May 1-7
MANAGEMENT If summer is a busy period for your business, ramp up cross training and don’t forget to lock in vacation requests. (We gave you this tip in April, but a second reminder is always helpful.)
CUSTOMER SERVICE Begin training your team to give first-time customers a “tour” of your business. It’s a good way to break the ice and make newcomers feel welcome. Also establish a new whenever-possible rule: Sales associates must walk customers who have made purchases (that don’t require your installation team) to the door and thank them for coming.
May 8-14
COMMUNICATIONS If you haven’t already, set up a group chat in Skype, Slack, Line, or some other messaging app to keep your team informed about upcoming meetings, promotions running that day, people who have called in sick, etc.
LEGAL Check with your attorney to see if you need to update your staff manual or policies to make sure they’re legally enforceable. Workers are holding business owners to higher standards when it comes to their rights compared to even a few years ago.
May 15-21
SALES With staff, create a list of the top 10 customer objections and develop responses for each one. Write them up and post to your internal blog or just print the list out for all staff to keep and memorize.
MANAGEMENT If your typical response to handling day-to-day affairs is, “Let me take care of it,” then try this experiment: For the next two weeks, free up two hours a day just to manage. Delegate some admin work, drop less important meetings, and spend the extra time giving more guidance to your team. You may find the extra productivity far outweighs your “lost” hours.
May 22-28
SEO In 2021, 20 percent of Internet searches were voice-based. Think about tailoring your SEO for voice search. On the Internet, a user might type “wide-format printers in Schaumburg,” while to a virtual assistant they might say, “What’s a good wide-format printer in Schaumburg?”
FURNISHINGS Need any new office furniture or fixtures? Now’s a good time to pick some up – showrooms are making room for new lines that come out in August.