Jan 29-Feb 4
DISPLAY Valentine’s Day is a time for your lower-end stuff to shine, says Megan Crabtree, president of Crabtree Consulting. “Valentine’s Day is the main Hallmark holiday where the average spend has never been over $200 retail,” she notes, suggesting you prepare for the big day by setting up a showcase with items priced under $200 so as to simplify the buying for customers.
MARKETING Create a “bounce-back” incentive flyer with a special offer that’s available only in March. Place it in the bag with all Valentine’s Day purchases.
STORE Nothing has the immediate impact on your showroom that a lighting upgrade will. Bring in a consultant for a day. With his or her help, you may be able to upgrade to the latest LEDs and make other changes to bring sparkle to your showroom again. The savings will soon pay back the cost, says Ruth Mellergaard of interior design firm GRID/3.
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Feb 5-11
DISPLAY In your window displays, make sure you have a variety of Valentine’s Day merchandise — the message you want to send is that you have something for everyone.
SALES TRAINING Learn how to create “repair moments.” Are you simply handing repaired items to customers, or are you presenting them — perhaps in a beautiful case, or with an accessory?
Feb 12-18
INVENTORY Get an independent appraisal of your inventory. Your old stock is often not as valuable as you may think, but it’s good to know where you stand. Some consultants will do it for free as part of their trial service.
DISPLAY After Valentine’s Day, adjust your content to showcase products appropriate for self-purchasers.
STRATEGY A lot has changed in the last few years. Ask staff to answer this one question: Why should people in your local community buy from you? After you’ve been in business for a while, it’s easy to get complacent and ignore new competitors and changes in the marketplace. It’s time to try to get in your customers’ heads.
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Feb 19-25
OPERATIONS Dump your bacn. This is the term for those dozens of email newsletters you’ve subscribed to. A study by MessageGate estimates up to 30 percent of emails are bacn. A huge inbox slows searches and makes your head hurt.
SALES Here’s a spiff to get staff excited: Give your sales associates $1 per point for every 1-carat-plus diamond. So, if they sell a 1.11 carat, they get $111. (Build the cost into the price of your diamonds).