ARMS has broken the price barrier with our lowest price ever!

For 28 years, Advanced Retail Management Systems (ARMS) has set the benchmark for jewelry specific software, so much so that you will often hear our competitors claim that they “are better than ARMS”.

We’ve spent more than a quarter of a century and millions of dollars on programming to ensure our software is the best.  Our user friendly programs (designed by jewelers for jewelers) and our professional customer service has helped us build a reputation that has seen us stand the test of time as other software companies have come and gone.

However, just like Mercedes versus Hyundai, the extra time and money we have spent on the development of this world leading software, means our product is priced higher than our competitors.  Unfortunately, this has created a perception that we are not affordable for some single store operators.
The great news for North American retailers is we want to help all jewelers be more profitable and the only way we can do that is to make our software affordable for all levels.  Therefore, we are excited to announce the launch of ARMS Business Essentials.  Specifically designed for a single store jewelry operation, this version is priced very competitively at ONLY USD$6,995.

Enjoy the benefits of the ARMS world acclaimed Stock Control, Point of Sale (POS) and Customer Relationship Manager (CRM) software at our lowest price ever.

If price has been the only thing standing between you and the most prestigious jewelry specific business management system available, NOW is the time to act! See for yourself why successful jewelers worldwide have put their trust in ARMS for twenty eight years to help drive their business growth.

To share our success, ALL systems sold prior to October 31, 2010 will receive a
FREE Passport to Cruise: 8 days 7 nights for two
A complimentary 7 night, fun filled cruise for 2, including all of your fabulous meals and exciting shipboard entertainment.**

For more information, call Rodney Roberts toll free at
800 228 9073 or email us at info@armsusa.com

Act NOW for a more profitable tomorrow!

**Please note the ‘Passport to Cruise’ does not include registration, port fees and taxes.  Full terms and conditions are printed on the Passport to Cruise voucher or you can contact PTS Travel at 813-864-6606 for more details.  Some rules and restrictions may apply.

What direction is your business heading in and at what speed?

I’ve recently came across claims that the Australian jewelry market is significantly more successful than the American’s industry.

For starters, I do not find references to these “facts”, therefore I would like to provide you proven facts that I am aware of regarding competition between Australian and USA jewelers.

There are two significant differences between the two countries that you may not be aware of unless you know them both well.

1.  The mark-up in USA is on average lower than in Australia.  There are many reasons that contribute to this, not the least of which is product mix of sales.  For example, branded product and higher average sale due to diamonds being a larger percent of total sales.

2.  The USA has been living on credit a lot longer and with more zealousness than Australia, therefore, the US jewelers incure Supplier Debt levels that are often proportionately higher.

So what does all this mean?

In short, the two countries are quite different in many ways, especially in terms of how they have been affected by the Global Financial Crisis.

And what does it mean for you?

Right now, it’s important to note that it’s not where jewelers are at but rather, what direction they are going and at what speed.  For example, I’m aware of USA jewelers that for this year to date (being 6 months) are NOT ONLY on a six year high GROSS PROFIT for this time of year, but also 10% ahead of their second best year results ever. That is significant and doesn’t look to me like those jewelers are not in fact thriving.

I am also aware of Australian and New Zealand jewelers who have not only achieved highs in profitability for an entire twelve months  for five and six consecutive years.

In conclusion, no matter which country you trade in, it’s VERY important for everyone in the jewelry industry to stay focused and implement proven and effective strategies, from marketing to inventory control to sales training that can keep your business on the road to profitability.

Training vs. Learning: How to Retain what you Learned in Training

Have you ever attended a training seminar or in fact had someone come to your store to train you or your team on a new product or system only to find at the end of the training you and/or your team were unable to utilize much of what you learned? Plus when you review the course materials, you end up glazing over into an information coma.

Is this information overload? Or is it an inability to retain information?

Once you make the decision and commit resources to training, it’s essential that you take the necessary steps to get the most out of your investment. The above scenario does not help anyone and is preventable.

First, it’s important to understand how you learn.
According to Wikipedia “Learning styles are various approaches or ways of learning. They involve educating methods, particular to an individual, that are presumed to allow that individual to learn best. It is commonly believed that most people favor some particular method of interacting with, taking in, and processing stimuli or information.”

There are three basic types of learning styles: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. To learn, we depend on our senses to process the information around us. Most of us learn by using a combination of learning styles with one style that might dominate how information is processed.

