Getting holiday customers and sales

[Guest]

The topic of the month for December is about getting holiday customers and sales. Let's share our tips and resources on how to make this holiday shopping season a success!!

Thanks,
Stephanie

[ravish30]

Its the Holiday Shopping Season so how do you get holiday shoppers to buy from you? Here are some suggestions myself or my team have used before that worked!

#1) Mystery Holiday Hostess Party! Kick of the shopping season by having a Holiday Mystery Hostess Party at your home! Make sure you have plenty of holiday themed products available for them to see & touch along with alot of holiday gift ideas! Set up a table with under $20 gifts and then another one for under $5.00 stocking stuffers and so forth! Make sure you set them up in a festive holiday display to get your guests into the holiday spirit! Play holiday music in the background and serve holiday themed refreshments!

How on your invitations state this is a Holiday mystery hostess party! Everyone who attends gets 1 entry....for each guest they bring they earn another entry! For every $20 they spend they get another entry and for every party they book at this party they get 3 entries! At the end of the party you draw a name...the winner then becomes the Party Hostess! They earn all of the FREE hostess gifts & credits for this party! Its a great way to gear them up for the Holiday season and a great way for you to get sales & party bookings!!!

#2) Hire yourself some Santa Sales Helpers! Give your friends & family members biz cards and catalogs...have them gather orders for you from their circle of friends, co workers and family....(this works well for those who dont want to host a party)....then reward them with a FREE thank you helper gift and a discount on their personal order for helping you out!

#3) Hold a open house party for charity! Tis the season for giving! Invite your guests and tell them the profits or proceeds from this party will be donated to such and such charity for the holiday season! This is great to do year after year! Alot of people donate to charity during the holiday season...this way they get something in exchange for their donation!

#4) Buy Holiday Themed Postcards or recycle holiday greeting cards you received the previous year...cut off the backside that contains wording and turn them into postcards to reuse! Mail them out to everyone in your neighborhood letting them know they can shop from you this holiday season instead of fighting crowds at the local mall! If your recycling cards (free) and postage for postcards is ALOT cheaper then first class stamps! Its also a GREAT way to introduce newbies in your neighborhood to your home business!

#5) Contact ALL past party hostesses and customers....offer additional incentives for them to hold a party now....make sure you tell them to SAVE their hard earned money and earn their GIFTS for free with a party! For customers....offer them FREE gifts with purchases or discounts! Alot of people are tired of fighting the mall crowds!

#6) Contact all the Senior Citizens or shut-ins in your town/city. Its hard for them to GET OUT and do holiday shopping! Offer them your personalized service! Show them your catalogs....you can even offer gift wrapping service to them! Alot of seniors get depressed at this time of year because they are not able to get out like they want too...so they can be GREAT sources of extra business for you! You are offering a GREAT service for them and they appreciate the companionship too!

#7) Offer gift wrapping and shipping services to your customers for a FEE. Men really like this service!

#8) Print up a Gift Ideas Sheet....section it off into the following sections & include with all your catalogs!
a) Stocking Stuffers under $5.00
b.) Gifts under $10
c.) Gifts under $25
d.) Gifts over $25
e.) DREAM GIFTS (your most expensive items)

Limit yourself to listing ONLY 10 suggestions per each of those categories. You will want to make 3 sections...one for Gifts for the Ladies, Gifts for Men and Gifts for Children!

Customers can use this for ideas in their price range! You could offer an additional special or discount if they purchase items off your Gift Suggestion List!

#9) Offer Fundraisers if available from your business to those who seek out fundraisers at this time of year! Alot of charities hold holiday fundraisers!

#10) Donate items for Holiday Contests! Include a catalog, contact sheet or business card and a discount coupon with the prize you donate!

#11) Donate items to charity! Have a few items left over from a kit or did a customer stick you for payment? Donate it to Charity! Again, include your business card & info with the donation!

#12) Make a mission to leave your contact info & business info with Every One you meet, greet, see etc this holiday season! Maybe they dont need your services right now....but in the future when they do, they will know who to contact!

#13) Make yourself available as much as possible during the holiday season otherwise you could loose business & customers! If you are going to be unavailable leave a automatic response on your email stating when you will be available again....same with your business answering machine & voice mail. Return calls & contacts asap....a delay means your customer could go elsewhere!

#14) Holiday Themed Home Parties! Offer themed party to your holiday hostesses! One that I love is the Secret Santa Party! Invite all of your gal pals to your secret santa party...hold your party as normal but tell your guests they are NOT buying for themselves! You have them all write their names down and then each guest draw a name....they then have to buy something from your party for the guest whos name they had drawn. Set a limit for the gift at an economical $15.....of course they can also decide to purchase for themselves too! When the delivery comes in, you wrap the gifts and label them....from their secret santa...but in with the gift you will put the person who was their secret santa....invite all your guests back for a cookie exchange or a little party....hand out the gifts! When the guest opens their gift they will see who their secret santa was and they get to keep the gift!

There are alot of ways to make this Holiday Shopping Season Fun & profitable! Be creative! Dont offer the same old thing as every one else! Do your own FUN Creative Parties!

Shelly Hill
Tupperware Manager
http://my.tupperware.com/Ravish30

[ravish30]

Another great tip that someone shared with me is enclosing your business card in with the Holiday Cards you send out to business associates. Her list included some of the following ideas:
#1) accountant
#2) doctors
#3) your vets office
#4) eye doctors office
#5) your favorite local store boutiques that you shop at
#6) any charities that you donate to during the holiday season drop in a business card with your check that you are mailing them!
#7) drop a card in with any bill payments you make this time of year


Basically anything like that! So if you are mailing holiday greeting cards out to associates make sure you drop in your biz card!

[angienewton]

Great ideas! WOW!

We are getting down to the wire but you still have time to get last minute sales. If you have any inventory at home, call your customers, past hostesses and offer them a deal. Many people are looking for last minute gifts and would appreciate if you put something nice together for them.

I have actually been offering FREE delivery to my customers and have had quite a few calls just this past week for last minute orders. Made two deliveries so far and hope to make more Mon and Tues. I am also offering 10% off holiday orders before Wed if they book a gathering for Jan.

Anyone else?

[DLuvsCandles]

We are moving in a few weeks or month, how ever long it takes to get the house fixed up, and put it on the market. I am going to be to busy these next few weeks. I won't have time btw my regular job and moving to do my business, what do I tell people? I read that if you are going to be unavailable, to put it on your voice mail, email. Any advice?

[angienewton]

[ravish30]

I agree with Angie. I wouldnt close up/down your biz during a move.

When I go away or go into the hospital (which is often and sometimes for a long period of time) I have others cover for me.

When I first started my Tupperware business, I knew there would be times when I needed time off....so I planned for that buy training 3 different people to cover for me if I needed off for longer than 3 days. This has worked out well and has kept my business running smoothly.

When customers want something...they want it now, they dont want to wait a few weeks so they will go elsewhere if you are unavailable to them.

Shelly