Get Your Share of Graduation Business and More May To-Dos

WEEK 1May 1-6

OPERATIONS Spring cleaning: The rule is if it hasn’t been used in a year, toss it. That applies to old advertising, POP materials, displays and any other optical debris.

INVENTORY Maintain the spring renewal theme, show your inventory tough love as well. Dig into your POS data. If a frame hasn’t moved in 18 months off to the clearance rack or consider donating it. Fine-tune ordering to deepening the best-sellers offered.

MARKETING Summer is a great time to extend your reach beyond the store. What health fairs, business expos, street fairs or sport events can you attend? Start researching.

WEEK 2May 8-13

MARKETING Hammer out a sunwear strategy. What promotions, product tie-ins and, crucially, training is required for your store to prosper in the bright months? What does the latest research say? What are the key questions your staff must ask? Contact your reps to come help with training.

MARKETING Launch “Project Big Shot.” Start contacting local personalities — newscasters, society figures, athletes — to see if they are interested in sporting your specs and representing your store.

WEEK 3May 15-19

MANAGEMENT During the day, step outside the store. Through the windows, assess your visuals, displays, but mostly watch the customer/associate interactions. It’s amazing how much you can observe without sound. Some research suggests words account for only 7 percent of communication. What is your staff communicating?

MARKETING Finalize plans for summer trunk shows. Confirm dates with vendors and designers. Plan catering now and negotiate volume discounts for booking multiple events.

MERCHANDISING Redo your showcases to give them a fresh summery look. Replace tired florals and other décor pieces with new props to enhance the merchandise for the season.

WEEK 4May 22-27

MARKETING Graduation season is here. Place “Congratulations Class of 2017” signs in your windows. Consider advertising in graduation programs of local schools. Eyewear gift certificates help job-hunting grads see their future more clearly! 

MANAGEMENT Target reading one business book a month for the next quarter. Some favorites from the bestseller list: The One Thing You Need To Know by Marcus Buckingham, The Power Of Full Engagement by Tony Schwartz, and The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle.

STAFF Vacations should be scheduled by now. Do you need summer help? Students can assist you with projects your year-round team hasn’t had time to tackle, like cleaning up your mailing list or setting up your Pinterest.

WEEK 5May 29-June 3

STAFF If business slows in summer, organize a staff-appreciation event. Consider something physical with an air of fear — like paintball or zip lining — to inspire bonding.

OPERATIONS Here’s an ugh project: Master the ins and outs of insurance billing so that you can stop paying for that third-party billing service.

MARKETING Back-to-school is just around the corner.Research partnership opportunities with the local school system to possibly create a program for needy kids or to provide eyecare education.

This article originally appeared in the April 2017 edition of INVISION.