Understanding how you learn at any age can provide you with incredible benefits. Information will come to you easier and you will truly understand and learn. Once you’ve identified how you learn, you can implement a few strategies suggested to students for retaining information. Including:

• If something is unclear – ASK QUESTIONS! It’s important to first make sure that you understand the content.
• When you’re stressed out, the anxiety and stress hormones affect your brain functioning and communication skills.
• When training, you must dedicate a set time for the training and eliminate all interruptions
• Always turn off your cell phone and put it away
• If the training is in your store, divide the team so you have some team taking care of the store while other team members train, then reverse roles.
• Do not allow any interruptions from customers, other team members or any other person requiring your attention during your allocated training time.
• Take as many notes as your need to, to support your training – with questions to address or key phrases to help jog your memory.

The next time you finish a training session and want to complain about the training you received– ask yourself what you learned. Training is a two-way street. Information is provided, but it’s your job to make sure you’re asking questions and comprehending the content. If before you leave you feel unclear – ask – ask – ask questions. Trainers need your feedback to ensure the information is understood. If all participants are seemingly paying attention – and not asking questions…then the trainer can only assume the information is clear and understood. Some information is hard to digest, in order to come away feeling trained you must make sure you’ve tried to learn.

Read more at:

• Suite101: How Stress Affects Your Memory: The Relationship Between Short-term Anxiety & Brain Functioning
• Memory retention is important – beyond just attending seminars. Read this article on the benefits of memory retention for sales.
• To identify your style, visit this site: What’s Your Learning Style?
• http://www.chaminade.org/inspire/learnstl.htm

Don’t Ignore the Power of Email

Communicating with your customers beyond when they stop in your store, is essential. Seems like simple advice, but quite simply, not everyone seems to do it.

Let’s start from the beginning. Are you collecting email addresses? I’m always surprised how many of you aren’t. It pays to cllect data and keep it up-to-date. If you’re like some of the jewelers I’ve talked to, asking for email is an inconsistent request and once the info is collected, it’s not used promptly so validating emails is postponed and postponed. Ultimataly, the effort is wasted and opportunities for further developing customer loyalty put aside.

Does this sound familiar?

Don’t let yourself fall into this trap. With only so many hours in a day, it’s understandable why people hestitate to add another task. but, this one is worth your time and before you know it, it’ll be habit. If you don’t own software for accurately logging customer data – including emails – then you should, but that’s a topic for another day. Suffice it to say, that such software will streamline your business life and make entering, editing and tracking customers and sales easy and accurate. On the most basic level, buy a guest book. Place it on the counter and ask guests to sign in and provide email. Then assign a salesperson to enter this information wherever you store client data (if what I wrote here still leaves questions for you – email me). This approach collects data from non-buyers as well as buyers.  Another way to collect the data is at the point of sale. It’s not so much work to ask this simple question: May I have your email please? We often email customers about special events or promotions that we don’t share with the public.

However you collect this data…is up to you.

Now onto the emails. How would you like to know who opened or viewed your message, if they forwarded it to friends (and who), what interested in about your message and how many times they viewed it? Sounds great, doesn’t it? That’s the power of email. Information at your fingertips. If you send regular and meaningful messages to your customers, they will appreciate it. When it comes time to make a purchase..wh will they think of? You!

Is there a Strategy for Pricing?

Imagine you want to buy, say a ring for your special lady friend. How do you make your purchasing decisions? Is it solely based on price?

Put yourself in the mind of the customer to answer important questions that will help you make better decisions for your store. The truth is that price plays a role in the consumer decision to make a purchase, but it is not the sole determining factor. Experience, quality, value and price play into their decision to buy.

Are you creating an experience that makes customers want to purchase from you? Playing the price game is not how you want to attract customers. While you may be able to lure some customers in based solely on price, it’s precisely these customers who will leave you when someone offers a lower price. Basically, if you attract people based on price, you are compromising loyalty. Meaning, you will not have customers who will be loyal to you.

Think about what implications loyal customers can have on your business:
From loyalty, you gain referrals to friends and colleagues, testimonials, and a commitment to coming to check your store and merchandise first before deciding to buy.
When you move from a price-based jewelry-shopping destination to an experience destination, you gain committed loyalty. Also worth noting, a priced-based jewelry store will not be perceived as exclusive. People like the experience of receiving great service even if they’re buying a $30 bead. It makes them feel special, catered to and when it comes to a larger purchase, where do you think they’ll go? If you’re focusing on price – well they can go anywhere for that. Even if you don’t have the lowest price, customers who are loyal are willing to pay a bit more knowing they’ll be taken care of by someone they trust. Someone who offers service that should there be a problem, will be resolved easily. Providing more than just inventory – which they can get anywhere – ….

