Week 1 April 3-8
INVENTORY It’s a new quarter, time to shake things up. Opt for trendy colors in showcases that can be changed with the seasons (the Pantone recommendations are a good place to start).
CUSTOMER SERVICE Help prevent sales-gone-wrong and staff infighting by training your team never to make assumptions, says Kelly Williams of K.W. Goldsmith (Minneapolis, MN), PICTURED. “Ask questions and clear up confusion. I never assume anything.”
SPIFFS This Saturday, choose three of your oldest items and have your staff wear them, show them to clients and tell them why they are so special. Pay $50 or $100 to any staff member who can sell one.
MARKETING Target those expected tax refunds. Advertise a “Tax Day Layaway” sale on April 16. Any layaway gets 10 percent off the ticket price.
Week 2 April 10-15
MARKETING Need an event for Mother’s Day (May 14) this year? Why not celebrate with a “Mom Appreciation” event in your store. Cross-promote with a local salon or spa.
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MARKETING There are a string of mini-selling dates coming up including prom season, communions and graduation. Draw up a schedule for case displays and email bulletins.
MANAGEMENT Find time this week for a few quality minutes of conversation with each staff member. It’ll do wonders for their morale and give you ideas into what motivates them.
RESEARCH Take part in a bridal fair to get up to speed on June wedding trends and grooms’ gifts.
Week 3 April 17-22
INVENTORY Finalize Father’s Day watch and jewelry orders. And don’t forget anniversary jewelry — your ticket to profiting from all those June weddings of years past.
METALS Shipping gold to a refiner? Ask him if he’ll take your watch batteries (they usually contain silver). Consider it your good deed ahead of Earth Day (April 22).
SALES FLOOR Buy a Suspicious Incident Logbook for employees to record things that appear to be “not quite right.” The log can be used to write down license plate numbers, names used, time, physical description and other information that may later help police.
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Week 4April 24-29
MARKETING Brush off the cobwebs in your old marketing files. Revisit successful promotions from the past and reconsider ideas that might deserve a second look.
SHOP Gold prices got a bump from the Trump electoral win but overall continue to decline. Send all those bench sweeps and polishing dust to the refiner before they lose more value.
BUYING We’re moving into the heart of show season. Develop a product launch plan and schedule training sessions to ensure the successful sell-through of the product you will order.
MERCHANDISING Create some signs that declare “Top 5 Mother’s Day Gift Ideas” to place in your cases. Make sure your suggestions cover the important price ranges.
This article originally appeared in the April 2017 edition of INSTORE.
