Yes, holidays are here (again) and “Black Friday”, “Small Business Saturday” and “Cyber Monday” are upon us.
Black Friday, Small Biz Saturday, Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday ALL Start the days before and after Thanksgiving in the USA.
“Black Friday”, “Small Business Saturday” and “Cyber Monday” have been around for a while, and a few years ago, there was a new one (Giving Tuesday) to add to our little list of sales-related ‘events’ all geared to generate sales between Thanksgiving and the New Year.
We can choose to use these promotions for our therapy businesses too.
If your practice is what I call an Open To The Public™ practice, it may make sense to tie in to the holiday sale promotions for more exposure and more revenue generated.
However, if your practice is closed to the public and you operate as a Precise Private Practice®, you probably don’t need to even worry about any of the hooplah.
Phew! What a relief!
(I know for years I felt pressure to participate in the holiday sales-frenzy when our San Francisco Pain Relief & Wellness Center was an Open To The Public Practice.)Everyone was racking in the $$ and I didn’t want to miss out on any opportunities.
But now that we operate a Precise Private Practice we don’t participate in any of the holiday craziness, hustling and promoting bargain sales.
This is a huge relief from feeling the pressure to compete against all the noise.
Once in a while, we might offer an elegant, single special on something that we know clients will love. (This special offer is only extended to existing clients, rather than new clients, as we strive to appreciate our loyal clients)
If your business IS open to the public, DON’T Piss-OFF Your Current Clients!
Imagine you just paid full price and then see a ‘sale’ …doesn’t it make you frustrated you didn’t get the same discount that the late-comers are getting?
Instead, HONOR YOUR CURRENT CLIENTS!
Give your best clients the best ‘deals’, and save them the frustration.
Take a moment to consider your business model and recognize that although most other businesses and practices DO take part in these annual holiday promotions, it might NOT be a good fit for you if you’re not a public practice.
Here is a Run Down of These 4 Promotional Events that can be fun to jump-start your holiday sales:
Decide IF You Want to Participate.
#1. “Black Friday”:
“Black Friday” is a term used in business to refer to one of the busiest shopping days of the year: the day after Thanksgiving. Some stores even announce they will actually start their Black Friday the night of Thanksgiving… some businesses now hold “Black Friday” specials the entire week before and after Thanksgiving, or throughout November as soon as Halloween is over!
On the other hand, some retailers have received a ton of push-back from their community and have decided to ask their employees not to come in to work so they can honor the week as family-time. Some stores have decided to stay closed.
There are a ton of promotions and sales strategies you can implement into your business. If you operate an Open To The Public practice, think about what YOU will do for Black Friday. (If you do a promotion, will you include the whole month, weekend or day for your Black Friday sales blitz?)
#2. “Small Business Saturday”:
Small Business Saturday is the first Saturday after Thanksgiving. It was started in 2010 by American Express credit card company and is available to all small businesses who want to participate with them.
Here is a link for you to register for small biz Saturday.I’m not here to promote American Express, but they DO offer great marketing and promotional resources on how to attract business at this time of year.
#3. “Cyber Monday”:
The Monday after the Thanksgiving weekend is considered the busiest day for ONLINE shopping. This day was dubbed Cyber Monday in 2005 and the name stuck. This Monday after the 4-day weekend is when people are back to work in theirn offices. Since they are in the Holiday (post vaca) spirit they begin to do their online shopping.
If you want to tie in to the on-line element, be sure you have your gift certificates available to purchase online through your website and merchant processing, or at the least- go grab a free Paypal.com account or Venmo.com so you can accept credit cards easily!
As an example, my business has a video posted on our gift certificate sales page for our website. The goal of the video is to encourage our clients to buy gift certificates for their family and friends. (We don't offer a discount on price!)
This Video comes as an mp4 file to customize with your business name and city to upload to YouTube, Social Media, Email to clients and Your Website.
Purchase a Life-time video license for years of use to upload to your social media platforms and website.
"Name Your Own Price" starting at only $37
#4. “Giving Tuesday”:
Giving Tuesday is the newest ‘promotional event’ to round out the other promotions. This is the official day to give back. Charities, families, businesses and individuals are coming together to transform the giving season.
Giving Tuesday was started in 2012 by the 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation to counter commercialization and consumerism in the post-Thanksgiving season (Black Friday and Cyber Monday).
It is always five days after the Thanksgiving holiday.
You can do any offer you want, and it will be good for the world and good to help you get more local or national exposure.
What-ever promotional event you join in on, be sure to post the links on your website or through your FaceBook pages, email or your other online sources!
Boost Holiday Sales & Keep Your Appointments Flowing
I've gathered my top 5 QUICK resources for fast, easy holiday sales and tips for smooth appointment bookings during this busy time.
If you're looking for a 'Plug-n-play' way to get more gift certificates into client's hands ... THIS is how...
Remember, you DON'T HAVE TO HAVE DISCOUNTS! (we don't at our Pain Relief & Wellness center)
Have fun with your promotions this year.
(And now that you have these resources, you’ll have a head start on next year, too!)
Let us hear from you – Post below what you are doing this year to boost your sales so you can inspire us all.