luck with it for sure!  Are you standing still or are you moving forward?”

In our store the key to success has been:

1. Using direct mail in the form of postcards, letters and other unusual devices loaded with special offers (not necessarily sales) to stay in front of our better customers.  We always send birthday & anniversary cards with a gift certificate and they work!
2. Radio to push special events and new lines to keep Top of Mind Awareness.
3. Social Media - Facebook in particular has been very important in cultivating young engagement ring clients.
4. E-mail - capturing and using clients’ e-mail to send them weekly/bi-weekly info that is important, but also entertaining.... never dull!
5. Billboards - I can’t begin to say how having a billboard in the right location with the right message has helped grow our biz!
6. Telemarketing - yes, we call our customers regularly with announcements of special events or something as simple as, “Hey Mrs. Jones, I’ve got something in I think you’d like!”

The important thing is don’t give up!  Keep experimenting with merchandise mix and marketing until you find the combination that works for you.  Please don’t give up...your business depends on it!

How To Recognize A New Client & Get Them Back In Again!

Question: How many times have you visited a business for your first time, made a purchase and in a week or so, received a welcome letter or packet from that business? 

Answer: Probably not too often!

Perhaps one of the things we do in our store that I value as a customer relationship builder most is sending that new client something to recognize their first visit and purchase at my establishment.  I’m not referring to the “Thank You Note” which my customer also gets, but something sent separately.

Many jewelers have the means through their POS systems to send thank you cards, birthday & anniversary announcements, special sale event notifications, etc., but how often are they recognizing and mailing to these new clients to get them into their “Marketing Funnel?”  Certainly most of us have a marketing funnel - or at least I hope so.  What I mean by this is that you should be sending your customers special offers, notices of events & other things at least six or more times per year.  Friends, if you’re not doing at least this much, I’m afraid you’re being left behind in the race!

Angie, my lovely wife, loves to shop at a clothing store called “Chico’s,” and from the get go I noticed something different about this company.  When she made her first purchase, she got a welcome letter along with a special offer from the management at Chico’s.  Did she use it?  You bet she did - and many other offers that they’ve sent her since that time. Geez honey, could you slow down on my pocketbook just a bit?   Chico’s even leaves her messages on our answering machines saying something like, “Hi Angie, we just wanted to thank you for being a new client.  Because you’ve made your first purchase at Chico’s, you now qualify for a special offer of xxxxx.”

If a large clothing company like Chico’s can take the time to do something like this for their new clients, don’t you think you and I can do it in our jewelry stores?   This testifies to the power of marketing to your new clients.

You’ll be amazed at the results you’ll get when you start developing marketing & offers to this new group of clients. I know I was!!  Some jewelers have asked how I go about doing this, so here is my formula:

• Every Monday morning using my Edge POS system, I pull a report showing names and addresses and phone numbers of every new client who purchased from us the week before.
• Each of these new clients will be sent a special offer that I devise whether that be a gift certificate, simple letter telling them about our services and lines offered or a combination of each.
• Personally, I put an expiration date on each a month out so that the customer has time to use it and not feel overly rushed back in.

Please take the time to track the return of these customers to your store as well so you’ll know how effective your marketing has been.  Let me also say this, you can be as simple or as fancy as you’d like with this.  I’ve seen jewelers use simple gift certificates they’ve printed from their own computer using Microsoft Word or Publisher and I’ve seen fancy colored brochures and guess what… I’ve seen both be very effective at getting the customer in for a repeat sale!

If you’d like to see what I’m currently using to drive new customers back in my store, I’d be willing to share it with you.  Simply drop me an e-mail requesting my new customer brochure at: goldman86@bellsouth.net  and I’ll e-mail a PDF file for you to see and get some ideas for starting your very own “New Customer Welcome Pack”. Trust me… this works and you’ll reap huge dividends from it! 

Now, my prescription for you is, don’t let this idea sit around for long. Do it today because your store’s profit line will thank you tomorrow!

Don't Wait For Your Money!

Don’t Wait For Repair Money – Get Paid Now!

Have you ever looked at your finished repair box and found it busting at the seams or running over?  Do your employees get tired of calling the same customers over and over again to remind them to pick up the repair they left last year?  Does it frustrate you that your goldsmith or outside tradeshop gets paid now but you have to wait for payment months or even years in some cases?

This is probably a scenario that plays out in many jewelry stores across the land…at least until now!  Yes, I’ve felt the pains of frustration from this very thing.  Probably like you, I take no joy in selling my customer’s repaired jewelry to recoup my costs either (not counting the bad will generated if the customer does ever return to pick it up).

 While looking at my overly full repair box and trying to get paid for repair work done months ago, a simple idea occurred to me.  Why not ask for payment in full up at the time we take it in?

Here’s a few ways that you could go about getting paid in advance at not having to worry about collecting payment from those forgetful jewelry & watch repair customers:

1.       Simply “Ask” if they’d like to go ahead and pay now…many folks will without even giving it a second thought!   You may also say something like, “Would you like to go ahead and get this out of the way today or when you pick it up?”

