If there is a golden rule in the retail jewelery business, it is likely, "Do unto your employees as you would have them do unto your customers."

That adage could not be truer than at Ben Moss Jewellers, according to president and CEO Brent Trepel.

"I've been running the company for 23 years and I think the most important thing continues to be the way people are treated. It is how I run my personal life and how I run the company," Trepel says from the 63-store chain's head office in downtown Winnipeg.

"The culture we have developed is 100 per cent focused on people -- giving employees and customers respect, fair treatment, listening to their ideas and feedback. That's applicable in any business, but it is an absolute in retail where we're dealing with consumers every day. We know that in most cases, the way people are treated will determine where they end up buying."

For Ben Moss, on the eve of celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2010, this focus begins with caring about the people behind the counter and continues through the delivery of a consistent experience for customers.

Q: How have you been able to make Ben Moss an employer of choice in a highly competitive retail environment?

A: We have recently experienced a lot of growth in new markets and have been successful recruiting some very talented people because of who we are. Ben Moss is a company with a family-owned dynamic and the key to our success has been maintaining a high profile in the marketplace along with a reputation for treating our people very well. That means providing solid training, letting employees know upfront what our standards and expectations are and communicating with them regularly on how they are performing toward those standards.

We tend to get a lot of interest from within the jewellery industry of people wanting to work for us. When I visit our stores and meet them, many tell me that they like our positive atmosphere because they know they aren't just a number. They feel important. They want to work for a company that truly stands behind its product and policies; a place that is not only sales oriented, but customer-service oriented as well.

Q: Is there any leadership model that particularly inspires you?

A: Starbucks' business philosophy has had one of the biggest impacts on me, especially after reading CEO Howard Schulz's 1997 book, Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup At A Time. It's always amazed me how they've taken a simple cup of coffee and created an entire culture around it -- and if you're a loyal Starbucks customer, you are passionate about that culture. What made the deepest impression on me was knowing that if Starbucks could provide such a high level of customer service for a $3 product, then my goodness, we must be able to do it for a $500 or a $1,000 product without any excuse. It was powerful to realize the opportunity we have to build Ben Moss into a brand that sets the standard for customer service.

Q: What are some of the challenges of building a brand when you located only a few feet from your competitors?

A: In the retail business, it is a challenge. Our stores are enclosed in shopping malls where there may be five to eight other jewellers and we know that customers are going to shop several of them before making their purchase. This is why customer service is an area where we try to differentiate ourselves. Over the past 20 years, it has been our goal to build Ben Moss into more than just a jewelry store. Through our leading-edge store design, our innovative merchandising, our value-added packaging and our employee training, we try to deliver an all-around positive experience to customers. We ask ourselves, how can we make customers feel good about buying from us? When they are comparison shopping similar products at similar prices, how do we convince them that giving a gift from Ben Moss has greater value? It all starts by building a brand that delivers a positive and consistent customer experience.

Q: With 600 employees and stores in seven provinces, how do you deliver consistency?

A: It's a challenge; consistency still remains the biggest issue for us. Take a look at Starbucks for example. They do an exceptional job of delivering consistency. I know that I can walk into any Starbucks anywhere and get the same customer experience that I expect. That's where we want to get eventually. When your stores are spread out across the country and have different supervisors overseeing different managers, it can be a challenge to deliver a consistent experience for customers. On occasion, we may hear from a longtime Ben Moss customer who has visited one of our stores and was taken aback when they were not treated the way they have come to expect from us. That says we have fallen down in consistency and that we need to fix it right away.

Q: How do you reward employees who successfully meet your expectations?

A: Because our store associates work in a results-oriented environment, we have created two performance clubs: the Diamond Club and the more prestigious President's Circle. When we hire someone, we provide them with training and communicate upfront what our standards and expectations are, so these clubs are our way of recognizing employees for meeting those standards. In addition, every Monday morning, I call the top five stores (calculated as a percentage over budget) and personally congratulate them on their exceptional performance. Our weekly newsletter also spotlights the top five stores along with photos of their staff so that they receive some well-deserved recognition across the company.

Away from the stores, our office employees benefit from strong performance through our profit-sharing program. We also recognize the service of our loyal, longtime employees. Every employee on their fifth anniversary receives a handwritten note from me along with a gold pin of the Ben Moss "B" insignia. On their 10th anniversary, they get a diamond put into the top corner of their pin.

Q: How is treating your employees well related to the delivery of good customer service?

A: When hiring new people, the most important thing we look for is a passion for retail and an ability to achieve results. But we also look for people who will understand and thrive in our environment because having all the credentials in the world won't cut it if the person doesn't treat people well. A large part of that is contributing to a positive, people-oriented environment. If a manager joins our company and we later learn through employee feedback that they are not treating staff the way we believe they should be treated, that manager will not have a future with us. We believe that if employees are not treated fairly and with respect, customers will be able to sense that and take their business elsewhere. When you don't feel good about yourself, it impacts the way you deal with people. Likewise, if you are happy and thriving in a high-energy environment, your customers will enjoy dealing with you and keep coming back.

-- With reporting by Barbara Chabai

John McFerran, PhD, CMC, F. CHRP, is founder and president of People First HR Services Ltd. For more information, visit www.peoplefirsthr.com.