Jan. 30-Feb. 5
STRATEGY Step outside your store to better position your sales inside. Start visiting nearby competitors throughout the year — or delegate a member of your team — to compare their customer service, sales, price points, etc. Look at the cars, stores and nearby homes in your shopping area. Is your store positioned to attract these passersby with your price points, displays and merchandise?
DISPLAYS Decorate your store and reorganize your showcases for Valentine’s Day. Aim for fun, not schlocky. Scatter some cupids in your cases, a few touches of red and pink here and there. Look for Larry Johnson’s tips in the INSTORE archives.
REFERRAL SYSTEM Work on a referral system. Maybe a bonus of a $50 in-store credit to every client who refers someone.
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Feb. 6-12
SALES If engagement ring sales are picking up, as they typically do in February, can wedding-band sales be far behind? Unfortunately, the answer too often is “no.” Create an incentive to get spring wedding couples back in the store. And don’t forget those attendant gifts.
SEO The notion of creating a sea of content in the form of a company blog that Google can’t ignore may seem daunting, but it’s actually not so hard. Start with the 100 questions customers ask on a daily basis and turn them into 100 blog posts with those questions transformed into the titles. If you write two a week, that’s a whole year’s worth of fresh content.
SALES A major complaint customers have about retail salespeople is a lack of follow-up. Create such a system and let your customers know you will always be there for them. Promise a lot. Deliver more.
DISPLAY Starting with your Valentine’s displays, keep a record of your cases from now on. Take a photo of each case on the first of every month. With a history of it, you’ll know what Valentine’s Day 2022 looked like when it comes around to doing the display in 2023.
Feb. 13-19
CLIENTELING Share the love. Send Valentine’s cards to your customers with a simple message: Enjoy the day!
NETWORKING Build your social reach. Look into joining the local country club or sponsoring a local Little League team.
INVENTORY Go through your unsold Valentine’s stock and see if it can form the basis of a Gift Gallery on your website.
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Feb. 20-26
INVENTORY Begin preparations for Mother’s Day and graduation season. Start researching hot sellers.
IN-STORE Winter drags on … but you can get a jump on spring with fresh flowers in your store.
SALES Energize staff with a Saturday sales contest: Pay commissions on the spot.
