marketing
Political Interference
Record sums of money are likely to be spent on the mid-term campaigns and advertising will be crowded as TV and radio stations offer low rates to candidates with cash. Andy Malis, co-founder of ad agency MGH, suggests not even trying to compete via traditional channels. “Avoid the 45- and 60-day windows prior to the elections,” he says. “If you can hold your own by concentrating on your current customers via social media, email, direct mail, personal notes, phone calls, etc., then you should do fine.”
management
Brown Bag It
According to a tale in Bob Nelson’s book Please Don’t Do What I Tell You, Do What Needs To Be Done, when an ice-cream store in Texas ran out of job application forms, a quick-thinking employee handed each remaining applicant an empty paper bag with instructions to do something creative with it. This brainstorm forced job-seekers to show their creativity and ability to entertain others, important attributes in the ice-cream business — and eyecare.
sales
Upgrades Trump Discounts
What’s better than a discount for your patient and your bottom line? A free upgrade. Eye Designs of Westchester in Scarsdale, NY, offers free upgrades to blue light blocking lenses instead of discounts for new patients and “those referred to us by local eye doctors,” says Harris Decker.
merchandising
New Frames Fridays
How can you build the visiting habit in customers who only want to see the latest and greatest? Establish one day a week, or one day a month, that becomes known as when you set out your newest offerings. Perhaps “New Frame Friday,” or, if you’re open on Sundays, “Sunnies Sunday,” to let your customers know that they can see your latest new arrivals on the first Friday, Sunday, or even Tuesday of every month.
marketing
Make It Rain
Your business cards do no good sitting in a drawer. Get them out, says Paul Timm, author of 50 Powerful Ways To Win New Customers. He cites one company that included a business card in every piece of first-class mail sent out, even the bills they paid. It led to a call from the local electric company asking about their product. Another manager tossed his cards in the air at football games when the home team scored.
sales
Giftcard Face Lift
Gift certificates take care of the anxiety of giving eyewear as a Christmas present. But a piece of paper still makes for an uninspired gift. Charlie Blankenship of The Spectacle Shoppe in St. Paul, MN, remedies by giving gift certificates a “face lift.” “Wrapping them in a designer case complete with cleaner, a cloth and a POS bag it’s a win-win for everyone,” he writes on the Daily Optician website. “Our guest has something to wrap, the recipient picks out the pair they really want, and our inventory stays on the board vs. in a box waiting to be returned.”