Ready, Steady, Go – Time for the Heavy Guns

We are half way through November, and holiday gift purchasing is in full swing. Handicapped by the lack of generic advertising for diamond jewelry from De Beers or anyone else, diamond firms, jewelry makers and retailers need to fend for themselves.

Don't hesitate, look straight ahead and shoot. Pardon the militaristic lingo, but the need for a forward attack is clear. Don't hold back. Use everything in your arsenal to get consumers into the stores and buying diamond jewelry.

Diamond jewelry needs to stand out like a remote lighthouse on a cloudless night if it is to compete against very cool gadgets, well-trodden traditional items such as clothing, and better-financed marketing campaigns for luxury articles such as handbags, watches and exotic vacations,

The Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu said, "The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat." (The Art of War, Chapter IV. Tactical Dispositions). Adopting that admirable stand in the "battle" for the consumer will lead to the desired victory – improved sales.

The naysayers, the defeatists, the non-believers should all be brushed aside. This is the time to charge forward and win consumers. With beautiful designs, great offerings, fair (and sane) financing plans and more than anything else – the knowledge that diamond jewelry is the best present for everyone and anyone, from a $12 million 110-carat yellow diamond at Sotheby's to a $9 stainless steel flower piercing at Amazon.

Now is the time of the optimists, the leaders, those that want to make their clients happy. Now is the time to push forward and claim that hard-earned victory!

Have a great holiday season