Yet, the question remains, how do you know if you’ve set the right price for your product?

Developing strategies that aim to create this loyalty are where the opportunities reside. What have you done that you’ve had success with developing customer loyalty?

Get Out of Town!

Many store owners feel strapped to their business and are unable to leave to enjoy the fruits of their labor. One reason for this of course, is that some people are not managing the funds they have open to buy and then over buy and put themselves in a financial pitch where they’re paying for less employees hours and as a result, spending more time at the store. For this you need to get a better handle on your inventory and take control of your store. You’re investments will pay out with more financial freedom.

Then there’s the owners that made the investment into an inventory control system that has fended off financial woes, through shear management of inventory and better buying. These people get to go on vacation.

When you head to surf and sun, you leave the office behind and relax. Forget about those nagging customers, you have nagging children or grandchildren to worry about!

Well, not quit. If you recall, marketing is how we interact with our customers. It’s both making the sale and proving customer service afterwards that enables us to retain existing customers and gain referrals.

I was making calls to some clients and received a lot of  “out of office” messages and email replies. It’s annoying. It seems kind of rude and impersonal…and I’m not a client who might have just dropped a chunk of change on a gift!

Here’s why. I want attention when I call. Sure, I know you, even my favorite jewelry store owners go on vacation – you should, you deserve it, you worked for it. But,…my problem or question is (in my mind) important and warrants attention NOW. So an impersonal message, quite frankly makes me feel slighted.

I know you think I’m being a little selfish, but how do you think a customer feels?

All I’m suggesting is that you leave an away message that makes me feel like you care – like I matter to you. It’s more courteous and friendly and it’ll make me feel like a priority even when I know you’ll be relaxing in the sand.

Here’s a message that wouldn’t make me feel dejected if I called you:
“Hello. I appreciate your call, unfortunately I am out of the office for the next five business days, and will return on March 15, 2010. Your call is important to me, so in my absence my associate Susan Strang will be taking care of all of your needs. You may reach her via email at susan@yahoo.com or by calling her directly at 555.555.1212. Please know that while I’m away you will be taken care of in a timely and efficient manner. Thank you for your understanding and I will follow up upon my return to ensure your satisfaction.”

Now that would make me feel like a happier customer.

Marketing vs. Advertising

Oftentimes I hear people refer to marketing in a way that suggests they mean advertising and to advertising in a manner that reads marketing. If the two terms confuse you – you’re not alone.

Advertising: Tells a story and lures a customer. It’s a paid, persuasive and public announcement of a message by an identified sponsor.  It’s non-personal presentation in nature with promotions aimed at existing and potential customers. Advertising is one piece if the puzzle. When you read an ad about a sale…communication that spreads news on your business is advertising. Advertising is not just buying an ad, it’s a process of  planning and developing strategies to make your ad successful. Where your ad can be seen (placement), how often it will run (frequency) are a few questions that require serious thought before taking the leap. Newspapers, direct mail, billboards, television, radio, and the Internet are mediums you can choose from to place your ads.

Marketing: Is the puzzle and involves planning what you want to do and with what mix of business activities with the intention to bring together buyers and sellers and ultimately facilitating the exchange of products or services. Basically to attract people to your business and hope that they buy. Advertising only equals one piece of the pie in the strategy, yet all of elements must work both independently and together towards the bigger goal. Do not be mistaken, marketing is a process that is time-intensive as to be effective, research and planning should be comprehensive. Think of marketing as everything that you can do to reach out and interacting with existing and potential customers.

As previously stated, advertising represents one piece of the puzzle – one tool that can be implemented to communicate your business and attract customers. There are many more pieces to complete the puzzle. They include: market research, branding, media planning, pricing, distribution, customer service, and public relations – to name a few. You should know that advertising is usually the largest expense in most marketing plans – with public relations following behind.

What Makes People Successful?

What makes some people successful and others not? If you’re a genius, does that guarantee success? I recently read the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and was fascinated by the stores of  “outliers” in his book that he presented on a journey to answer the questions I posed above. Bill Gates and The Beatles are just two names you’ll read about and how where they came from, their family, and experience shaped how successful they became.

As business owners it’s important to stay current on industry trends, yet it’s also key to learn and find what’s current outside the industry as well because you never know where a the next good idea might come from that could change your business. With so many choices out there of books to read, I’ve started doing reviews on the ones I’ve read to help make it easier for you to choose your next book.

