Charging into Christmas

Just 7 short weeks away - can you believe we have arrived at that time of year again? We seem to have just finished packing away the Christmas decorations from last year and here thinking about doing it all over again!

So, depending on what type of business you have, Christmas can be the busiest time of the year for you and it's important to be prepared for it.  If you are in the personal services industry you will be gearing up for the usual bedlam - requests for last minute appointments, unexpected no shows and the general chaos that goes along with doing business in the lead up to the festive season.

To help you to make the most out of this very hectic period, here are a few tried and tested tips to help you make the most of your "Business at Christmas".

Gift Certificates                                                                                     

       Now is the time to be heavily promoting gift certificates to all of your clients.  They do make gift giving incredibly easy for your clients, so pull your staff together for a motivating team meeting and decide how you are going to make gift certificates a winner for your business this Christmas.

       Always present your gift certificates beautifully. Put them in a gift box with some complimentary tissue paper or in an envelope with an attractive ribbon.  Prepare the certificate so that nothing extra needs to be done by the purchaser. What ever you do, don't write it up in the nearest blue biro and put it into a business envelope. Get creative!

       Display one of your gift certificates on your front counter and place signage outside your business to attract passer-bys.

       Run a fun competition for your staff, with a Christmas Gift Hamper as the prize.  The winner is the person who sells the highest $ amount of certificates by Christmas. Make it fun and keep a tally on the staff notice board.  If you have a large number of staff you might like to have a second and third prize also.

       Send a marketing letter to your customers to let them know that you have Gift Certificates available for purchase and encourage them to send their family in to purchase one (or maybe more) from you.  If you have cleverly collected email addresses from your clients, you can follow up this marketing effort with some emails also.

       Prepare a list of goods or services that customers can choose from that make good Gift Certificate buys.  Remember, that at this time of year, people are not so focussed on what is cheapest but rather on quality and being able to give something that will be enjoyed.

       Approach possible corporate customers such as local banks and other businesses and tell them about your gift certificates. This can be a great way to sell gift certificates in larger quantities and most definitely worth the effort.

Appointments

Most of your clients will have lots of things they need to remember as it draws closer to Christmas Day, so is it any wonder that they often forget the odd appointment? To make sure that you are not left with last minute empty spots in your appointment book, give your clients the courtesy of a reminder call the day before their appointment falls due.  They will be grateful to you for this small gesture and you will be amazed at how many clients will say that they had forgotten about their appointment until you had rung them with a reminder.   It is also a good idea to keep a stand by list of clients who are looking for last minute appointments with you.  That way, you can give them a quick call if there is a cancellation and you will both be winners.

Gift Packs

Add a festive feel to your business by wrapping and displaying products in Christmas cellophane. Attach a gift card and you have created the perfect solution for your clients gift giving needs.  If you keep your Christmas packs fairly inexpensive, they will be purchased by your clients as fun gifts for co-workers, teachers and for last minute gift giving.  To avoid being left with excess Christmas stock after the festive season is over, select your "gifts" from your normal range of products and those that don't sell by Christmas can simply be put back into stock in the new year. Special tip - If you normally price your stock with stickers, remove them before you put the products  into your special display wrapping cellophane

Staff

Chances are your staff are going to be run off their feet and a fair amount of stress is going to be building during December.  Now is not the time to lose your cool, even when things go a bit haywire.  Make sure you let your staff know how much you appreciate the extra effort they are putting in to make your Christmas trading a success. Always make time to treat your staff to a special Christmas get together to say "thank you" and of course, it goes without saying, that a gift for each staff member is a must.  Make this even more special for them and include a personalised Christmas card expressing your appreciation for their extra effort. These small gestures will go a very long way towards creating a happy and harmonious work environment for the coming year and will generate a feeling of loyalty to you and your business.

Pricing

If it has been some time you have had a price increase or if you are just due to have one, take the time now to adjust your service charges accordingly.  Every business is exposed to regular increases to their cost of doing business.  These come in many forms and include such things as supplier price increases, rent and wage increases to mention just a few. To stay in business and retain your profit margin, you need to adjust your prices as your costs increase.  So with the busy season just around the corner, now might be the time to take a good hard look at your pricing and make the necessary changes needed to keep you profitable.

Pam Stellema is a  Specialist Coach for Small Business Development.  Her area of expertise lies in coaching and motivating small business owners, managers and their key staff towards maximising productivity and profits, excellence in customer service and client retention, and recruiting and retaining key staff. Pam can be contacted on 0431 975515, 0755 296 426  or to visit her website go to www.pamstellema.com.au     

An important message

While every effort has been made to provide valuable, useful information in this Newsletter, I and any related suppliers or associated companies, accept no responsibility or any form of liability from reliance upon or use of its contents. Any suggestions should be considered carefully within your own particular circumstances, as they are intended as general information only.