It’s the buying season, (also know as the Holiday Season). Here are a few tips to help you take advantage of everyone’s spending mood and make money.

--Add holiday search terms to your keywords if you sell online. Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza, gifts, presents, holidays, ornaments, decorations, gifts for babies, and so on are some common terms that people will be looking for. If your product or service makes a good gift, include the appropriate terms. Use a keyword search tool if you need additional help.

--Tell your customers what a great gift your product or service is. Everyone loves “gift suggestions”. Perhaps you can write & print lists of ideas, most of which you sell. Include them in your newsletter, make signs for your storefront, give to customers, and leave some in the grocery store or the bank.

--Include a freebie or gift with purchase. Small ornaments, cards or package tie-ons make great giveaways. For larger items, gift with purchase is a good idea. If the gift you give away is $5 and you make $20 profit, you are not only still profitable, but you will increase your sales. Cosmetics companies use this technique year-round.

--Provide door prizes for a few of your networking groups or business associations. This is a low-cost way to promote your product or service. Give sample gifts if you sell products and gift certificates for free services if you sell services. You get PR and goodwill for the cost of the giveaway. Plus, you can turn the winner into a repeat customer. Do the same thing for anyplace your customers gather—for example, if you sell books, donate a free Christmas book to a book club or readers’ group.

--Finding ways to stand out in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season is difficult at best. Do the unexpected. Save the cards for Valentine’s Day and deliver cocoa and cookies to your best customers. All the better if you can sing Christmas carols while you are there. If you can’t get to your customers, ship homemade cookies instead.

--Set goals for your holiday sales. Your goals can be by revenue dollars, number of units (products or hours of service) sold, number of new customers, purchases from repeat customers, or whatever criteria you deem worthy. Post your goal prominently and largely in your workspace. Check your progress daily and celebrate your successes.

This album is a holiday classic, and would make a great give-away, employee stocking stuffer or even gift with purchase.



Happy Holidays!