John Henne Offers 5 Tips for Business During Coronavirus

their weekly checks to make up for their lost commissions as sales suffer during quarantine.

While the store’s skeleton crew—Henne included—have more than enough tasks to keep them busy, Henne is finding work for his new work-from-home unit by letting them decide how to best use their time, rather than micromanaging.

Employees are working within teams, each with its own leader, and taking advantage of the available industry education, as well as upping their knowledge of essential business programs in which they might be lacking, like the Microsoft suite.

Now Is the Time to Build on Established Relationships
Just as some Henne Jewelers clients have been purchasing gift cards or ordered that special piece they’ve had their eye on to support the store, Henne wants to provide as much help to his vendors as possible.

He’s doing that by treating each relationship differently, working with each vendor to meet his and their needs. There’s “no-one-size-fits-all,” policy, he explained.

One cash-strapped vendor might need some advance payment, for instance, while another will be willing to offset this burden for Henne Jewelers by allowing later payments than normal for the time being.

“Figure out what you can do for each brand case by case,” Henne explained, noting he will focus on “deepening existing relationships” in the months ahead, rather than meeting and taking on any new vendors.

He also doesn’t foresee any staff travel for shows or conferences in the next six months.

Go With the Flow
Jewelers have many questions. Post-coronavirus, how will they provide a luxury retail experience with masks and gloves in play? How will they handle customers wearing masks from a security standpoint?

Henne is going to play it by ear, looking into various options now, while remaining open to a changed way of business.

“All of us are navigating it so freshly together,” he said, so there’s no need to worry about foregoing the handshake or hug to a favorite customer when they’re allowed back in the store. Everyone will be accepting of a new normal.

Whatever measures need to be taken to keep staff and customers safe—new cleaning protocols for jewelry entering the store, or a security system in which customers must remove their masks upon entry for three to four seconds so the camera can capture their face—Henne will implement them.

Most importantly, he’s remaining open-minded to whatever the official guidance will be as businesses open back up, approaching any potential changes to how he sells jewelry with customer service in mind.