April 30-May 5
PLANNING Now’s the time to prepare for summer. Meet with staff to map out a strategy for sunwear and back-to-school. Sidewalk tent? Open house? What about targeting a niche like departing college kids?
INVENTORY Nytarsha Thomas of Visionelle Eyecare in Zionville, IL says she’ll “Re-evaluate how our frame lines are doing. We would love to have more independent frame lines.”
BRAND AWARENESS Someone, somewhere is talking about your business online. To keep track, set up Google Alerts for your business name (put quotation marks around names for the best results). For the result type, click on “Everything” to be notified when your store is mentioned on blogs and discussion sites.
DISPLAYS Position your best Mother’s Day (May 13) specials in a showcase just inside the front door. Offer a wide range of price points but simplify the selection process by highlighting a few classics or current trends.
May 7-12
WEBSITE Does the “About Us” section on your site include only lists and categories? Is the information purely factual or are you using stories to help illustrate who you are? The best marketing writing is written to be said, not to be read.
MERCHANDISING Reel in the tax rebates: Create a display of eyewear that falls into the $100 to $300 range and promote it. That’s close to the sweet spot for branded sunwear.
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May 14-19
SAFETY Here’s something small you can do today that may save lives in the future. Ask your employees to designate ICE (“In Case of Emergency”) numbers in their mobiles.
EVENTS Finalize plans for summer trunk shows. Confirm dates with vendors. Plan your catering now for discounts.
May 21-26
FINANCES Business coach Laurie Owen recommends giving your profit-and-loss statement a spring makeover. Consolidate some expenses and group them into like categories. Then, next to the dollar amount, list the expense amount as a percentage of sales. “It helps you see when an expense is increasing as a percentage, and not just going up because your sales are increasing.”
INVENTORY Ever tried a “Christmas in July” promotion? Maybe this could be the year.
MARKETING Send your first Father’s Day (June 17) postcard this week.
May 28-June 2
MANAGEMENT Start thinking summer reading. Set yourself a target of reading a business book a month for the next quarter. Some of our favorites from the past few years: The Captain Class by Sam Walker, If You’re In A Dogfight, Become A Cat by Leonard Sherman, and Stealing Fire by Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal.
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