Summer is officially over. Holiday is just around the corner. Are you ready to make your dreams come true? Or, are you hunkering down, waiting to see what happens?
A great holiday season (translation: profitable) is yours if you take the following steps:
Energize your marketing. People are tired. They are tired of the recession, health care debates, wacky weather, and the same ol’ stuff. They want to have some fun. Money may still be tight, but they’ll send some your way if you give them a lift or a promise of a better tomorrow. Scrap the plan that put lipstick on last year’s pig and come up with a new strategy to engage your customers. Use every tool in your marketing shed to make your products and services the sunshine in someone’s day.
Get your customer service house in order. Nothing drives costs up and sales down faster than poor service. Great service starts with happy employees. Seriously. If work is a miserable place to be for your team, the sales floor is worse for your customers. Make your business the happy place. It’s contagious. Your customers will love it and reward you with more purchases.
Dot your i’s and cross your t’s. The devil’s in the details. Improve communication between departments so there are no last minute surprises. Have contingency plans for inventory shortfalls, marketing issues, and service snafus. They’re going to happen, so be ready before they do. The more you prepare, the easier the response.
Be optimistic. Success is often a state of mind. Negative forces invade and destroy companies. Use your positive attitude to lift your business to the next level.
That’s all, folks. Now go get ready for a great holiday season…
