Beth Silverberg of Exceptional Finds On How To Create A Retail Experience That Keeps People Coming Back For More

I’m fortunate to have access to good nutrition. I would like to start something that there was more awareness and better access to good nutrition for everyone in this country. The government should subsidize agriculture more so healthy food is accessible to everyone.

As part of my series about “How To Create A Fantastic Retail Experience That Keeps Bringing Customers Back For More”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Beth Silverberg.

As Founder of Exceptional Finds, Beth Silverberg started her vintage clothing and jewelry business over 20 years ago traveling the world in search of rare, high end, designer fashion jewelry, handbags, and one-of-a-kind accessories. In her present collection, she sells beautiful items from Hermes, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Bottega Veneta, Saint Laurent, Judith Leiber, and Gucci, at multiple price points. Beth is an exceptional resource for her clients finding perfect luxury gifts, exclusive designer jewelry brands, limited edition fashion jewelry, and collectible European handbags and accessories.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?

My backstory is unique. I was an avid designer jewelry and handbag collector from the time I was 16 years old. I then would up playing professional poker and traveling the world. That gave me access to the way of boutiques and auction houses. When I retired from poker, I wanted to bring my love for jewelry and fashion to everyone.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘takeaways’ you learned from that?

My funniest mistake is when I needed employees and my daughter, who is a recruiter, told me to retail recruit. I went to a local store and wound up with shopping bags and no business cards.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

I’m grateful to my father and the work ethic he instilled in me. From the time I was 12 I pushed carts at a local grocery store, 15 at a Roy Rodgers and on and on. It’s part of my nature to work.

Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

There is a podcast series credited by the Psychiatry Department at the University of Pittsburgh. The series is called Psychiatry Advances. There is one podcast about sleep in cognition in older adults and it resonated with me because my mom has a type of dementia. By focusing on improving my mom’s sleep pattern over the past year, I feel her memory abilities have stabilized.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

My company stands out because there is no other boutique that has couture fine jewelry, curated vintage handbags, one-of-a-kind accessories and accessible gifts. I have something for everyone.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

Most people are me people in this world. I believe in sharing and taking good care of anyone that is good to me. I’m not in this just to make money. Without my employees I wouldn’t make it. I treat everyone as I want to be treated.

Ok super. Now let’s jump to the main questions of our interview. The so-called “Retail Apocalypse” has been going on for about a decade. The Pandemic only made things much worse for retailers in general. While many retailers are struggling, some retailers, like Lululemon, Kroger, and Costco are quite profitable. Can you share a few lessons that other retailers can learn from the success of profitable retailers?

I think it’s important for any retailer to understand that even if people can afford things, they may not want to spend money right now. You need to respect everyone’s comfort level.

What are the most common mistakes you have seen CEOs & founders make when they start a retail business? What can be done to avoid those errors?

The most common mistake is not spending money to build a business, reinvesting money in your business and taking money out of a new business.

This might be intuitive, but I think it’s helpful to specifically articulate it. In your words, can you share a few reasons why great customer service and a great customer experience is essential for success in business in general and for retail in particular?

I have always bought luxury cars. I will only buy Porsche from now on.. Why, because of follow up service. You can buy something expensive but if the retailer doesn’t stand behind what they sell, what good is it? I have personally purchased jewelry from retailers that I have found out wasn’t what they represented it to be and was told, “It’s yours.”

We have all had times either in a store, or online, when we’ve had a very poor experience as a customer or user. If the importance of a good customer experience is so intuitive, and apparent, where is the disconnect? How is it that so many companies do not make this a priority?

I’m unsure why more businesses don’t make customer service a priority. I’ve always had great respect for Nordstrom. They built their brand on customer service. Again, I feel it’s people that are just looking at bottom line numbers and aren’t looking at long term relationships. Or they feel that people will come back anyway.

Again, it’s bottom-line numbers. Some companies don’t care.

I purchased a piece of jewelry at Cartier. It fell of and they repaired it. It happened again and they gave me a full credit for the item. I was impressed.

Can you share with us a story from your experience about a customer who was “Wowed” by the experience you provided?

This is easy.. I want people to walk in my boutique and look around and love everything. I want them to feel like we’re there to help but we’re not busy. I want them to know that they can try anything on and not buy it. It’ s free to look around. I don’t wany any regrets. If you walk out of my store with something, I want you to be euphoric.

I feel as I’m building a new business, I’ve wowed a lot of people. I love wrapping the gifts and making them beautiful. I will throw in candy at times and make it very special. Sometimes I’ll just throw in a small gift for customers. I want people to feel appreciated.

Did that “Wow! Experience” have any long-term ripple effects? Can you share the story?

The wow has had long term effects. They either stop back in even if it’s just to look and say hi or send a friend in.

A fantastic retail experience isn’t just one specific thing. It can be a composite of many different subtle elements fused together. Can you help us break down and identify the different ingredients that come together to create a “fantastic retail experience”?

A fantastic retail experience is the comfort of looking around without feeling pressure. It’s knowing that you’re somewhere with the highest quality of items. If you want to sit down and make a call to someone, that’s okay. I don’t like feeling pressured and want everyone to feel comfortable. I hate typical salespeople. My employees have NO quotas. They are not on commission. They are there to be helpful and nice. I pay them well.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things one should know in order to create a fantastic retail experience that keeps bringing customers back for more? Please share a story or an example for each.

1. Honesty- I’ve had people ask my opinion and I’m honest even if it means losing a sale.

2. Customer service- I had a customer buy a pair of Lucite designer earrings she came in and thought a back was loose and needed to be replaced. I tried another back and saw it was the earrings. I immediately gave her another pair.

3. Fair pricing- When I buy a curated item well, I pass it on to the customer

4. Flexible hours and times- I’ll stay open or late depending on the customer’s needs. One of my sales associates has one customer that always comes in after work. He stays for her.

5. We are consistent in our approach that the customer is first. We want everyone to be happy.

Thank you for all of that. We are nearly done. Here is our final ‘meaty’ question. You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I’m fortunate to have access to good nutrition. I would like to start something that there was more awareness and better access to good nutrition for everyone in this country. The government should subsidize agriculture more so healthy food is accessible to everyone.

How can our readers further follow your work?

@exceptional.finds

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