Consider the State of Your Inventory and More Manager’s To Dos for March

Feb. 26-Mar. 4

INVENTORY Look for areas you can get lean. Give thought to a stock reduction sale to clear room ahead of arrivals from Vision Expo East (March 16-19).

MANAGEMENT If you’re not already a member, set aside some time to check out your local Chamber of Commerce, Lions, Kiwanis, Rotary, First Friday and other clubs. You’re not going to become your community’s ECP if you never leave your practice.

Mar. 5-11

BUYING If you’re attending VEE this year, send an email letting customers know how excited you are to be learning about the newest innovations in eyecare, while getting the chance to browse 5,000+ eyewear brands. Share the thrill!

OPERATIONS Underscore your commitment to sustainability — install a bike rack out front.

Mar. 12-18

BUYING At VEE? Mike Rolih says to follow the rule of three by buying every frame in three colors: two basic and one that’s out there. The brighter colors will add life to your board, and if the basic colors sell first, you can show customers the boldly colored frame and offer to order it in a different hue.

OPERATIONS Do you have guidelines for handling complaints? If not, get busy. As much as possible, empower employees to make decisions.

Mar. 19-25

EDUCATION Take out your notes from all those educational sessions at VEE and start implementing the great ideas you picked up.
OPERATIONS If you don’t have a backup plan for your POS, create one, using either a cloud/network or removable drive to restore data if a new device is required.

INVENTORY Have you explored selling frames on consignment? Consider taking on a new or unique line.

Mar. 26-Apr. 1

SEO Test your ranking when someone asks their phone: “Siri, where can I get my glasses repaired?” As the stunning recent release of ChatGPT showed, the chatbots are coming to take over.

PLANNING The end of Q1 is nigh – time to check in with staff to see what progress has been made on your targets and their individual goals, and whether a tweaking of the master plan is needed. Don’t forget to highlight successes to date.