In early 2017 we had our staff fill out an anonymous climate survey to get their opinion how we were to work for and what strengths and weaknesses we had. The two biggest issues that needed improvement, which came out of that survey, was our need to have more accountability and stronger leadership from our management team.  This, along with Jana and I deciding to move our home 100 miles away from our store, created the real need to find someone that could help us improve these issues. Through a referral we found Vince Rath and Optimum Retail Solutions. After an initial store visit we decided to work with them on a regular schedule. This has been one of the best decisions we have made in our twenty seven years in business. I will say, the work is not always easy, but is well worth the effort. ORS will be with you every step of the way.

When we first started, Vince helped us define our values and fine tune our vision. He helped us personalize the steps of the sale to fit our style. Then we went to work to put accountability systems in place with KPI’s for all our departments. We improved our communication with regular one on one coaching sessions and better observation.  Everyone’s role has now been clearly defined so they know what is expected of them. Vince visits our store every couple of months and works with us for continued improvement. In between we have regular scheduled phone calls. Following the visits and calls he provides a review and action list to keep the progress going. They have a complete management system they teach to keep our managers consistent in the way we lead.

There are many other areas they have helped our business with including; Vince taught Jana and I how to run our business remotely. They helped us have the most successful events we have ever had. They taught us proper clienteling with text and phone calls. They helped us update our manager’s commission structure. We have improved our credit sales. Our turn overs and creating sales from the service counter have improved and is now a non-negotiable part of our sales presentations. Vince was instrumental in developing our new sales manager and helping him transition from sales to sales manager. 

We have now worked with Optimum Retail Solutions for three years and have just signed up for a fourth. Our sales have increased every year we have worked together. Vince and his team have become an important part of our team. I highly recommend Vince and Optimum Retail Solutions to help you improve your business. Feel free to call me with questions about how they have helped us.

 

Ken Rutz

Jewelers Touch

Placentia, CA 

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Having grown up in this industry, I love it and wouldn’t think of being in any other field. With that said, it’s amazing to see how we as owners can easily get caught up in ‘tunnel’ vision. I’m not smart in all areas, no one is, and I know that. That means we need to recognize when we need assistance, and when it comes to training my staff, I know it’s not my forte and I’m out – I need help! As soon as Tim started working with us, I knew that this was exactly what we needed. The training and accountability that he brings and shows to our staff has been a win-win for our staff and us owners as well. He guides us all on how to sell and makes sure that everyone is accountable for their goals. They understand that if they achieve their goal, they make more money. When they make more money, that means we as a store do too, which is what keeps this business running. Now don’t get me wrong, I realize this is not all on the Sales staff, but we appreciate Tim always keeping us in check. If you’ve ever watched “Restaurant Impossible”, that’s this company. The only difference is that he will keep coming back to make sure we don’t fall into our old habits!  LOL

 

Jeff Wickersham

Wickersham Jewelry

Wausau, WI

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We started working with Vince and Tim in November of 2017 and determined that they were the right fit to help us through a huge transition we were facing. My mother was retiring from the business and in the process of working through the retirement and ownership transition we had two more long term employees plan to leave as well. We were heading into Christmas season with lots of stress and no clear path to go forward into 2018. We met with Vince and Tim and determined that hiring new people was priority number one and then the work on the business processes would start. We started 2018 with a new Sales manager, Apprentice Goldsmith and sales associate. We worked with Tim directly and approached selling with credit in a whole new way. We also instituted one on one meetings across the board to hold the team accountable to numbers that moved them and the store towards our goals. Tim helped bring a clear plan and focus to 2018. We ended the year over 30% up in sales and increased our sales on credit by over $600,000. Our $1,000,000 plus sales increase was driven by the processes that Tim implemented. We are excited to move forward into 2019 with a new focus on team selling, back counter selling, clientelling all the while growing our credit sales. I can say that Tim and our team turned our organization from concerned, stressed and a not so clear future to a future filled with amazing growth and happiness. I say thank you to Tim and Vince for turning Jones Bros. around and pointing us into an awesome direction.

