in: Holiday Sales Strategies
by: Sabina Hitchen
Getting a sale - any sale - is always cause for celebration in a business, whether you create products or services. What if we told you that there are strategies you can use anytime of year in your business that have been proven to increase the value of your average customer order? In other words, what if you could make more money by making small and fairly simple changes or adding a few tweaks to your current sales processes? You'd probably want to know them right away? Well wait no longer! Check them out below and modify them to fit your business capabilities and customers!
Create a Sense of Urgency
When you're writing sales copy for your website or for social media, you don't want people to say to themselves, "hmmm, I'll file that away in my brain and think about buying that in the future." Oh no, you want to compell them to buy now (or soon)! This means from time to time you may want to experiment with different tactics that create a sense of urgency. Here are some examples of how you can do that:
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Host Flash Sales from time to time. These can be as simple as limited time discounts on one product.
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Offer only a limited quantity of certain products, or a limited availability of openings for classes and clients. This makes people feel like they're part of an exclusive "club" when they make their purchase.
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Offer free bonuses for people who buy during a certain time - this could be free shipping, a free gift with purchase, or if you're a service, a free service add-on.
Set Discount or Free Shipping Thresholds & Minimums
These are classic sales strategies that you've probably bought into (no pun intended) in the past as well. You're basically telling someone that is they just spend "X dollars more" to reach the "threshold" they will be able to get free shipping or an additional discount on whatever you're selling. Examples of this include:
- Spend $100.00 and get 15% off
- Sign up for five classes/massages/whatevers and get the 6th free!
- Spend over $50.00 and get free shipping
- Buy three or more pieces and get free shipping
- Get 10% off for every $50.00 you spend
Create Suggested Product or Service Bundles
Sure, you could just sell your individual products or services individually...or you could make suggested bundles that offer a small discount when purchased all together. For instance, if you ran a cookware shop, you could let a customer walk out with the perfect turkey roasting pan OR you could create a Thanksgiving Dinner Bundle that includes: roasting pan, turkey baster, carving knife and must-have turkey spices.
Bundles can be multiple products or services or simply two or three. The bundle size and offerings are up to you, you just want to be sure that the products/services you're including are complementary and that you're offering the bundle at a slightly lower price than if they had purchased the items separately. At the end of the day, when customers go for your bundle (and they will) you're still going to be making more than if you simply let the walk out with only a turkey roasting pan (or whatever you're selling) in their hands!
Let Them Share Your Products & Services with a Friend - at a Discount
When someone buys something from you they're telling you that they like/trust/enjoy/benefit from what you're selling. The actual moment this sale happens they're simmering in these feelings (that's why they made the purchase in the first place). This is the perfect time to invite them to share your product or service with their friends or family who could use what you have to offer. How can you do that? Here are two ways:
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Offer customers a discount to share with a friend the moment they make their purchase (via your paper or electronic receipt).
- Invite customers to purchase another one of your products/services for a friend or family member right away by giving them a limited time discount code. If you word your sale copy right, they could end up making that purchase right away!
