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40 | thejewelr ybook.com B O O K Y O U R S A L E S MASTERCLASS I N S T O R E NOW! Consultant to Jewelry Suppliers and Retailers Author | Columnist | Keynotes Managers Meetings P E T E R S M I T H TheRetailSmiths@gmail.com Peter Smith teaches Sales Training Masterclasses and Hiring Workshops in retail stores, and consults jewelry suppliers, brands, and retailers. He is the author of three books (Hiring Squirrels, Sell Something, and e Sales Minute) and a columnist for e Jewelry Book and National Jeweler. He has more than 40-years in leadership positions in the industry including companies such as Memoire, Hearts On Fire, VIBHOR, and Ti any & Co. He can be reached at eRetailSmiths@gmail.com by Peter Smith T he beginning of a new year means diff erent things to diff erent people. For some, it's just another date on the calendar. For others, it's a respite from the holiday madness; an opportunity to breathe, perhaps even take a few days off . For many, however, it can be a pivot point for their business. An opportunity for quick refl ection on the ups and downs of the past year, and a time to chart a new course for the year ahead. Spending even two minutes refl ecting on what you'd love to change about your business can be overwhelming. So much so, that we o en choose inaction over action because of the seemingly herculean nature of the tasks. Here's a suggestion, make a list of things you'd ideally love to do to help your business. Put as many of those things on your list as you can. Not small stuff , but game-changing stuff . at could include a new website, a store renovation, one or two impact hires, hiring a consultant for your business, addressing a chronic over- inventory situation, moving on from a long-term, but non-productive manager, implementing a CRM system, fi nally overhauling your compensation plan, or an overdue investment in you, by taking classes or instruction in things you've always wanted to do. Make a list. Put everything on a piece of paper or in a word document. Don't rationalize why you should or shouldn't at this stage, just get them on the page for now. Once fi nished, look at your list at the end of each day for a week before you go to bed. Don't stress costs or challenges of any given initiative yet, just a quick glance is all you need for now. By the end of the week, you'll have come back to one, two, or three things that really excite you. Now highlight those three things and leave them alone for a couple of days. When you return to them, if they still excite you, rank them in order; one, two, three, that they would most positively impact your business if implemented. Save the full list for future reference, but pick those three things and begin the process of exploring what it would take to make them happen. What funds, time, and resources need to be apportioned? Most importantly, note the date on your calendar that you will start the process. Even something as major as a store renovation starts with a fi rst call to an interior designer. Put the date for that call on your calendar. Likewise with the other initiatives. Start by logging the dates and commit to making those key initiatives happen this year. Identifying them, prioritizing them, and logging them on your calendar, are the most important steps to taking ambiguous and amorphous goals and turning them into tangible strategic plans. Here's to a happy, healthy, and productive New Year to you, your team, and your family! A New Year Begins – What Now? Winter 2024 | Editorial

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