2.       Offer a discount of your choice if they go ahead and pay for the repair service now!  Yes, many clients still like to a discount no matter what the amount!  If you’re using the Geller blue book prices (you are aren’t you?)…then a small discount should be no problem!

3.       Offer a “Freebie” for early payment!  Perhaps you might say, “Mr. Customer, because you came in today, you qualify for a FREE gift of bottled jewelry cleaner if you pay upfront!” 

Your jewelry store is probably a lot like mine and so I predict you’ll get similar results that I have after trying the above ideas.  Slightly more than 60% of the customers asked for upfront payment did just that without one problem!  The rest of the clients in no way seemed offended when we asked but said they didn’t bring enough money or would need to wait until payday…which was just fine by me!  60% pay upfront was certainly much better than no money upfront and in these times…just like you, I have to watch my cash flow very closely.  Needless to say, this little exercise really helped out and improved our cash flow immensely.  Wouldn’t David Geller be proud?

Until Next Time,

Bill Warren, DDJM (Doctor of Dynamic Jewelry Marketing)

www.warrenmarketing.blogspot.com 

828-729-1020

goldman86@bellsouth.net

One of the best companies to come along in a long time that will help your mail stand out is http://www.3dmailresults.com/ 

The use of objects that make your direct mail "Bulky" will increase your chances by 300% of hitting your client's "A Mail" pile instead of file thirteen.

I highly recommend this company and use them quite often for my jewelry/gift store.  Take time to check them out...

Good Luck,

Bill Warren
828-729-1020

New Year's Resolutions for The Independent Jeweler

New Year’s Resolutions For The Independent Jeweler

So…you’ve made it through yet another holiday season, paid the bills (hopefully), reviewed what worked and what didn’t and are ready for a fresh start in 2013!  Maybe you’ve had a wonderful season and wouldn’t change a thing for the coming year or perhaps you’re like a lot of jewelers I’ve talked with and are left scratching your head, wondering what to do for 2013.  Here are a few ideas:

·         Start collecting customer info to use in direct marketing including name, addresses, telephone numbers, email address, birthday & anniversary dates, children’s info

·         Get actively involved in social media most especially Facebook (I recommend a personal page for yourself and a fan page for your business)

·         Use the email addresses you’ve been collecting and start sending a weekly email blast to your clients with specials, new arrivals, repair specials, etc.  In case you’re afraid you might offend a customer, know that the larger jewelry chains send daily emails to their clients!

·         Have your staff as well as you make a point to reach out and contact at least 5 customers per day via telephone just to say, “Hello” without a hard sales pitch.  People like to know you’re human and not just trying to sell them something.

·         Make a commitment to send every customer who makes a purchase a thank you card or note along with a gift certificate for them to spend later (you choose the amount).

·         You’ve put it off for years, but this year is the time to get involved in local community civic affairs so that you can meet people and they can get to know you and what you are all about…it reaps benefits!

·         To increase your average ticket sale, train and retrain your sales force to develop a process of upselling or adding on to each transaction…it’s the quickest way to get to a higher ticket sale overall!

·         Increase the amount of times you touch your customer list (you do have one?).  Agree to touch everyone on your list via telephone, direct mail or email at least six or more times per year.  In my store, we reach out to our clients in some form almost monthly.

·         Host more events for your store rather than just another sale.  Events create buzz in the community and allow for more profit than when you just do another sale.

·         Look at what your customers are requesting as well as buying.  Do you have the right inventory and enough of it?

·         Remember to reorder your fast selling items weekly, not monthly…you’ll make more money if you do!

In the last week, many jewelers have told me about their holiday results and they’re both good and bad.  Amazingly, the one thing I noticed above all was that those who promoted their store actively thru the entire year, did better than those jewelers who only did it once in a while. 

My friend George Prout with Gems One and I have been exchanging emails discussing the changes taking place within our industry.  One thing is for sure, today’s jeweler simply cannot afford to sit on their duff because they won’t make it much longer.   

The piece of pie is getting smaller for each of us and I plan to get my store’s fair share…how about you?  The ideas above are only a few things that you can do today to impact your business in a positive way…think about it, meditate on it and then put them into implementation!  Your staff will thank you and more importantly, your thicker pocketbook will thank you!

Until Next Time,

Bill Warren, DDJM (Doctor of Dynamic Jewelry Marketing)

828-729-1020

Email:  goldman86@bellsouth.net

Customer Reviews Help Market Your Biz

You read the title correctly, customer reviews of your business does help in marketing to new clients!  The reason is simple, so many folks check Google, Yahoo and other online places often before making an initial visit to your store!

It continually surprises me at the businesses who do not try and cultivate reviews on Google of their operation.  If you own a jewelry store, do you realize that couples under 30 rarely ever look at a telephone book but go straight to the computer and "Google" local stores?  Its true and statistics prove it...

So how do you go about cultivating good reviews for your business?  Simply ask your customers when you've completed a sale with them is one easy way.  Why not?  While the experience is fresh is often times the best time to ask a bit of good will from your client.

