The Day My Competitor Asked Me for Advice

Hassan and I have known each other for five years without ever really speaking. We're polite when we pass each other, forced smiles at professional events. It's the classic competition between jewelers in the same neighborhood.

That day, he looked embarrassed but determined.

"Yasmina, my customers are asking me for more and more personalization. Engravings, first names... I know you do that very well. Can you explain to me how you do it?"

Honesty that disarms

I could have told him no. To keep my little secrets, to protect my competitive advantage. But something about the way he asked touched me.

"Hassan, why me?"

"Because your customers are talking. In the neighborhood, we know that at AZOR, personalization is serious business. I tried it with a cheap engraver. Result: three failed necklaces and unhappy customers."

His honesty disarmed me. Instead of feeling threatened, I wanted to help him.

The Unexpected Lesson

We sat down at the café across the street. I explained our process to him: translation verification, sample testing, triple quality control. He took notes like a diligent student.

"You know, Hassan, the secret isn't technique. It's treating every order as if it were for your own family."

He looked at me strangely: "Are you giving me your secrets like that?"

"Techniques can be copied. But passion, attention to detail, can't be taught. They have to be experienced."

The effect on our business

Three months later, Hassan does indeed offer customization. But instead of stealing customers from me, it's grown the market. People in the neighborhood have gotten used to the idea that you can personalize your jewelry.

Unexpected result: my customization sales increased by 30%. Because when Hassan messes up an engraving (it still happens), his clients come to me to "fix" it.

Mutual aid that enriches

This story got me thinking. In our industry, we tend to see other jewelers as the enemy. But in reality, we're all working toward the same goal: to delight our customers.

Now, Hassan and I help each other out regularly. He tells me about clients who are looking for high-end pieces that he doesn't make. I send him those who want traditional silver, his specialty.

"You were right," he told me last week. "The competition isn't between us. It's against jewelers who do bad work."

Exactly, Hassan. Exactly.