Mar. 29-April 4
MERCHANDISING Time to freshen things up: when displaying your product, use trendy color accents (Pantone is a good guide) in boards and cases that can be changed quarterly. “Your inventory may not all be new, but by changing the presentation you can keep it looking fresh,” says merchandising expert Sally Furrer.
STAFF Encourage your technicians to get AOA certification and start studying now for the May test dates. (April 1 is the late registration deadline for May.)
MARKETING What will your “Hot Summer Offer” in 2020 be?
April 5-11
COMMUNITY OUTREACH There’s no escaping politics, so you might as well get involved. Look for community events to participate in, see what your Chamber of Commerce has planned, and introduce yourself to your local officials. If they want to stay elected, they’ll make time to meet a local, independent business owner.
EDUCATION Grab the notes you took at those educational sessions at VEE and start implementing some of the ideas.
April 12-18
MARKETING Call a brainstorming meeting for Mother’s Day (May 10). Dad and child evening? Mom and daughter event? Cross promotion with a spa? Bring a list of ideas to the meeting.
MANAGEMENT Having trouble sleeping? This probably won’t help, but it’s instructive nonetheless: Every Amazon shareholder letter written by Jeff Bezos in a single downloadable PDF (invisionmag.com/032001). The letters highlight how prescient and strategic he and Amazon have been since the 1990s and where he envisions retail in the future.
April 19-25
NETWORKING Contact a church, synagogue, Rotary or women’s group in your area, especially those involved with older demographics. Tell them you’ll speak for free about vision and eyewear at their luncheon meetings.
OPERATIONS Call a meeting to review HIPAA, OSHA and safety protocols. End with a quiz.
April 26-May 1
MARKETING What is your “elevator script”? Don’t have one? All staff should be able to give a “knock-your-socks-off” one-sentence description of what they do for a living, and where they do it, when asked by a stranger.
STORE ENVIRONMENT Take a moment to evaluate your office’s restrooms. Are they in need of a fresh coat of paint, new faucet, or updated artwork? Patients pay attention to these details!
