It’s hard to believe the end of 2022 is within sight. Let the EB checklist inspire and guide you in putting your holiday planning in place and follow along to check off your to-do list. This will help you to orchestrate a strategic push, maximize profits in the fourth quarter, and finish the year strong, all while hitting milestones early enough to enjoy the season without too much stress.

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The #EBOpticalChecklist is breaking out of each issue with a monthly digital episode to our social channels. Join optical pro Sheena Taff as she applies these checklist items to real-world scenarios. Watch on EB’s Instagram (@eyecarebusinessmagazine) and TikTok (@eb_mag).

 

 

WEEK 1: STRATEGIZE SALES.

Now is the time to plan your holiday sales strategy. How will you catch the attention and dollars of your clients during the high-spending season?

□ Select and schedule important date and marketing reminders such as pre-Black Friday, year-end insurance deadlines, and holiday shipping cutoff.

□ Delegate the marketing content plan to a skilled internal associate or consider a freelancer. Fiverr is a great place to find inexpensive, skilled designers to create your vision.

□ Solidify your marketing budget. Choose the relevant mediums to use for your business and put advertising dates on the calendar to boost posts.

□ Plan a trunk show. Invite local businesses to participate with their products for client sharing and cross promotion.

WEEK 2: PLAN TIME OFF.

The holidays signal a time of year when employees want to visit friends and family. Ensure that vacation and time-off requests don’t leave you shorthanded.

□ Review the calendar for statutory holidays and confirm corporate or location-based hours (such as extended mall hours) during the holiday season. Independent locations should evaluate the cost of wages versus profits for additional hours.

□ Discuss holiday time-off availability/restrictions with employees. Using a scheduling app like Sling lets staff see blocked-off dates before a request ever has to be declined.

□ Ensure that each employee is aware of any unused/expiring vacation time that needs to be booked before the end of the year. It’s impossible to accommodate everyone wanting to use it right at the end of the year.

WEEK 3: ADD ON ITEMS.

Add giftable items to your optical for the holidays. Set them up in a seasonal display, have staff talk them up, and share in your newsletter and on social media.

□ Ensure that your optical is stacked with convenient add-on items: eyeglass storage boxes, frame chains, blue light glasses, eye health-focused cosmetics, and lash/lid cleansing products. Display prominently and have staff share.

□ Create a gift guide by pairing products you have in stock with the ideal recipient—sporty sunglasses for the athlete, blue light class for the tech enthusiast, or an eye compress for the self-care devotee.

□ Post your business’s holiday closure days, updating all sites that return in a search engine listing, including your website, Google, social media, and even sites you might not frequent, like Yelp or Yellow Pages.

WEEK 4: FACILITATE THE FESTIVITIES.

There is no quicker way to get into the holiday spirit than surrounding your clients and staff with seasonal decorations.

□ Evaluate employees’ interests by having one-on-one conversations about their interests, both inside and outside the optical.

□ Compile a sales and productivity report for each member of your team. This will give you an opportunity to identify whether anyone has become overly complacent and provide data on how they can bounce back.

□ Delegate one new task to each employee in an area outside their normal duties. This may spark a new skill set, or, at a minimum, help employees gain a new understanding and fresh perspective of how something is done in the practice.