Preparing for the holidays
For many of us, the second week of September means we're fresh in the swing of a new school year, along with a new schedule for your family and your business. This week I wanted to inspire you to stay motived on your goals amidst the changing seasons as we approach the holidays, and for many mompreneurs, the busy season of sales, gifts, events and lots and lots of planning.
September is a great time to think about the upcoming holiday season and any special events you want to attend and/or exhibit at, as well as any special discounts and offers you want to extend to new and existing customers. Starting now will help you get your head wrapped around the upcoming rush of customers needing and wanting your services – which is a great thing!
Day-to-day plan for preparing for the upcoming holiday season:
Monday: Review your sales reports and financial data for the year-to-date so you can determine your priorities for finishing out the year. Ask yourself:
- What were your best selling products or services?
- What products and services to you want to promote more of?
- Which products and services need extra attention?
Tuesday: Pick the 3-5 products or services that you want to promote.
Wednesday: Choose your holiday discounts, such as “15% off” or “Buy one, get one free”
Thursday: Plan your promotional calendar: Which holidays do you want to promote your products or services around. Upcoming holidays to consider having promotions around are:
- Halloween
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas
- Hanukkah
- Kwanza
- New Years Eve
- New Years Day
Friday: Add your promotional calendar to your upcoming schedule so you can determine what dates you need to start promoting your special offers and discounts. I suggest starting your promotions 3-4 weeks in advance before the holiday. Send promotional emails and texts in this order:
- 3 weeks until holiday: Introduce the promotion
- 2 weeks until holiday: Discuss how this promotion and product or service will help the customer
- 1 week until holiday: Do last call orders for promotion
- 2 days before holiday: Remind one last time about the promotion
This system works great for physical products and services. Make sure to put an end date on the promotion making it as close the holiday as possible so customers can wait till the last minute if they need to.
Further reading
Here's 10 things all business women should know in 2018.
Need a business idea? Here's how to start a gift basket business from home.
