HOW TO INCREASE YOUR SALES DURING THE HOLIDAYS
Getting sales during the Holiday Season this year will be a
challenge for many businesses. The usually free-spending holiday
shoppers are likely to be more careful about what they buy and
how much they spend. And business buyers will be more reluctant
than usual to make financial commitments during the Holidays.
What can you do to get the attention of your prospective
customers and clients? And how can you get them to buy from you
during this Holiday Season?
..GIVE THEM AN IRRESISTIBLE OFFER THEY CAN'T REFUSE
Few businesses use Special Offers during the Holidays. You can
attract attention and increase your sales during the Holiday
Season by promoting Special Offers.
Make your Special Offer as attractive as you can afford. The
greater its value to customers the more sales it will generate.
Here are 5 different offers you can use for almost any product
or service.
1. SPECIAL HOLIDAY DISCOUNT: People don't expect discounts
during the Holidays. Surprise them with an unexpected Holiday
Discount Offer. It gets attention -- and motivates many
prospects to buy.
2. SPECIAL COMBINATION PRICE: Combine several products or
services for a price that's lower than the total cost of buying
each item separately.
A combination offer increases the number of orders you get and
the size of your average sale. It increases the number of sales
by generating orders from prospects who were only "shopping
around". It increases the size of your average sale by
motivating buyers to spend additional money to get the "good
deal" of your Special Combination Package.
3. FREE BONUS: Offer to include a free bonus with each purchase.
It doesn't have to cost you very much so long as it has high
perceived value to your customer.
For example, I recently visited a web site offering special
interest travel books. They offered a map of any country as a
free bonus with each order. I'm sure the map cost the site owner
much less than its perceived value to the customer.
4. FREE FAST DELIVERY: People want to receive something
immediately after buying it ...especially during the Holidays.
You can motivate them to buy by offering free fast delivery. For
example, a company selling personalized desk accessories offers
free overnight shipping during the Holidays.
5. BILL ME LATER or BILL MY CREDIT CARD LATER option: This offer
generates many sales you normally wouldn't get during the
Holiday Season. It removes the customer's concern about spending
too much money right now.
TIP: Always include a deadline for your offer. Prospects are
more likely to take immediate action when faced with the risk of
missing your offer.
ADVERTISE YOUR SPECIAL HOLIDAY OFFER
Your Holiday Offer is short-lived. So use advertising methods
that produce fast results. For example, send a brief email or
postcard announcement to your customer or prospect list. Place
online and off line ads that will run immediately after you
place them.
TIP FOR INTERNET MARKETERS: Announce your Special Holiday Offer
prominently near the top of your home page. Something as simple
as the words, Special Holiday Discount, will grab your visitor's
attention and draw them into your web site.
Everybody wants to get a "special deal". Most people don't
expect to find one during the Holiday Season. Surprise them with
a Special Holiday Offer. It will motivate many hesitant
prospects to buy.