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GOOD TO GREATFOR THE JEWELER WHO ALWAYS MANAGES TO REACH THE TOP

BY MICHAEL LEE STALLARDProductivity expert and author of Fired Up or Burned Out: How to Reignite Your Team’s Passion, Creativity or Productivity

if i owned a jewelry store ...

I WOULD DISTINGUISH MY STORE from competitors by developing its heart and soul. Stores that have heart and soul enrich their owners, customers and communities in both eco-nomic and non-economic ways.

What do I mean by heart and soul? Let me explain.While out running errands one day when we were relatively

new to town, my wife stopped in at one of several jewelry stores on the main shopping street. The cases were fi lled with beauti-ful pieces, new and heirloom. The salespeople, however, were more than aloof. They ignored her. No eye contact. No smile. No “Hello, my name is X, may I help you?” This lack of connec-tion made her feel as if they thought she was unworthy of their attention. Not surprisingly, she has never gone back. These salespeople lacked the qualities I describe as heart and soul.

The absence of heart and soul in the workplace is not unusual. This is the age of mind and strength. So often we focus on the

tasks of our work and neglect the relational aspects. As human beings, we have emotions, hopes and dreams, a con-

science, and deeply felt human needs. Research has shown that when we recognize these

realities and treat others in ways consis-tent with them, we thrive. When we

don’t, it is damaging to our mental and physical health and to the

health of those around us.If I owned a jewelry store,

I would encourage everyone on the sta! to be intentional about developing heart, soul,

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R E T A I L / G O O D T O G R E A T

DO YOU HAVE YOUR OWN CONCEPT STORE?SEND IT TO US: trace@instoremag.com

concept store

baubles

slogan: “Fun, fl irty and fashionable — at a price you can a! ord.”

store environment: Following the wildly popular concept of People StyleWatch magazine, this store is always at the forefront of a! ordable fashion jewelry. Life-size images of celebs on the streets wearing jewelry adorn the store walls, and similar images are updated each week for display on large TV screens. Lighting and colors are cheerful, open and inviting; shoppers can try on jewelry themselves without help from sales associates, and receive complete fashion advice from style counselors on sta! . Think casual cocktail party, 365 days a year.

marketing plan: Encourages customers to wear the same jewelry that their favorite actors and actresses are wearing, at a price they can a! ord to pay. All marketing e! orts tie the latest a! ordable jewelry fashions together with the celebrities who are wearing them, and emphasize that shoppers will always fi nd THE very latest styles here.

inventory: Designs made popular by celebrities for daily wear. Unique “designer” looks, but all for under $2,000, and most under $1,000. Store would need strong relationships with designers for stock balancing in exchange for consistent sales and incredible promotion. ! STORY BY TRACE SHELTON

“ConceptStores” ideas

are designed to be stolen. Like this idea? Take it and

run withit!

MICHAEL LEE STALLARD helps leaders at organizations such as General Electric, Google, Johnson & Johnson, NASA and Yale-New Haven Hospital boost productivity, innovation and overall performance. He is the primary author of the book Fired Up or Burned Out: How to Reignite Your Team’s Passion, Creativity or Productivity.

“When relationships are not nurtured, an opportunity to develop loyalty is missed.” — MICHAEL LEE STALLARD

mind and strength. Mind and strength are important because we compete based on the excellence of our work. Heart and soul are important because developing relationship excellence is necessary to sustain task excellence.

When relationships fail among colleagues, communication breaks down and rivalries develop that reduce cooperation and team spirit. Many customers can sense this. When relation-ships with customers are not established or nurtured, such as in my wife’s case, an opportunity to develop customer loyalty is missed.

In my store, I would encourage colleagues to take the time to treat everyone as human beings. This applies to those we work with, suppliers and customers. Start by getting to know the fi rst and last names, stories and interests of these people, and to fi nd something you have in common with everyone you meet.

I would hire employees like my teenage daughter Elizabeth, an aspiring actress who works part-time at a clothing boutique in our town. Just the other day while driving by her store, I spot-ted Elizabeth standing outside smiling, greeting passersby and handing out fl yers about the sale going on inside. People smiled back at her. Her enthusiasm is contagious (an e! ect sociologists call “emotional contagion”).

Human nature is such that there will always be people who purchase jewelry as a badge of success. More and more today, however, people are defi ning success in non-material ways. Many are seeking signifi cance by deepening their relationships with family and friends. To promote these connections, I would help customers commemorate signifi cant events or people in their lives with the purchase of jewelry that has a personalized symbol or message. Furthermore, should they desire it, I would o! er the service of a writer to help them compose a special note to go along with the gift of jewelry for that important event.

To nurture the courage to connect is to nurture a big heart and a beautiful soul. You will see that connection enriches the lives of your sta! , your customers and the people in your com-munity, creating not only economic wealth, but a wealth of even greater value.