The following interview with Denis Boulle, deBoulle Jewelers, appears in the current issue of Lustre. I refered to the interview in yesterday's entry as a reflection of a management philosophy that results in exceptional customer service and experience.
"Over the last 25 years, deBoulle has grown from an 800-square foot shop with two employees (my lovely, talented wife Karen and me) to a 13,600-square foot signature store with 25 employees. As our business grew, Karen and I strove to make it different from other jewelers. We began by attracting the finest brands. This, in turn, allowed us to attract high-performing salespeople which, in combination, attracted highly affluent clients. We grew fantastically and wanted to know how to keep the process going. What had developed from intuition now needed a systematic approach.
"We were fortunate to have Bob Bloom, chairman of Publicis N.A., and a marketing genius (who has just published a book, The Inside Advantage), as a friend and client. Bloom led our team through a “branding” exercise. He tasked our team to define exactly what deBoulle was, what the unique benefit to our client was, and what competitive advantage that gave us. After two days of head-scratching and soul-searching, we concluded it was the human element, the way that we interacted with each other and our clients, that was the real difference between us and the competition, local or national. We called this phenomenon “The deBoulle Experience.”
OUR DIVERSITY IS A STRENGTH
"That discovery may sound arrogant, but it was humbling. We realized our business can only be as good as we are to each other. Our growth hinges on the ability to serve a diversity of affluent personalities and tastes. We can only be as great as our ability to nurture the variety of internal talents it takes to run a fine jewelry business: the blending of fashion and finance, attention to detail, and stimulation of desire. We serve an international clientele. As a result our team includes Americans, Brazilian, Canadian, English, French, Korean, Lebanese, Laotian, Mexican, Spanish, and Vietnamese. “The deBoulle Experience” binds us together and our customers to us.
THE RULES
"Over the years, we realized we had developed a culture that harnessed both ego and empathy. We evolved a set of unwritten rules about how we interacted with our associates and these rules in turn governed how our associates attended to each other and our clients.
The branding session articulated the previously informal rules that said we were to be simultaneously creative and caring. We were to be demanding of ourselves and respectful of each other. We were to care for each other like family and care for our clients like individuals. It may sound corny, but we all treated our clients the way we wanted to be treated. Over the years these “rules” had created an environment especially attractive to successful business people who can immediately tell the difference between real service and lip service.
A SALON LIKE NO OTHER
"We translated this experience into the physical environment of our new store. The added space enabled us to have a “living room” area and where our clients could feel at home, chat privately with shopping companions, look through magazines, or have the beverage of their choice.
"Sometimes our best customers want more than a cappuccino. They call with unique requests: Can we arrange a table at a hard-to-get restaurant in New York or London? Can we get a private jet during a heavily traveled time? Intuitively we know filling these needs is as much a part of “The deBoulle Experience” as satisfying a request for a unique gem or a rare timepiece. We are flattered that our clients rely on us beyond traditional jewelry services.
"We also show our caring for our clients by supporting causes important to them. Besides hosting several events in our salon, we support many more charitable and community efforts through our personal and financial involvement. We give of ourselves as well as of our resources just as our clients do.
"Recently our customers have encouraged and inspired us to add a new dimension by creating “The deBoulle Collection.” As unique and beautiful as its mastermind, who also happens to be my very talented wife, the collection offers an array of exquisite rings, bracelets, brooches, necklaces, and earrings of the finest caliber. Before a piece is added to the collection, it must pass the same litmus test as the rest of the elements making up the deBoulle experience.
THE SECRET INGREDIENT
"I shall let you in on a secret ingredient to the success of “The deBoulle Experience.” It is vital to each relationship or transaction—the fun factor. From design to consultation to closing the sale to the presentation, the experience must be fun for both the client and the associate.
"How much can we grow? How many cities can we operate in? How many “doors” can we open to our standards? We now realize it is not a matter of how much working capital we have. It is a matter of how well we work together. It is a matter of disseminating “The deBoulle Experience.' "
Denis J. Boulle
deBoulle, Dallas, Texas