Selling Color

In my last Top of Mind, I had an article titled “The Bigger Diamond”, so it might not surprise you that I heard from a subscriber asking me to say something about colored gemstones.

I love color and always have.  Colored stones are unique, beautiful, and, unlike most diamonds, are valued for their presence of color, not the absence of color.

Color inundates our world today, but I have found that colored gemstones represent the most underperforming category in most fine jewelers’ inventory.  And I often ask the question: Why?

Here are two important reasons why jewelers should sell more color:

Your knowledge and professionalism stand out from the crowd because so much of your competition is incapable of offering color with passion, purpose, and professionalism.
The lack of a pre-established market works in a jewelers’ favor because color is not prone to price comparisons and can be sold on the merits of its beauty and romance alone.

But in order to market colored gemstones, you need to stock them, train your staff to understand them, and know how to sell them.  Do these things well and you will soon be known as the jeweler who represents the best in beautiful colored stone jewelry.

Are You a Good Leader of People?  A Must Read….

Good leaders understand the inherent strengths and short-comings of individuals and know how to get the most from each. Leaders see the potential in people that others miss. Life – and all firms and organizations, even families – is not populated with gifted over-achievers. It’s full of people who genuinely want to be appreciated for a job well done. They want to know that their actions helped make a difference toward stated company goals. That’s why a little encouragement can help an average person excel.

People need to belong, but they also want to contribute. They want to be part of something big, but they also want to stand out. In effect, they want to participate on a successful team and also excel individually, at the same time. And they can, if we as leaders will let them.

Make it your goal this year to understand your staff, to see the potential in each person, and to empower each to achieve both individual and team-oriented goals. You can’t (and shouldn’t) demand perfection, but you can demand excellence and continuous improvement for your people, and for yourself.

Here are a few Business & Life Tips to think about…..

Business Tips:

• If you want pats on the back, hire “yes” people. If you want to grow, hire people who challenge you and the status quo.
• Simple is elegant. Far too often we over-complicate instructions, direction or next steps. Try to simplify things, and see how that works.
• Small work groups trump big ones. No one can hide in a small group. All must have an assignment and pitch in. Small is mighty.

Life Tips:

• What you think about money governs a lot of how you live your life. If you’re “married” to money, a break-up can be brutal.
• Ultimately, enjoying what you do for a living — and being able to earn your livelihood from it — is a true blessing.
• What is urgent often isn’t important. What is important often isn’t urgent. Learn to address the urgent and important.

Tags: Advice, Business, Business Development, Business Tips, Customer Service, Developing Leaders, Knowledge, Leaders, Leadership Excellence, Learning, Life Tips, Management, People Leaders, Reputation, Sales, Success, The Mind of a Leader