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As a small business owner what’s not to like about the three months that are arguably the best period of the whole year when it comes to sales. That is of course if you have a structured plan to take advantage of it! A quick glance at the calendar says it’s time to get out those pencils and start planning festive season business sales campaigns.
In Australia, compared to Northern Hemisphere nations, it packs a particularly hefty punch. Days are warmer and longer and people are happily anticipating the holiday season (my team have already booked the party). The Spring Racing Carnival season culminating with the heady delights of the Melbourne Cup (pun intended) rolls rapidly into end-of-year parties. The Ashes Series gets underway, school breaks up and ushers in the long summer holidays punctuated by Christmas, Sydney-to-Hobart Yacht Race, and New Year and wraps up in the grand finale of the Australia Day long weekend.
7 helpful action steps for your festive season business sales campaign.
Adapt them to suit your business goals and objectives.
1] For retailers and etailers – store/website appearance
The over-all appearance of your store / website should be fresh and presentable. Give it a spring clean. Adopt a Christmas theme; promote New Year or any one of the many summer celebrations that might fit with your business. This will help you entice more customers. If you have an online business relate the theme of your website with the holiday season. A Christmas-themed website conveys festivity and cheer.
2] Seasonal greeting cards
Think about how you can give back to your customers. By giving back I don’t mean expensive and grand gifts. A simple festive greeting card or email can help show how much you appreciate your customers. People love to feel valued. If your customers feel that you value them then they are more likely to be loyal to you. Aside from the customers, you can also send Christmas cards to your prospect customers and vendors.
3] Marketing strategy
Plan the marketing strategy that you intend to use ahead of time. There are many new media technologies that make it easy to reach out to people cost effectively. Even the smallest businesses can use the different social media platforms to increase their customers. Review how you can turn them to your advantage.
4] Adequacy of staff and stocks
Christmas is a time of giving and people are often impulsive when buying gifts for their loved ones. Be ready for this with adequate stock levels. You might also need to be prepared to hire extra staff to see you through the holiday rush.
Develop contingency plans for the hiccups this season may bring. Expect employees to call in sick or go in vacation. Have a manual system for managing if the electronic systems black out. Don’t let these known vagaries of business life catch you unawares and cost you a lot of money, effort or lost opportunities.
5] Staff training
It’s highly irritating to customers battling crowded stores in limited time frames to be forced to deal with staff who don’t know about the products or services they are selling. The bad experience they had with your business during the silly season taints their view of your whole operation – even if you think it’s not representative of your normal business standards. In your customer’s mind it will be.
Plan to train even your temporary team so that they know your products and how to sell them effectively. And while you are at it, make sure all your team understand how vital this selling season is to the business and how important their role is in making it successful.
6] Promos, bundling and discounts
Promos should always be part of your business plan. The more enticing the promo you have, the more customers you can expect. Create genuine offers that people will not be able to resist. Avoid offers that are too pushy or extravagant.
7] New products
Are there any new products and services you could release that are related to the season? If new products are not feasible then think of ways to associate your existing products with the coming festive celebrations. For example, change your packaging to something seasonal, or set up a wrapping station for the customers.
Whatever you do, now is the time to start brainstorming your festive season business sales activities and preparing to implement them.