Manager's To-Do: September 2010

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Last Updated on Monday, 30 August 2010 06:12 Written by INSTORE Monday, 30 August 2010 01:56

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Week 1

Aug. 30-Sept. 4

INVENTORY eBay shoppers typically start buying holiday gifts earlier than most other consumers. It’s a good channel if you want to clear case space before the real holiday action starts.

MARKETING Design a postcard for Grandparents’ Day (Sept. 12).

STAFF Do second round of employee reviews. With the economy picking up, review and re-align job descriptions.

HOLIDAY prep Establish sales goals and set projections. Update client records and create target lists.

OPERATIONS Fall trunk shows are coming. Vendors should be booked; now follow up and confirm details.

Week 2

Week 2 Sept. 6-11

DISPLAYS Labor Day (Sept. 6) is the unofficial end of summer, so change that old window display. In fact, make a vow to change your windows monthly.

STAFFING Start the search for holiday hires, so you’ll have time for training and to see if they’re going to work out.

FINANCING Explore new financing options — debit cards, layaway, and other systems that have appeared in the last year (although come November, we suspect the American consumer will no doubt reach for his credit card again).

Week 3

Sept. 13-18

INVENTORY Review shipment due dates and confirm/change as needed. Go over fast turners and “never outs.”

PACKAGING Assess supplies of boxes, ribbon and wrapping paper.

INTERNET Start sending out regular e-mails to keep customers up to date on new lines and specials. Begin to mention the holidays. A long-term conversation is far superior to a mad spamming campaign in the 10 days before Christmas.

MARKETING Brainstorm ways to get wish lists into your customers’ hands. Theme should be that gift budgets are not wasted on unwanted presents this year. Offer to discuss gift ideas.

Week 4

Sept. 20-25

HOLIDAY PREP Finalize your holiday event planning. What will it be? A ladies’ night? A men’s night? A charity event? Secure all dates and ensure there are no conflicts with any community or school calendars. According to event planners, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are the best days for a party and 5-7 p.m. the best hours.

OUTREACH Look to see if there’s a holiday gift show in your area. It’s a good way to pump up your early-holiday season sales. Google “holiday gift show” to see if there’s one nearby.

Week 5

Sept. 27-Oct. 2

MARKETING Planning some Halloween fun? Start thinking about how you can dress up your website to get people in the mood.

REFRESHMENTS Here’s an employee favorite: The annual cookie- and coffee-testing session. What goodies will you offer customers this year?

This story is from the September 2010 edition of INSTORE

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Manager's To-Do: September 2010