CollectionsApr 25, 2025
Sylvie Looks to Water in New Sculptural Bridal Collection“Shell Auranova” is the next generation of the brand’s bridal line, featuring half-bezel engagement rings with bold and fluid designs.
OtherFeb 18, 2016
Column: Is Your Store’s Mantra Authentic?
Whether a store’s message is that it offers the “best service” or the “biggest selection,” jewelers better be able to back it up, Peter Smith writes.
I checked into a hotel in Denver last week and I was asked if I wanted to go “green” and earn additional points. When I asked what that actually meant I was told that if I elected to have no maid service for my hotel stay I would be awarded a block of points on my account.
When the lady at the hotel check-in asked me if I wanted to go green for my stay, I was, at first, anticipating a request to use the same sheets for the duration of my four nights; a commitment to recycle any paper, plastic or glass products; and a request to hang up my towels after each use instead of throwing them on the floor.
What I was not prepared for was having no housekeeping service whatsoever for the entirety of my stay.
When the extent of the request sunk in, I found myself, perhaps cynically, wondering if there was an ulterior motive. Were they asking me and their guests to be complicit in a sinister plan to reduce their housekeeping staff? How many “green guests” would it take to reduce the two maids per floor to just one? There were 10 floors in the hotel and I would imagine that cutting the housekeeping team in half would have represented a tidy little saving for the hotel.
As is often the case when I find myself giving vent to my cynical side, I quickly dismissed my early inclination when I entered my room and saw that there was a blue recycling bin in the room (a bare-bones essential that every single hotel and every single business ought to provide.)
After I showered the following morning, I hung my towel up and went about my day. When I returned that night, the towel had been removed and replaced with a fresh towel from the pile.
I was disappointed, as hanging a towel in a hotel typically signifies a desire on the part of the guest to re-use it. I then noticed that the soap I had opened and used the previous evening was also gone. The towel and the soap were replaced each of the four days that I stayed there.
As simple as it may have seemed, replacing a once-used bar of soap and a hanging towel seemed like a decidedly un-green practice to me. It underscored my initial instinct about the hotel’s real motivation for requesting guests go green.
While there was much to like about the hotel, I became convinced that there was a big disconnect between their stated aspirations to going green and their ability to live it throughout the hotel and the guest experiences. Why were there no signs in the bathrooms inviting guests to consider re-using towels? Why was there such a disparity between what the front desk was asking of guests and what the housekeeping staff was actually doing?
Every business and retail store has one or more mantras that they champion. For this particular hotel it was “go green;” for many stores it is a stated commitment to providing great service, or the best quality, or the best prices, or the biggest selection etc., etc.
Every business must decide what its own particular billboard will be, but whatever it is should be absolutely, positively authentic. It should be used because you really believe it and because you and your team live it with every customer contact and touchpoint. There should be a commitment to your mantra that is palpable throughout your organization.
What it is, to a great extent, is less important than that you actually live that commitment.
If you tell people that you have the best prices then you cannot use fiction-tickets that suggest one price so that you sell the goods for another.
If it is great service, then every customer visiting your store ought to notice and experience great service, and every employee should know from the minute you interview them that great service is ingrained in your DNA.
Dyer, Dalzell and Olegario wrote in Rising Tide, Lessons from 165 Years of Brand Build at Proctor & Gamble, “For a company to do the right thing every day, it must not only espouse the principle but also enact it.”
It’s the doing that matters. Make it real.
Peter Smith, author of Hiring Squirrels: 12 Essential Interview Questions to Uncover Great Retail Sales Talent, has spent more than 30 years building sales teams at retail and at wholesale. He is president of Vibhor Gems and he has previously worked with companies such as Tiffany & Co., Montblanc and Hearts On Fire. Email him at peter@vibhorgems.com, dublinsmith@yahoo.com or reach him on LinkedIn.
More on Other
The Latest
FinancialsApr 25, 2025
Kering’s Jewelry Brands Persevere as Q1 Sales Sink 14%Boucheron and Pomellato performed well in an otherwise bleak quarter for Kering amid struggles at Gucci.
EditorsApr 25, 2025
Piece of the Week: Deborah Meyers Experience’s ‘The Birds’ EarringsDesigner Deborah Meyers created her birds from oxidized sterling silver, rose-cut diamond eyes, and Akoya Keshi pearl feathers.
Brought to you by
Emerging Jewelers Accelerator Program Announces Second Cohort of Aspiring Jewelry Entrepreneurs Six new retail businesses were selected for the 2025 program, which began in January.
