Are you a Zombie Jeweler? I hope not, but it’s important to take a close look. We have to be careful because the world is changing and it’s easy for retailers to turn into... ZOMBIE JEWELERS.
Testing... testing... I DON'T HAVE A PULSE!
There are a few signs we need to look at to see if you are, or could be, turning into a zombie jeweler.
1) Feet dragging - Zombie jewelers always drag their feet and move very slowly. This can make them easy to spot and other jewelers will do their best to kill them off. They often don’t make decisions quickly and are afraid to explore new marketing opportunities. This usually keeps zombie jewelers in the same marketing circle. They keep doing what they have always done and all the while their gross profit continues to fall. Something smells funny.
2) Herding mentality - The zombie jewelers will often gravitate into herds. Since they struggle to adapt new opportunities, they tend to mimic others and take on different marketing strategies from a variety of jewelers, whether or not it’s appropriate for them. However, sometimes this approach only takes the zombie jeweler further down the road of destruction, as some of those jewelers are zombies themselves. Look out, there’s one behind you!
3) Decision making - Since they move so slowly, zombie jewelers often struggle with making definitive decisions. As a result, they surround themselves with a larger group and rely on the input of the whole. This dilutes the effectiveness of decisions, as they tend to incorporate everyone’s perspective. Death by a thousand cuts.
4) Desire - Zombies are inevitably self-serving. They have to be because their world is small. They may see themselves as a focal point and rely on their “wants” when buying inventory. This can potentially cause issues with the products in their store, which may have customers asking, “Why is it so dead in here?”
It’s important to realize these are all just symptoms; you can survive with one or two, but they can spread fast and before you know it, you’re a zombie jeweler. This sickness can spread by word-of-mouth because there is always conflicting marketing advice out there. Once you've been bitten by bad advice, the transformation begins. So be vigilant and check your business often. We all need to be safe out there.
