Time to Build Your Holiday Email Schedule and More To-Dos For August and September

Aug. 3-9

TRAINING Consumer spending has become bifurcated with high-income earners continuing to spend freely while the rest of the population feels the pinch. Staff shouldn’t assume no one can afford expensive items, but do need to be sensitive to how they discuss costs. Call a training session!

Aug. 10-16

MANAGEMENT Color code your keys. Some businesses have dozens of identical-looking keys on a ring, each of which opens one thing. The result? A long wait for the customer while staff fiddle around trying to find the right key.

Aug. 17-23

BUYING Vision Expo West (Sep. 17-20) is nearing. Time for in-depth research. Split duties between team members. Start with the trends report in INVISION’s February edition, then look at other publications, vendor catalogs, Pinterest boards and fashion blogs. Your goal: a shortlist of products you’ll check out at VEW.

Aug. 24-30

ONLINE In the era of local search it’s crucial you settle on one name for your business. Is it “Jeff and Jane Optical LLC” or is it “J&J Optical” or some other variant that has arisen over your practice’s life? Search engines get confused and your ranking suffers.

Aug. 31-Sep. 6

MARKETING Develop a holiday season email bulletin schedule with an aim to ease your customers into it, rather than trying to force them to get in the spirit.

Sep. 7-13

MANAGEMENT Develop a standardized gripe response formula. Be sure everyone on the team knows how to execute it perfectly.

Sep. 14-20

OPERATIONS Have you ever had a student extern? If not, give it some thought and reach out to any local colleges to see what’s involved (paperwork, required on-site equipment, expected didactic role, etc.). It’s a great learning experience for you and the student and can help provide an improved experience for your patients.

Sep. 21-27

MARKETING Start working through your customer data to identify your best customers for a special Christmas promo such as $50, $75 or $100 gift cards. As for the regular Joes and Janes who make up 80% of your practice? Your usual kindness and professionalism, of course.

Sep. 28-Oct. 4

BUYING Back home from Vegas? Draft a product launch plan and schedule training sessions to ensure successful sell-through of the new lines you’ve just ordered.