Another thing that I do is to ask fans of your facebook page to post a review online.  When they do, send them a small gift as a token of appreciation such as a giftcard/certificate etc.  You'll be surprised how many reviews they might do when you reward them.

Go ahead, give it a try..you'll be glad you did!

'til next time,

Dr. Bill Warren, DDJM (Doctor of Dynamic Jewelry Marketing)
828-729-1020
goldman86@bellsouth.net

A Word From Your Sales Prevention Department

I'll bet you didn't realize that most retailers truly have a "Sales Prevention Department" did you?  Yes, its true my friends, many of you are staking a claim there almost daily or at least some of your employees are!

Hear me out ok?  Whenever we let the telephone ring for too long...we're a part of this department.  Whenever we don't return our calls promptly, yes, we're visiting this department.  

Every person in your organization is also a part of your marketing team.  Regardless if they actually sell or if they're a bookkeeper...how they present themselves, handle clients or your product speaks "Marketing" or lack there of to everyone!!!

Please make sure you and your employees are not taking a "Carefree" attitude of your business and pay attention to how customers might perceive your business.  Please don't be a part of the "Sales Prevention Department!"

Success,

Bill Warren

Warren Marketing Systems

828-729-1020

www.warrenmarketing.blogspot.com 

Reach Out And Touch Someone..Namely Your Customer

While going through my mail recently, I noticed several mail order catalogs.  What made me notice them was that I had just received a catalog from the same company less than 2-3 weeks before.  So whats special about that?  Ok...I'll tell you...but first, let me ask you a question!

How many times per year are you making contact with your regular customer list? (I assume you do have one...you do, don't you?)  Many jewelers I've talked with said they may do a mailing or send a card maybe once or twice per year.  WRONG!!!!  Many associations and experts and myself say you should be reaching out and touching your customer list or some portion of it at least 6 times per year or more!

Now to talk about the first paragraph....the reason Land's End and multiple other mail order companies send you a catalog 12-15 times per year is simple...it works!!  Another thing they do is test & track each and every promotion/catalog/mail order piece they send for its effectiveness! 

There is much to be learned from the "BIG BOYS".  I know that our smaller businesses may not have the marketing budget of a large mail order retailer, but there is no reason we can't and no reason we shouldn't be sending our best customers something multiple times per year.

Please understand me here, it doesn't have to be a catalog, it could be a phone call by your sales force, an email with a store special or coupon, or your latest flyer.  It keeps you in front of them...you know what is said about "Out of sight, out of mind"?

Start today friends and put this philosphy to work in your business...it pays big dividends!

Sincerely,

Bill Warren
Warren Marketing Systems

P.S. - no greater authority than Instore Jewelers magazine recently said that Direct Mail is the "Best Form" of marketing by your store...you can take it to the bank!

ANNOYING PEST OR WELCOMED GUEST?

Annoying pest or welcomed guest?  That really is the question!  This was part of a column by Dan Kennedy and I believe he really made a point with it.  Let me ask you...how many times do you receive mail from retailers only to throw it away thinking, "How dare that company send me such junk?"

The headline didn't catch you and there probably wasn't an offer to entice you into the store either.  Their mail didn't stand out in any way, shape or form from all of the other junk mail each of us receive daily.  Here we have the paradigm of being the "Annoying Pest" instead of being a "Welcomed Guest".

How do you become the welcomed guest with your marketing?  First of all by crafting pieces that stand out with a headline that screams "Look At Me!" followed by a very enticing offer.  It constantly amazes me at the professional jewelry store's I see who simply haven't learned how to write an ad/billboard/direct mail piece that can predictably draw customers in their door.

There is one simple truth, and that is when you make your bank deposit at the end of the business day...does your banker look at you and say, "Wow, you toiled long and hard to get this, you've worked all these years and now you're able to make this deposit."  They don't care if you worked a year or a day, the bank deposit still goes in and all that's looked at is the amount.  It doesn't matter how hard you work to make those deposits...what does matter is how "Smart You Work"! 

One last thought...for years I struggled as a goldsmith, watchmaker, gemologist, appraiser along with being a jewelry store owner.  I started down the road to success with my business when I made the shift from being a jeweler to becoming a "Marketer of Jewelry & Related Services."  As a business owner, the most important thing you should concentrate on is the marketing for your store.  It truly is the engine that drives everything else around you!

'Til Next Time,

Bill Warren
Warren Marketing Systems
www.warrenmarketing.blogspot.com
828-729-1020
goldman86@bellsouth.net

P.S. - the second edition of my "Marketing Newsletter for Jewelers" is being mailed out to many successful jewelers as well as those who "Will Be Successful".  Wouldn't you like hot tips coming to you via this newsletter and keeping you in front of the pack?

P.P.S - this newsletter contains some of the most powerful moneymaking ideas I've ever divulged and those I've not shared with anyone...give me a call today at 828-729-1020 to sign up or email me at goldman86@bellsouth.net for more info.