DESIGNThe Big Picture
Thinking of adding a mural to your building? See if the government will pick up part of the bill. Joe Declet of Fins and Skins in Pinellas Park, FL, told Invision’s sister mag PETS+ that he got tired of telling customers to look for the “ugly orange building,” so when his lease needed renewing, he negotiated adding the mural. Working with a local artist, he now has a 30- by 50-foot mural depicting a coral reef — and the city chipped in with a $1,500 grant as part of a beautification program. Hello Instagram Influencers!
MEETINGSHold Your Piece
According to Simon Sinek, a typical meeting follows a pattern: A manager outlines a problem, says what he thinks, then asks for opinions. But it’s too late then, he says. Managers who withhold opinions benefit in two ways: “One, it gives everyone…the feeling they have been heard. And two, you get the benefit of hearing what everybody thinks,” says the author of bestseller Start With Why.
SALESGuaranteed Gain
If you offer private label frames you should offer your own warranty as well. J. Galt Eyewear in Lexington, KY, does that with its basic frame and lens package, which guarantees a unique look and more at a fixed price of $175. “We include poly-carbonate lenses with scratch coat and anti-reflective coatings along with a one-year scratch and breakage warranty,” says co-owner Dawn Stratton, OD.
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SALESPromise They’ll Look Better
There’s a big untapped market out there: women who wear contacts because they think they look better without frames. It’s a segment Mary Nyitray, owner of Optical Arts in Toledo, OH, targets with relish. “I’ve had so many women who wear contact lenses because they hate the look of themselves in glasses,” she says. “But contacts won’t make you look better. When I work my magic, I can camouflage the wrinkles or dark circles, give your face color, and make you look healthier and younger,” she says.
PlanningGetting Better Every Day
If you’re still searching for a guiding principle for 2019, consider this from Gretchen Rubin, author of the bestselling The Happiness Project: “What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while.” That applies not only to your life’s work daily basis but also the things you spend your money on. Do you really need that huge SUV if you only drive to work and back?
MARKETINGBetter Off Blue
Ever have a subject that you’ve talked about until you’re “blue in the face?” And figured it was time to give up because it didn’t seem to be having an effect? Well, don’t stop just yet. Bob Nelson, author of 365 Ways to Manage Better, says that it’s often just when you’re getting tired of saying a message over and over that it truly starts to take hold. Repeat the message until you start hearing it back from your employees. Then you’ll know it has sunk in.
