Week 1 / MAY 2-7

Sales Everything (cases, email
schedule, events) should be in place
now for Mother’s Day (May 8). Unveil
a surprise spiff — say, an extra day
off or two in summer — for any staff
member who meets a testing goal.

Meeting June weddings are almost
here. Brainstorm a checklist of
questions to sell additional jewelry
to brides: Will the bridesmaids be
wearing jewelry? Will the groomsmen
need tie pins or cufflinks?

Staff Salespeople are pleasers, says
sales trainer Shane Decker, so instant
recognition is a higher motivator
than money. “If I did something that
pleased you, and you recognize it, I’m
far more likely to do it again,” he says.
Look to recognize successes in this
pre-Mother’s Day week.

Week 2 / MAY 9-14

Promotions Pre-Vegas clearance
sales begin in earnest. What can be
scrapped? What pieces would make
suitable charity gifts? Which vault
lingerers should earn your sales
people the biggest reward?

Marketing The school year is
drawing to a close and graduation is
rapidly approaching. Place “Congratulations,
Class of 2016” signs in your
windows. See if your high school or local college has advertising options
in their graduation bulletins or final
editions of school newspapers.

Week 3 / MAY 16-21

Display Redo your showcases to give
them a fresh summery look. Replace
tired florals and other décor pieces
with props that enhance merchandise
brought in for the hot season.

Management Based on the last few
years, and depending on where you
live in the country, there’s a good
chance you’ll see some wild weather.
Take advantage of National Hurricane
Preparedness Week (May
15-21) to make sure you’re as ready
as possible. The National Weather
Service has a list of things you can do
here: instr.us/5162.

Marketing June’s birthstone pearl
has enjoyed a resurgence in recent
years. What can you do to advertise
your selection and expertise and your
store’s standing as the place to go for
pearls in your market?

Week 4 / MAY 23-28

Buying Schedule times to discuss
marketing opportunities with
vendors at Vegas. Go prepared with
proposals to promote the designer’s
collections in your store. That will
make you very popular. And, securing
commitments early ensures that
you’re not scrambling later in the
year to find vendor partners and
finalize co-op contracts.

Finances Maybe your fixed costs
aren’t as fixed you think. Analyze
every contract — from the firm that
supplies the water cooler to your
bank’s fees — and look for places to
cut costs. Lease coming up? Keep
an eye on traffic. It’s a good figure to
wield in talks with your landlord.

Week 5 / MAY 30-JUNE 4

Planning Use the slow Memorial Day
weekend to make final preparations
for the Vegas shows, summer events
and wedding season.

Sales Floor You need a landline in
the store, but is yours interfering
with associates interacting with
customers on the floor? See if you can
find a spot where the sounds of talking
can be reduced by a closed door or
any other noise-blocker.

This article originally appeared in the May 2016 edition of INSTORE.