 

Bob Woolsey

Jones Bros. Jewelers

Peoria, IL 

 

​​For as long as I can remember I did everything at the store.  There were “managers” at the store but it was mostly in name only.  This system of all things running through me worked for a while…….until it didn’t.  Suddenly things weren’t running smoothly, staff wasn’t happy and sales had dipped for the first time in years.  I felt lost and the weight of all things being on me suddenly felt overwhelming.  I met Vince and Tim through a friend one night and shared with them what I was going through.  I knew within the first 10 mins of talking to them that they were the real deal.  They shared with me their philosophy of performance management and accountability.  How to take my big picture goals and break it down into small bites and hold my staff accountable towards achieving the desired results.  Rather than running around my store trying to do everything myself I worked with Tim to make everyone in my store accountable.  I’m happy to say that we have just made goal 8 months in a row ( I hired them 9 months ago).  Our business grew 15% in 2018 and we hired 3 new people reinvigorating our staff.  ORS was worth every penny and I’m looking forward to what we can do together in 2019. ​

 

Ryan Blumenthal

Corinne Jewelers
Toms River, NJ

 

​​I heard Vince speak at a meeting in the spring of last year.  Vince and Tim came to my store right from the JCK show for our initial exploration visit.
I took over my families business full time about 4 years ago. The last few years our business has drastically changed and we have been growing. I felt like I needed some help on the back end with organization and really managing people. I was in a good spot with inventory and driving our business marketing wise but managing people and performance as we all know can be a hard thing to do. Since I started working with Optimum Retail Solutions the way we measure performance and hold our staff accountable has really come a long way. Change can be a very hard thing to do but these changes have no doubt helped our business. I feel more organized than ever with my staff and how we are measuring performance and how we are trying to help each individual staff member grow. I would recommend Optimum Retail Solutions and Tim Glasgow to anyone to grow the business and to manage staff performance. 
 

Jeff Guntzviller
Miner's North Jewelers, General Manager

​Traverse City, Michigan

 

Vince has done an unbelievable job helping us develop a well structured and forward thinking sales and management process. The growth I have seen from my team and myself has been truly incredible to watch. Vince's knowledge on how to properly coach, train and hold people accountable has been one of the many aspects I have really dialed in on over the course of the last year. As Managers or Owners it is our job to make sure that the people we hire have the very best chance to succeed in the business we are running, Vince was able to help me paint a clear picture for my staff on what I expected from each with S.M.A.R.T goals based on high leverage KPI's. I am very confident in saying that if I ever have a question about growing this company, Vince is at the top of my list for getting advice, I would recommend Optimum Retail Solutions to anyone who is looking to grow in all aspect of the jewelry industry. Thank you ORS, you guys are amazing!!!

 

Jason Thompson

Goldsmith Gallery Jewelers, General Manager

Billings, MT

 

I have tears in my eyes and I'm shaking as I write this endorsement. One year ago I was in a hotel room creating a layoff plan and a downsizing plan. I was sick and worried that this would be Occasions Fine Jewelry's beginning of the end. Then I met Vince. From that moment forward Vince and Tim helped me rework my entire store. Marketing, management, sales, finances, and attitude will never be the same after working with Optimum Retail Solutions. Today, I can proudly say that we are over $1,500,000 up in sales. Vince, Tim, and team Optimum are worth every penny.

 

Michael Fleck

Occasions Fine Jewelery

Midland, TX  

 

​"Vince's work has really helped our business. We've been working together for 5 months and we just completed our 4th consecutive month of double digit growth and are more than 20% up over the same 4 month period last year. These results weren't easy to come by though, we worked hard for them. It was Vince's work that allowed us to focus our efforts in the right place and create processes that help all of us work more effectively. His skill in recruiting, hiring, setting goals, creating and managing sales processes, mastering the P & L and driving growth have help us breakthrough in ways we'd been working at but not succeeding in for years. He is a pro at organizing and improving our customer experience and results. The most meaningful contribution I feel Vince has made has been in taking time to understand our family business dynamics and create a plan for the future. Embarking on this highlights/uncovers challenges and frustrations and can be a difficult process. Vince has helped all of us communicate better and understand each other better leading us to working together in more productive ways. Both my parents and I are very grateful to have Vince on our team.

