July 4-10
sales July is typically a slower month as many customers head away for holidays. That means your staff will need to be more proactive in reaching out to people rather than waiting for walk-ins, says consultant Megan Crabtree. Reports that could help them “consist of upcoming birthdays, anniversaries, or wish lists of customers who have picked out an item but have yet to purchase.”
internet Assign a different competitor’s website to every member of staff with a brief to find something great there, and then bring it back and share it with the team. The onus should be on positive features.
July 11-17
marketing Use the slower months to build a video vault for your YouTube Channel and short videos you can use on social media. Some ideas include:
- How to organize your jewelry box 5How to clean jewelry at home
- What to do with jewelry you no longer wear
According to studies, video content receives 50 percent more engagement than other content types, on average.
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outreach Summer is always a good time for in-person outreach, something that hasn’t been possible for the last 16 months. Going to retirement homes and giving talks on gold buying or offering to provide guidance at a local junior college or setting up a stall at a craft market are all good ways to get out of the store and meet new potential customers.
July 18-24
store Go outside and look at your storefront the way a customer does. Usually, the direction of customer-traffic flow is influenced by physical features around the store, such as the location of a parking lot, a mall courtyard, or a public transportation station. Maybe a tree branch is blocking the side-view of your store sign. If it’s obvious your customers aren’t seeing your store’s best side, start thinking of ways to slant displays in the dominant direction of traffic.
marketing Make a realistic list of the top five media outlets (news/media outlets, blogs, or social media) that you feel your business would benefit most from being mentioned or featured on. Sign up for their Twitter feeds, read their archived stories, and reach out to them to introduce yourself via the comments section or through email. Take the time to understand their coverage and see if you can position yourself to be an expert resource for upcoming seasonal stories.
self-improvement The country is opening up. But rather than just go back to your normal vacation spot, try somewhere new this year. Or at least try a mini-vacay somewhere different. Your brain loves novelty and sensations, which help it continue to build neural connections for work and life.
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July 25-31
security More than 40 states have passed laws that make business owners liable for protecting sensitive personal information (SPI), such as Social Security, driver’s license and financial account numbers. The laws typically demand business owners have procedures for the following in place: 1) SPI safeguards, 2) timely destruction of SPI, 3) to secure and back up your own information, 4) set controls on access, and 5) to notify affected individuals if the business discovers or is notified that a data breach has occurred. If you don’t have a plan in place, get cracking.