written by Bill Warren
No matter the situation, one of the first strategies I use is to engage in non-stop direct marketing and to be a perpetual positive force.
As I’ve grown a successful business, I’ve often been asked to present seminars and workshops, sharing what I’ve done. The heart of my message is always: It doesn’t matter if you are or if you have the best goldsmith or gemologist in all the land. It also doesn’t matter if you are or you have the best salespeople in your store – those who could proverbially sell ice to an Eskimo. And it doesn’t matter if you have the most beautiful exquisite jewelry pieces in a fabulous showroom.
What matters is your message and getting it out there. If people don’t hear your message and if nobody knows you’re there, nothing else about your jewelry business matters at all. Don’t get me wrong. Those things that I’ve just mentioned (quality staff, products, and display) are important. They’re simply not as important as getting your message out to the world.
I believe it’s critical to success to essentially be everywhere and always present yourself in a positive light… no matter how you’re feeling inside and what current stress you’re facing. This is what really matters. I’m often kidded about how “I seem to be smiling all the time.” Admittedly, I’m a very optimistic guy and positive by nature. You’ve heard the “glass half full or empty” as a yardstick of someone’s outlook as optimistic or pessimistic. I not only believe that the glass is half full rather than half empty, I believe (and know!) the glass can always be refilled.
Location, location, location is the mantra in the real estate industry. It’s been my experience that in the world of jewelry sales and services, location doesn’t matter. Despite being in a small town of only 3800 people, I focused on being everywhere and knew the town limits weren’t my limits. That could not be truer today than when I started, thanks to the technology that we have at our disposal.
Technology allows a jewelry store owner like me and you, to be accessible to almost everyone. Your ability to be everywhere is as limitless as the internet. That said, it comes with a caveat: not everyone consumes media the same way, either online or offline. Case in point – consider the news. Clearly the days of only the local newspaper and one or two local TV and radio stations for news delivery are gone forever. Not everyone gets their news from a major broadcast or cable network. Many people rely on their computers for news. They boot up and see the headlines and “breaking news” on their home page. Social media plays a pretty big role in news delivery, regardless how accurate or inaccurate it may be.
As a jewelry store owner, you need to be found, plain and simple. If you aren’t, as I’ve said, nothing else you do matters. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say that if you don’t embrace this profit-enhancing tactic, you probably can stop reading right now! That said, you also need to be found in multiple locations seemingly appearing everywhere.
One of the keys to our success – a seven-figure business in a town of 3,800 – has been that our message, our store, and many times, myself personally have shown up regularly in a variety of places – platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and all manner of social media outlets and other places. And that’s not to mention the personal appearances I’ve made at a whole host of speaking engagements.
Because I know that people consume media, I believe in a multi-channel approach to marketing – getting our message out and getting it out repeatedly across the board online as well as offline exposures.
Notice I said “Offline?” I am a huge believer in direct mail. Direct mail is a very affordable way to reach out and create a touch point, especially for your better clients. If you’ve been in business for a while, you probably remember the advent of email and email marketing. “Ding! You’ve got mail!” We all stopped what we were doing to check it… immediately. We felt important. Some marketers saw it as the holy grail of advertising, and suddenly, our physical mailboxes started to empty while our email inboxes overflowed to the point of requiring a law to eliminate spam emails. Today, we often feel inundated by email.
Now, a direct mail marketing piece that shows up in an almost-empty physical mailbox can get plenty of attention. However, radio and television ads still have a place and help you get your message out. Consider the various demographics you want to reach, and then think about where and how those people are consuming media.
As little as ten years ago, the reach of social media platforms like Facebook were unthinkable. Facebook and other platforms are basically free… although you pay with your valuable time or the time of the staff person you pay to handle social media. You can use them to build your brand, being found in many places, make offers, engage with customers and prospects, and build profitable foot traffic as well for your retail store. In our store’s success, I’ll share that we didn’t always worry about branding. We worried about building profitable, buying traffic, and the brand took care of itself.
In addition to being everywhere, you also have to keep smiling and be engaging. While being optimistic and having a positive attitude may not come as naturally to you as it does to me, it is a mindset that can be learned.
Your customers are looking for someone to give them hope, especially in trying times. In fact, we’re all looking for hope, whether that is in our business or in our personal and spiritual lives. Hope is a big driver. Hope and a positive attitude tend to go hand in hand.
Despite all that’s going on around us, our business continues to be successful because, I believe, our message is everywhere and is always coupled with our positive attitudes.
This hasn’t happened overnight. It has always been our approach, so we are reaping what we’ve sown. If you are facing tough times right now, I strongly encourage you to adopt the “be everywhere” approach. Unfortunately, far too many entrepreneurs cut their marketing budgets first when tough times hit.
Honestly, that is the absolute wrong thing to do. You may not turn your business around in a week or a month, but take these steps to start turning around now. Change course and start moving in the right direction rather than continuing down a path that is not leading you to the results you want.
Yes, thinking positively will make a difference, but don’t overlook what else I said about it. Positive thoughts become drivers of action. Let those positive thoughts fill your mind and then inspire the action you take.
My first book, “The Fastest Way to a Full Recovery – Five Immediate Profit-Enhancing Strategies Jewelers Can Use Today to Create a Thriving Business” has just been released in paperback and kindle version on Amazon. You can get the first chapter FREE by visiting my website at: www.diamondbillmarketing.com You’ll also discover the audio version there as well. Check it out…wouldn’t you rather “Thrive” instead of just “Survive?”
