Holiday Sales & Bookings!
By Debbie Touchstone
The holiday season is upon us! During the next 9 weeks consumers will be spending more than ever in a flurry of gift buying and giving. For direct sellers like us, it’s imperative to act now to generate as much sales volume as possible between now and the holidays.
So how are we going to generate more sales? Let’s look at the large department stores. They plan well in advance for this season and we can easily adapt many of the same marketing strategies by adding our own flair and personal touches with festive displays and tempting specials for our hostess and customers.
#1. Set up a gift registry! Offer this service at your shows by handing out “wish list” to each guest. Make a holiday wish list that reads something like: “Dear Santa, I would love to find any of the following gifts under the tree this year!”, leave a place for them to list their favorite products, then say something like: “Please contact the following person regarding the selections listed on my gift registry”, And have a place for name, relationship, contact numbers and address, maybe email, And the best time to contact that person.
You could mail out the gift registry to past hostess and good customers along with the Holiday Supplement! Then set up a “Men’s Night Out” in early December. Set up a festive display, invite the men and help them shop for their special partner. You can hand out invitations at car dealerships, fire stations, barber shops, etc. and offer your services to those who are buying gifts for their female friends.
#2. If you use wish list or party menus, make a special holiday shopping gift guide. List the names of potential holiday gift recipients, and a place to make note of special gifts. Remember to talk about special gifts during your presentation! Do you need a gift for the Secret Santa gift exchange? This would be great! So talk it up get them thinking about it.
#3. Specials! Make some great gift combo specials; make it really easy for them to make their holiday gift selections! You can even put the selections together in a basket, so they can imagine how it will be presented. You can do the Foot Rub Nukkles, Enrichments Foot Cream, and the mineral Bath Salts, then they can add a polish!
Young girls, the Body Shimmer Lotion or Body Blush Powder and Sugar Lips Gloss!
The Hot Heart Massager and a Candle!
The list is endless; just keep it simple and something that is appealing to everyone. If they choose to put something more sensual in the combinations, great.
Don’t forget the FYP Gift Card! It is available in any denomination and easy!
#4. Open house! If you have friends in other home businesses, set up an open house. Have everyone invite their past hostess and guest. Set up displays and offer door prize drawings, keep your display simple and appealing to everyone!
Key ingredient, Plan, Plan and Plan!
Invite everyone!
If you use a hotel, find out if any large functions are planned; if so coordinate the timing of your event accordingly. The more traffic the better.
Create attractive, eye-catching invitations, grab their attention! Remind your invited guest to bring a friend or two and offer an appropriate incentive.
Follow up with a phone call! Just like hostess coaching, you have to keep in touch and get them excited!
Incentives and door prizes! have drawings every hour, on the hour.
Go for bookings! Offer a special collection of products or enticing incentives. Anyone who dates a show within the next 30 days could receive their choice of gifts or entered into a drawing for the collection, what ever you choose.
#5. Tis the season for gifts, so get creative! Put together gifts baskets or Naughty Stockings that are ready to go and that appeal to a variety of customers, cash and carry! Offer stress-free shopping, set up personal appointments with customers, and make it easy for them to do business with you. Offer personalized gift baskets, wrapped and delivered.
Booking shows during the holiday season!
If you don’t work the holiday season, come January, you are not going to be in business! And January is our busiest month, getting ready for Valentines day! So working November and December will insure you have a great start for the new year.
If you are in need of shows for November get on the phone! schedule a booking blitz! Pick a week, like November 11 – 17th call and book, schedule a show each day. Use theme shows! These are easy just put a holiday twist on it! Monday night football party! Sunday afternoon Quickie! Holiday Frenzy!
Just a Quickie! Great for week night shows, show your holiday specials, take orders and leave! 1 hour start to finish!
In December you can do a cookie swap, have each guest bring a dozen cookies and swap! The themes are endless, get your imagination going.
You can offer an incentive of anyone holding a show on certain dates in November and December will be entered into a drawing for a special gift and set the drawing date December 15th.
Have incentive for the 12 or 15 days of Christmas or December. You can start with Dec. 1, anyone booking on this date can purchase a product up to $25 retail for $1., then the 2nd for $2, and so on, you can go up in retail, it’s up to you to set your price. You can also have the same except if you book this date you get a free Bullet, or what ever you choose to give them for booking that date, have a list of each product for the dates you want to work.
Don’t forget about recruiting! Make up signs “Santa’s Helpers Wanted”! Would you like a debt-free Christmas? Who would like an extra $1,000 before the holidays?
December is great for business planning, getting ready for January business, going through your kit, folders, get organized, get pumped for Valentines Day! Get your special mailings together for prospects and customers. Have it ready to go in the mail late December, like the 26th! Send out New year cards, or Holiday greetings, thank you for your business and I appreciate you!!! Don’t forget about your down line too!
Keep doing what you’ve been doing.
Don’t abandon your business during the holidays. Try to stick as closely as you can to your regular schedule. If you can’t keep up at least decide to accomplish something every week that keeps your business humming.
So many ideas, so little time! The sooner you begin to implement these marketing ideas, the sooner you will begin to reap the benefits! So, get on the phone, Books shows, and talk to people, get referrals and make things happen in your business!
Then end result of all this activity will be a full calendar in November & December, and a great jumpstart to January 2008!