SourcingApr 25, 2025
De Beers Sales, Production Fall in Q1 Amid UncertaintyThe company said it expects sightholders to remain “cautious” with their purchasing due to all the unknowns around the U.S. tariffs.
Weekly QuizApr 24, 2025
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
Supplier BulletinApr 24, 2025
Protect Your Customers and Your BusinessSponsored by the Gemological Institute of America
EditorsApr 24, 2025
Q&A: Wolf’s CEO Talks U.S. ExpansionSimon Wolf shares why the time was right to open a new office here, what he looks for in a retail partner, and why he loves U.S. consumers.
Brought to you by
Protect Your Customers and Your BusinessThe risk of laboratory-grown diamonds being falsely presented as natural diamonds presents a very significant danger to consumer trust.
IndependentsApr 24, 2025
Longtime Iowa Jeweler Herman Ginsberg Dies at 99 A third-generation jeweler, Ginsberg worked at his family’s store, Ginsberg Jewelers, from 1948 until his retirement in 2019.
FinancialsApr 24, 2025
Charles & Colvard Delisted From Nasdaq Due to NoncomplianceThe company failed to file its quarterly reports in a timely manner.
SourcingApr 24, 2025
Young Diamantaires Transition to NonprofitThe organization also announced its board of directors.
TrendsApr 24, 2025
Amanda’s Style File: So CharmingCharms may be tiny but with their small size comes endless layering possibilities, from bracelets to necklaces and earrings.
MajorsApr 23, 2025
Bulgari Doubles Size of Jewelry Factory in ItalyLocated in Valenza, the now 355,000-square-foot facility includes a new jewelry school that’s open to the public, Scuola Bulgari.
Events & AwardsApr 23, 2025
PDPaola Creative Director Wins FGI’s ‘Rising Star’ AwardPaola Sasplugas, co-founder of the Barcelona-based jewelry brand, received the Fine Jewelry Award.
AuctionsApr 23, 2025
Rare Custom Rolex Daytona Heads to AuctionA platinum Zenith-powered Daytona commissioned in the late ‘90s will headline Sotheby’s Important Watches sale in Geneva next month.
MajorsApr 23, 2025
David Yurman’s New Campaign Stars Carmelo Anthony, Jaylen BrownThe basketball stars wear men’s jewelry from the “Curb Chain” collection.
MajorsApr 22, 2025
Zales’ Rebrand Takes Playful Approach to Fine JewelryThe Signet Jewelers-owned retailer wants to encourage younger shoppers to wear fine jewelry every day, not just on special occasions.
AuctionsApr 22, 2025
Christie’s to Auction JAR Jewelry CollectionThe 21 pieces, all from a private collector, will be offered at its Magnificent Jewels auction next month.
ColumnistsApr 22, 2025
The PR Adviser: Building Buzz Through Word of MouthLilian Raji answers a question from a reader who is looking to grow her jewelry business but has a limited marketing budget.
GradingApr 22, 2025
Avi Levy Is GCAL By Sarine’s New Chief Growth OfficerGCAL by Sarine created the new role to sharpen the company’s focus on strategic partnerships and scalable expansion.
IndependentsApr 22, 2025
Brinker’s Jewelers Acquires Fellow IndependentThe Indiana jeweler has acquired Scottsdale Fine Jewelers in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Events & AwardsApr 21, 2025
An Exhibition Exploring the History of Cartier Is Now on Display“Cartier: Design, Craft, and Legacy” opened earlier this month at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
IndependentsApr 21, 2025
New York Jeweler to Close After 111 YearsVan Cott Jewelers in Vestal, New York, is hosting a going-out-of-business sale.
IndependentsApr 21, 2025
IJO Names New Director of Vendor Relations, Merchandise StrategyIndustry veteran Samantha Larson has held leadership roles at Borsheims, McTeigue & McClelland, Stuller, and Long’s Jewelers.
Events & AwardsApr 21, 2025
Jewelers of Louisiana, Mississippi Jewelers Association to Co-Host ConventionThe two organizations will hold the educational event together this fall in Mississippi.
Events & AwardsApr 18, 2025
Daymond John to Give Keynote at JCK Las VegasThe entrepreneur and “Shark Tank” star will share his top tips for success.
CollectionsApr 18, 2025
Piece of the Week: Dukachi’s ‘Easter Bread’ PendantThe Ukrainian brand’s new pendant is modeled after a traditional paska, a pastry often baked for Easter in Eastern European cultures.
