May 3-9
MARKETING Send out a Mother’s Day promotional email. Offer to help find the right gift at the right price. Promise free gift-wrapping as well — sons and husbands typically struggle with bows and gift paper.
MARKETING The school year is drawing to a close and graduation is rapidly approaching. Place “Congratulations Class of 2020” 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.
SALES Everything (cases, email schedule, events) should be in place now for Mother’s Day (May 10). Unveil a surprise late-day spiff — an extra day off or two in summer — for any staff member who meets an especially challenging goal.
May 10-16
MANAGEMENT Work on task management. Assign each person specific jobs. The front window will never go uncleaned for one week again.
BRIDAL Wedding season is 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?
May 17-23
MANAGEMENT Start thinking summer reading. Set yourself a target of reading one business book a month for the next quarter. Some of our favorites titles from the bestseller lists of the last few years: The Captain Class by Sam Walker, If You’re In A Dogfight, Become A Cat by Leonard Sherman, and Stealing Fire by Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal.
MARKETING According to theknot.com, September has snatched June’s mantle as the most popular month for weddings. Still, June is likely to remain No. 1 for anniversaries for some time to come. Send out an offer for diamond upgrades to customers with anniversaries in the sixth month.
TRAINING Skills, as opposed to natural strengths, can be taught. Write down one important skill that you can teach each member of your staff. By the end of next week, make sure that you’ve spent at least some time working with each staffer on that skill.
May 24-30
MARKETING Print new business cards for all staff with a special introductory discount offer on them.
FINANCE It’s been a wild start to the year. Whatever expectations you had have likely gone out the window. Rework your open to buy for the second half of the year. Next, a new marketing plan for those same six months.
STORE Notice it getting warmer in your store? Could your air-conditioning do with a service? Could it be worth investing in heat-reflecting blinds?