Matthew Tercsak and the Art of Glassblowing

In Matthew Tercsak's Orlando specialty shop, Mystik Inc., many of the pieces that he sells are created from blown glass. He has always appreciated the art form of glassblowing, and taken the time to learn more about the ancient style of art over the years. In recent years, he has also started blowing glass on his own, which deepened his love of the art form.

To accurately achieve the glass form, raw materials must be super-heated to an extreme level, two thousand four hundred degrees Fahrenheit. The earliest pieces of glass were not created by humans, but by mother nature herself. During a volcanic eruption, molten lava would rain down over areas of sand and rock, melting the two elements to their liquid state. The resulting mass would cool and become the form of glass known as obsidian. Alternately, a lighting strike in sand could melt that sand into the glass called fulgurite.

The art of glassblowing, forming molten glass into a shape by applying breath-pressure, dates as far back as the early Roman Empire. Artisans would use kilns and forges to melt glass pieces, dip the end of a long metal tube into the glass, and blow through the opposite end to create a shape before the glass cooled. Since the Roman Empire had such an impact around Europe, the art of glassblowing caught on more quickly.

Glassblowers in modern times, like Matthew Tercsak, use either mold-blowing or free-blowing techniques to create beautiful glass artwork all around the world.

Matthew Tercsak Promotes Great Customer Service

Business owner Matthew Tercsak values great customer service, which is why he teaches his staff at Mystik Inc. to treat every customer like a treasured guest. Having a reputation for high customer service standards has helped his small retail store to remain popular for more than twenty years. He teaches the following lessons to his staff to ensure they take care of the customers correctly.

• A genuine smile is the best way to start any customer interaction. Even if the customer is not in the store but calling on the phone, a smiling associate will convey their happiness to be of help. Customers want to feel that they are being taken care of, and that their business is valued. This means that a smile and respectful greeting will go a lot further than ignoring the customer or pretending to be busy.
• Very few customers appreciate a sales associate that hovers in their social space (eight to ten feet away) or constantly asks if they need anything. Those shoppers need to have time to look at merchandise and think about their purchase. However, it is always a wise decision to ask up front if they need help or are looking for anything in particular.
• There will be some customers who do not want to spend the time locating a specific item and will want that help right away. If while discreetly watching the customer shop the associate sees they are becoming confused or need help, then approach again and offer assistance, a trick that works for Matthew Tercsak.

Matthew Tercsak Employs Benefits Management Tools

Running a small business in the retail sector, much like Matthew Tercsak's Mystik Inc. shop, calls for a more creative level of thinking. As an independent store that is not tied to a larger corporation, the responsibilities fall directly on Mr. Tercsak and his staff. Maintaining profit and a good reputation in the community requires the implementation of special projects and sales concepts. Those projects are more fruitful when the following Benefits Management tools are used.

                                                 

• When considering a new project in the small-business retail field, the owner should understand exactly why they are attempting or considering the undertaking. Having a specialized sale, simply for the sake of having a sale, will not be as effective. Instead, the owner should think about the reasons for putting an item on sale, such as an overstock issue. If there is no clear answer to the “why” of the project, it is not worth the time and energy.

• Benefits Management also dictates that the owner understands beforehand what they expect to happen as a result of the project. In the sale scenario, is the owner anticipating a certain level of profit? Maybe they are expecting the sale on item A to also bring in profits from the sale of item B. By creating an expectation and setting a standard, it is easier to work toward and surpass that goal.

• The concept of Benefits Management also requires the owner to place a value on the proposed project, determining if the endeavor is truly worth it, a task that Matthew Tercsak handles with ease.