 

Ray Lantz

The Diamond Center

Clarement, CA 

 

​"Vince is very detail oriented and produced great results for my company. He understands how to run a company on many levels and will take you to the next level of business. We would hire him again and I highly recommend Vince."

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Jay Klos

Grogan Jewelers

Florence, AL

 

​​“I originally hired Vince to help develop our Sales Manager. His work with her was so effective that our other Department Heads asked to get involved with him too. The results have been outstanding! He has revolutionized our business and become an important part of our team.”

 

Jenny Caro

Jewelry by Designs

Woodbridge, VA

 

"Vince is like a life coach for your business.  He helps you discover the issues you are struggling with and address them.  Most importantly he helps create solutions or processes so they are no longer problems.  Sometimes the smallest changes can make the biggest impact. Vince Rath has been instrumental in helping us create a vision and plan for our future.  He has helped develop a company culture where everyone is working to improve our behaviors. Which improves our morale, our customer’s experiences, and our bottom line."

 

​Nicole Lasker

Lasker Jewelers

Eau Claire, WI 

 

"Vince Rath is the store owner's guru.  He has everything I have always wanted to implement within my company....and so much more!   He delivers it in a consistent and easy to follow manner.  He has the qualities and discipline of a true leader that inspire me both on a business and personal level.  
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The training that he has given my son has prepared him for success to be a 4 th generation owner.   After 37 years I am passionate & excited about the future generations of Steffan's Jewelers.  This is the best business decision I have ever made and we are seeing direct results with increased sales and overall perfomance. "

 

Suzanne Cannon

Steffan's Jewelers

McHenry, IL 

"I have worked with many consultants and Vince is one of the best. He offers an element that no other consultant has offered. He can drill down to how to implement very specific actions to accomplish the outcome you are looking for.  And on top of that, he is a truly nice person."
 

Nancy Schneider
Co-Owner 
Mark Schneider Designs
​Long Beach, CA 
 

"Vince and the Optimum Retail Solutions team has been an incredible asset to our business. Vince challenges the independent jeweler’s conventional wisdom and delivers results. Our first Christmas with Vince led to a 26% increase in our business. It was the highest grossing Christmas in our history. In addition to developing a system of processes to deliver results for the entire team, he also serves as a great executive coach ensuring that my head stays clear and focused so that I can keep the team focused. Do yourself a favor and hire Vince and his team. If you do and you challenge your own thinking, you will get tremendous results."

 

Tony Goodman

Goodman & Sons Jewelers

Virginia

 

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Do you believe in kismet? 

The word kismet comes from the Arabic word ḳismat, meaning “division, portion, lot.” You can think of kismet as your lot in life, or your fate. You’ll often hear the word used in relation to something significant that came about entirely by chance. 
Kismet for me was meeting Vince Rath at the winter Continental buying group, (CBG) show in Orlando, Florida, earlier this year.  Sitting with a fellow CBG retailer who, like me,  a female entrepreneur, who shares the same passions of running a successful jewelry business, was very pleased with the results, working with Vince and  recommended I speak with him. 
Through the years my Husband, Bill and I have had many consultants and motivational speakers visit our stores  so, needless to say, I was apprehensive. I felt like I was having one of those deja vu moments where you say to yourself, " I've been down this path before, so how is this guy gonna be any different?" Or, "why should we pour more money into hiring another consultant only to get the same poor results." His first visit would only be a $1500 investment.  I figure, we spend that amount on needless stuff all the time so, I decided it was worth the chance. 
I soon found that Vince's approach was totally different. He didn't dwell on statistics, nor did he chant vague statements like  "you should be doing this or, you should be doing that."  Instead, he spent  two full days analyzing everything about me and my business then, in great detail, he developed  a plan catering it to my exact needs.
At first,  his visits were about comprehensive training sessions to learn steps needed to make my staff more accountable, responsible and better at sales, but, then it morphed into something far more significant.
After several months of store visits, Vince made Bill and me realize, it wasn't just our staff that needed help, it was more about me. After 10 years of running our 100 year old business on my own, I was burned out, tired. The subject of retirement became a reality. He saw this whole situation unraveling and worked quickly to find a solution.
I soon learned finding great people was another area of Vince's expertise. Through his recruitment business*. He found the perfect match for us; a husband and wife with the same work ethic, enthusiasm, leadership skills and experience to someday take our place. Now we have a transition plan with the comfort to know that the legacy of our family owned business will live on.
Vince's resume speaks volumes and, his vast knowledge and credentials is not the only reason why he is so successful. Vince is successful because he is caring, hardworking, observant, intuitive, understanding, compassionate and nurturing. When he sees a problem he works extremely hard to find it's resolution. 
In addition, he is not just a wonderful consultant he has become a good friend. I can call him anytime of the day and I know he will answer or get back to me as soon as he's available. VInce also lives by this amazing credo, from one of the many self help books he's read and, has gotten me to do the same., to, 'see it, own it, solve it and do it.'
So, if you find yourself in need of any type of help whether it's training your staff or finding the right people to take over your business, Vince Rath is your man. 
 

