If you are anything like me, you’re looking at the calendar and can’t believe it’s already October! The truth is, from here on out 2022 is full speed ahead and that means the winter holidays will be here before we know it!

For most small businesses the largest sales season is right around the corner which makes this month the perfect time to start establishing your holiday sales plan! From narrowing down your offers to deciding on promotions and planning your marketing efforts, keep reading to learn how to organize it all and set yourself up for your best holiday sales!

Finalize Your Holiday & End-of-Year Offers

Think about what your current offers are and which ones you want to concentrate on promoting during the last quarter of the year. Consider which offers are most likely to take a back seat to customers’ needs during this time of year versus those that will be even more sought after. Are there new products or services you want to introduce or bring back for the holidays? How about any giftable offers that could do well with your audience as they are shopping for loved ones? The way we look at what we sell should evolve throughout the seasons because customer spending habits and priorities absolutely do. Once you have each offer that you’ll be selling finalized, make a quick list and let any team members know who will benefit from this information.

Plan out Your Promotions

Come holiday time it can be very overwhelming to first start creating promotions which can often lead to quick decisions that end up losing you money. Allow your focus to come from creating a promotions experience for your customers rather than a random sale to encourage them to purchase. Try choosing something specific to what your customer finds valuable! Perhaps it’s about offering free gift wrap with a custom card for items from your shop or doing a free gift or donation on their behalf when they purchase a certain amount or book a specific service? For discounts you plan to offer, what could help them see added value and excitement but not take away from your bottom line? Think about things that encourage your customer to hit a specific threshold transaction amount or encourage them to buy or book more with you.

Get Orders and Bookings in Early

Now that you know what you’ll be offering, it’s time to get everything you’ll need to get your products or services into customers’ hands, both literally and figuratively. If you need any physical items, start ordering them now to avoid shipping delays. This could include supplies to make products, shipping and handling items, promotional collateral, client gifts and more! If you plan to book any specific services to help you during the holidays, begin looking into who you’ll be working with and checking their availability early on. You may need to bring on a photographer, virtual assistant, social media manager to help with holiday marketing efforts, etc. Make this a priority now so you don’t miss out.

Establishing Your Timeline

This time of year, your calendar is your BFF in your business! It will help you stay on top of your marketing, shop or website updates, inventory needs, and your own personal life! Consider getting very specific with your dates and include even the smallest reminders and deadlines to help you stay on top of everything. Create your calendar in a way that is realistic for you to stick to! Start with any dates you are personally unavailable due to holiday plans to avoid overlap and overwhelm! Have things like inventory delivery, promotions going live, client gifts mailed, social media content ready, shipping cut-offs and more all with an understanding of your holiday timeline as a whole.

Hustle & Heart Challenge

This month, challenge yourself to think ahead to the upcoming holiday season and decide what your main sales goal is and how you’re going to get there! Confirm which offers you are going to be selling and what you need to do in order to get those offers into your ideal customers’ hands over the next few months!