Gladwell’s book looks at how the environment and the timing in which things take place are a critical factor in success. One of the things I came away with from the book was how much practice it takes to become great at something. When you read this book and try to apply some of it to small businesses, it really reinforces the value of constantly current in your given field of expertise. By current, I mean practicing and learning and growing.

Here’s the thing, you may have started your business as a gemologist turned business owner or maybe you are part of a generational store. Can you possibly be good at everything? Is there really a jack-of-all-trades or rather, a master of none?

In the book there’s a story about airline pilots and after reviewing plane crashes, which are more likely to crash.  What they found with the pilots can be applied to business in that the culture of a company and how open the lines of communication are – are intertwined with their success.  Therefore, a company (or a plane as is the case in the book) can be destroyed if the culture prevents people from speaking up.

Finally, I think it’s essential to find your interests and strengths and no matter how much you think you know, continue to develop them and grow. Keep the lines of communication open and where you find loopholes, seek out individuals who have strengths in those areas and cultivate them. They too will grow and your store will benefit.

Underutilization

We’ve all come across someone who seems unmotivated to work to their fullest potential. It’s unfortunate to see the person waste what might provide wonderful opportunity and make them truly satisfied. Particularly if the person’s complained about not being satisfied with what he’s doing. It happens often that people get comfortable functioning in the life they’ve created that they don’t know how to change or they become afraid to change.

How is this different than your business? I’ve talked to jewelers frustrated with their financial situation, who have spent countless dollars on what they imagined might be the magic bullet. Maybe they invested in an ARMS system or on advertising campaign or a new product with a promise to have customers beating down their doors. When the results weren’t what they’d hoped they complain and look for the next promise.

Here’s the thing, are you underutilizing investments you’ve made that have potential to get you closer to your business dreams? It’s fine to complain, but have you been motivated to implement strategies to make your investments provide you with realistic results? In the case of software, it can be complicated, so making sure you’ve been properly trained is key. If own a Mercedes, but you’re driving it like a Kia, think of all the lost potential. If you have no intention to learn, change and grow; then why make investments?

Anytime you try something new, it’s an opportunity to re-evaluate what you’ve been doing and try to do it better.

Education, in my opinion, is key to improvement. Constantly staying up to date on tips and trends will provide you with additional power that could turn into more opportunity. I know, you don’t have the time, right? Then assign a staff member to each area that you want to stay current on to be the expert. for example, a person who likes technology might be assigned the Tech Guru and person with lots of personality might be the Communications Guru. These are not decision-makers, but rather people whi can work as an advocate on your behalf. Researching opportunities related to their area, looking for ways to learn and stat up-to-date and communicating their findings in a reporting manner at weekly of monthly staff meetings. They don’t have time either? Then either give them 1 hour per week in-store time to search, organize and develop programs that utilize the investments you’ve made. They’ll be excited about being able to help you in a way a little different from what they’ve been used to. They’ll enjoy bring thought if as an expert in something that will help the overall growth of the business, after all this is their job and want you to be successful so they can keep their job, right?

Still sound impossibile? Then maybe change isn’t for you, or success for that matter. So keep doing what you’re doing and one thing is certain, you’ll get the same results.

Make Your Business the First Choice for Your Customers

Imagine that every potential customer at every moment of every occasion is thinking of your business for all their jewelry needs first and foremost. To achieve such an aggressive goal is actually not unrealistic. The question is, do you have the stamina to make this lofty goal realty?

To make your business dreams come true, you need to have the proper product mix, price, location, convenient hours, and absolutely the best customer service from order to fulfillment. Customer service that will provide a memorable buying experience.

It’s ironic and incredbily damaging that during these challenging economic times, businesses seem to be losing focus on customer service when in actuality, they should be strengthening it.

So what makes a customer return? First, how much time are you spending training your employees to develop service strategies that go above and beyond making a customers experience more of an experience they want to return to?

Without changing anything aesthetic about your store, turn your store into a destination. The music, the smells, lighting, displays and selection all have an effect on a customer’s experience. They create a vibe that combined with a positive interaction with your salespeople; their knowledge, how pleasant they are, and attentiveness create the image customers will have of your store. You could have everything going for you, but should the one missing link be customer service, customers will remember and may not return.

So the next time your considering additional investments, make sure that the resources in training are a priority. Customer service training enables companies to create a stronger service culture which in turn will build loyal employee relationships with customers as well as better a work environment.