Birdie R. Levine, GIA, AGS 
Owner
VanCott Jewelers ​

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One of the first things that Vince said to me had the most impact in my life to date.  It immediately got me listening and on the path of improvement, not just for myself but for those in my life as well.  Vince said "God has a path for everyone, and there is a reason that your path and my path are crossing at this point in our lives".  Not only is this the truth, it got me thinking to why my path crosses anyone's life and encouraged me to immediately make sure that the peoples lives that I cross,  I assuredly make the best, most positive impact that I possibly can.  I make sure that i do this for the time i am allotted to cross paths with them, no person can be sure how much time they have with anyone else in order to make a difference.  This is how I believe Vince and Optimum Retail Solutions works.  They know how to make as much of a positive impact as they possibly can within time restrictions that aren't necessarily given to them by anyone else but themselves.

Vince has placed such a positive impact in my life, and our stores for that matter, I know i will utilize the teachings and skills passed to me for the rest of my life.  The knowledge Vince has retained is simply incredible and I am impressed and in awe every time he visits.  I have learned everything from sales training to Emotional intelligence diving deep into my team members psyche as well as my own.  The information and growth possibilities are now seemingly endless and it is all thanks to Vince and his team taking a look at our company and helping us create ideas for growth and opportunity.  We are a family owned, local Jewelry store and some of Vince's Ideas are "Chain Store/Cooky cutter" but he is such an intelligent leader that working together we find a way to incorporate the ideas that fit into our culture!  Vince is actually extremely understanding of this and malleable when it comes to flexing any Idea in order to fit within our family culture based selling style and store.  There is no other consultant that any independent Jeweler should ever ask help from other than Vince and his team.

Vince, you're the Man!!  I couldn't thank you enough for the help and advice that you have given me and I am so thankful that our paths have crossed, especially at this time in my life.  Everything happens for a reason!!

Andrew Graff
Luisa Graff Jewelers
Colorado Springs, CO

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Vince Rath has had a very significant and positive impact on our store.  His experience, wisdom, and astute counsel have helped shape our future and add value to the present. Having engaged many consultants over the years, Vince brought a refreshing, direct, and "hands on" approach that we could use.

The gift that Vince has is "listening."  He didn't take a canned approach and just overlay it on the operation.  Rather, he took the time to learn the history, nuances, and concerns of our store -- a family owned business looking to develop the second generation leadership.  Understanding our needs, he provided customized feedback -- and accountability -- for each member of the leadership team.  He told us what we needed to hear, not what we wanted to hear.

Vince has been more than a consultant.  He is a trusted advisor and friend.  He has become the sounding board and welcome critic for our major decisions.  Honest, unusually knowledgeable, and a great communicator -- the return we have had on our investment with him has been clear and compelling.

 

Thank you Vince

 

Luisa Graff

Luisa Graff Jewelers,CEO

Colorado Springs, CO

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