So Autumn is officially upon us and it is time to embrace the inevitable – leaves will fall, weather will turn cooler and the Christmas decorations will appear in stores up and down the country.
I know there are still over 60 days until Santa visits but the fact is that the show starts here in earnest.
The normal trend (although I do know of several exceptions) is for trade to slow in the optical sector during the lead up to Christmas and New Year, in direct contrast to the rest of the retail world.
What to do with the unwelcome spare time you may find in your practice then? Have a late spring clean? Consider ways of enticing people over your threshold? Re-position stock to better effect? All laudable pursuits and all beneficial but the most effective use of your time will be to take a good long look at the environment in which you spend so much of your day.
View it from your patient’s / prospective customer’s perspective…
Would they want to spend time and money in your practice? Would they feel you have paid sufficient attention to the detail of your offer? Would they prefer to be in the flash new practice just down the road?
Assess your findings and change whatever needs addressing – It is not a frivolous exercise but a necessary evil demanded of any successful retailer (yes I used that phrase deliberately).
Keep moving forward, keep improving your practice’s appearance, keep on top.
This will cost me money I don’t really have / want to spend I hear you cry…
No, not doing the above will cost you more dearly in the long run, believe me.
Successful retailers look successful and naturally the reverse applies and in the current climate, confidence is everything.
You don’t need to sell the family jewels, just take professional advice and a cost effective solution can almost always be achieved.
So, what are you waiting for? Start today and use your downtime to get ready for the upturn in January.
Until next time………………
I know there are still over 60 days until Santa visits but the fact is that the show starts here in earnest.
The normal trend (although I do know of several exceptions) is for trade to slow in the optical sector during the lead up to Christmas and New Year, in direct contrast to the rest of the retail world.
What to do with the unwelcome spare time you may find in your practice then? Have a late spring clean? Consider ways of enticing people over your threshold? Re-position stock to better effect? All laudable pursuits and all beneficial but the most effective use of your time will be to take a good long look at the environment in which you spend so much of your day.
View it from your patient’s / prospective customer’s perspective…
Would they want to spend time and money in your practice? Would they feel you have paid sufficient attention to the detail of your offer? Would they prefer to be in the flash new practice just down the road?
Assess your findings and change whatever needs addressing – It is not a frivolous exercise but a necessary evil demanded of any successful retailer (yes I used that phrase deliberately).
Keep moving forward, keep improving your practice’s appearance, keep on top.
This will cost me money I don’t really have / want to spend I hear you cry…
No, not doing the above will cost you more dearly in the long run, believe me.
Successful retailers look successful and naturally the reverse applies and in the current climate, confidence is everything.
You don’t need to sell the family jewels, just take professional advice and a cost effective solution can almost always be achieved.
So, what are you waiting for? Start today and use your downtime to get ready for the upturn in January.
Until next time………………
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