“HOW MANY DAYS until Christmas?!?” Every. Single. Year… I tell myself, “I am going to start prepping earlier so I can enjoy the holidays.” But before I know it, the memes are popping up in September saying, “PSA: Only six more paychecks until Christmas,” and I panic! … But then I get caught up in private practice life and forget. I had every intention of things being different but instead I find myself stalking delivery drivers, wrapping presents until the wee hours, and completely exhausted during family celebrations. My intentions needed a plan and implementation. I am happy to report, this year, I did things differently. I blocked my schedule at the beginning of 2024 to intentionally make time for the important things, not just the holidays, and it worked great!
What good intentions fell by the wayside in your practice this year? By simply blocking out time on your personal and professional calendars, you can devote yourself to the important items that have been proven to boost sales in independent opticals. Take a few moments before next year begins to add these three items to your 2025 calendar:
Schedule Team Meetings: Regular team meetings keep everyone on track, keep the team marching toward the same goal, and eliminate issues before they become catastrophes. Yet, I talk to countless optical leaders that “just don’t have the time.” Take the time now. No template? A great start is blocking out a full day at the beginning of the year and another full day mid-year. Full days are best used to share the previous year’s or first half’s achievements, set goals, and share the learning opportunities you will offer the team. Then block out one to two hours at a set time every month to connect with your team, monitor goal progress, and focus on teaching a skill.
Schedule Quarterly Check-ins: This is a requirement to create a strong team culture. Often, we focus on the group and overlook the individuals. Schedule a day, or half day for smaller teams. Here is where you meet with team members individually. Review their performance, what achievements you would like them to reach, listen to their needs, and hear the ways they’d like to improve themselves or their ideas to improve the office. Quarterly check-ins let the team know they will have your undivided attention and you’ll have the time to offer feedback.
Schedule Trunk Shows: If you are not having two to four trunk shows a year you are missing out on a massive opportunity! You have a retail space filled with fashionable face art. Taking the time to promote a brand and offer your community a place to see the full line is a great practice builder. Many opticals make the mistake of throwing one together last minute and involving too many brands. You want to schedule trunk shows months in advance so you can coordinate with the rep, properly plan, and most importantly, market it. Only feature one rep and a maximum of two brands. Taking a rep’s day but making them split it with multiple vendors is less beneficial for them. Remember, reps can be a great partner, so treat partners with respect. As you start hosting trunk shows you will get better, but you must start somewhere. Scheduling a minimum of two a year allows your practice to be seen as a destination optical gallery rather than just another place to get glasses.
Your office culture, performance, and the community’s perception of your business will all improve with your focused attention. I challenge you to take the time right now to block your 2025 calendar so all those good intentions you had this year can be put into action and increase sales in the next one.
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