Employee Reviews, SEO Tests, Business Differentiation & Website Refresh and More Manager’s To-Do List

MAR 23-29

HUMAN RESOURCES
It’s time for your twice-yearly employee reviews. Set up a professional development plan for each employee — and for yourself. Ask what they feel they need to learn or even what they would just like to learn, then challenge them to come up with a plan to achieve it. Give them a week to get it done and then work out the details.

MAR 30-APR 5

SEO
Run some tests to see how your store ranks when someone asks their phone: “Siri, where can I get my signs printed?” As the stunning recent release of ChatGPT showed, the future is upon us: The chatbots are coming to take over.

APR 6-12

STRATEGY
Invest time in finding places where you can differentiate your business. What does your door handle look like? What’s your telephone answering machine message sound like? What’s your 404 error page say? Could you make your cash register receipts more fun? Think of the power of 1,000 points of differentiation. And get busy.

PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO

APR 13-19

SECURITY
Don’t leave this one another month: Get your passwords in order. You’ve no doubt got dozens of passwords for various apps and services. Take some time to write them down all in one place. Consider using a password manager such as LastPass or 1Password. (As solid as Keychain is, Apple provides its staff with 1Password accounts.)

APR 20- 26

SALES
Does your after-hours phone message simply state, “Sorry, we’re closed”? That’s what sales trainer Jeffrey Gitomer calls “D’oh” service. If so, re-record it to direct customers to your website or even another number they can contact you on.

PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO

APR 27-MAY 3

MARKETING
Brush off the cobwebs in your old marketing files. This is a great time to revisit successful promotions from the past and reconsider ideas that might deserve a second look. It doesn’t always have to be new.