MARKETING#drinkwinebuyglasses
Winter’s on the way. Turn up the heating, turn up the welcomes, stock up on the single serve wine and straws. “No one really wants to walk around in cold precipitation, especially in a town that doesn’t have parking in front of their business,” writes Jen Stevens on the Daily Optician blog. “The best we can do is make our store as warm and inviting as possible… and sometimes a little booze to cheer them up doesn’t hurt either.”
OPERATIONSProcrastinators Are Coming!
Try filling your books for November and early December to leave Week 52 as open as possible for new and last-minute shoppers hoping to use up their benefits/flex spending, suggests Chris Dudley of Lake Eye/Precision Optical in Wildwood, FL. “You will see a dramatic increase overall,” he says, advising you to get your office supplies, frames and merchandise all in the shop to take on the surge of customers.
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ONLINEFace-Framing Lines
Your most stylish, attention-getting goods, those that highlight the wearer’s best features, should be front and center on your website at the moment. People can’t go out, so they use Zoom as their opportunity to dress up, says Larry Birnbaum, CEO of ShopWorn.
MARKETINGName Your Wish
They’re called “wish lists,” but after such wide usage the name is rather blah. How about calling it a “Gotta Have It” list? (It’s what Microsoft calls its gift registry.)
MARKETINGRent-A-Brain
This year, go upmarket when you hire a holiday temp, suggests leadership-tools.com. Find an intern at a marketing company or even a local marketing major and ask them to take you on as a “client.” For a small fee or possibly for free, they should be able to give you exposure to cutting-edge marketing tips in return for actual experience.
SELF-IMPROVEMENTAn Oldie But A Goodie
Sports channels are showing old games, movie channels old classics. Maybe it’s time to revisit old productivity strategies? This month try the Pomodoro Technique, which had a moment about 15 years ago. Basically it’s a kitchen timer (or these days, an app) that helps you break your day into 25 minute sessions. Choose a task and when the timer rings, stop for 5 minutes. Repeat three more times, then take a longer break. That’s about it. Yet it works. Really well. Give it a go!
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LEADERSHIPLook Sharp
Sgt. Matt Eversmann took part in the Mogadishu firefight that inspired the movie Black Hawk Down. So, what’s his take on leadership? Fearlessness, charisma, self-sacrifice? No, it’s looking sharp, he tells Carmine Gallo, author of 10 Simple Secrets of the World’s Greatest Communicators. To start with, “always dress a little better than everyone else,” he advises, especially your subordinates. “Presence” makes people receptive to the important stuff that follows, he argues.
MANAGEMENTTomorrow’s To-Dos
What do you do with the last 15 minutes of the day? Answer e-mails, schedule meetings? Try drawing up a to-do list for the next day. Be specific and jot down things you’ll do from the moment you enter the store. It’s a great way to get the new day off to a productive start.