Maximising Christmas Sales – Why Your Business Shouldn’t Shutdown over the Holidays

The Tricks every Small Trade Needs To Know

Now this is going to sting, so please, brace yourself. Despite what the latest travel ad on TV is saying, you should not take your holidays over Christmas or New Years. Please – put down your pitchforks and torches; I assure you, there is a method to this supposed madness, and I’m here to share it with you.The number one reason to hold back on taking your holidays over Christmas is simple – everybody else is on holiday too. From your clients and customers, to your colleagues – and most importantly – your competition; this is the prime time for your business to cash in!

Making Sure Customers Call You!

When you think of Christmas time or New Years, most people visualise being away from work for a few weeks; kicking back with their feet up, a beer or wine in hand, and not a care in the world. As a direct result of this a lot of businesses will close up shop, turn off their phones, and enter a short-lived, semi-retirement.

Does this sound appealing to you? Probably, but the fact that your potential customers are going to be at home more often is the exact reason you shouldn’t be. Think of it this way: when people have more family visiting over the holidays, this inevitably means a higher use of appliances and household items throughout the day. And what does this mean? Inevitably, things are going to break, shut down, or in one form or another, need to be repaired. Who will people call when their plumbing shuts down or the hot water goes on the fritz over New Year? Hopefully, you!

Get Ahead Of The Pack

Without a doubt, there will be plenty of work available over the end of year holiday period, and with most of your competition relaxing on their laurels, it’s the perfect time for you to take advantage of the extra business coming your way!

Another great thing about working over the Christmas and New year period? There are fewer ads to battle it out with – making your clicks cheaper, your position stronger and jobs easier to come by. When a customer needs someone to fix their lights or replace their sink, they’ll happily pay someone to do it quickly. So why not make sure that someone is you.

Disregard Beaches, Acquire Currency

Another big factor to keep in mind during the holiday period is what you’re charging. You deserve to be compensated for your time, and customers will generally expect to pay more – after all, they know that you are sacrificing time with family and friends in order to be there for them.

That said, what you charge is an extremely important point to address – and one that can make or break a business and customer relationship. On one hand, your time is valuable – and if it wasn’t, these customers wouldn’t call you. However, it is also extremely important not to get greedy. Overcharging during the holidays is a guaranteed way to ensure that people won’t call you ever again. Alternatively, being there for someone when they expected no-one, and charging them a fair price in exchange, is a wonderful way to build a long standing relationship and ensure return service.

What About My Happy Holidays?

Don’t worry – I haven’t forgotten about you! This isn’t a matter of “Never Close Your Doors” but more a prime example of closing them strategically. By organising your own personal or family holidays outside of these normal times, you’ll be able to capitalise on the larger amount of work available, and then enjoy the holiday hot spots without the crowds.

But Wait, There’s More!

Now that we’ve looked at the different factors going into this time of year, let’s do the math. Say that hypothetically we have 100 jobs and 10 tradesman at any given time during the year, but over the holidays we sit closer to 130 jobs with 5 people to do the work, there’s a lot more to go around, a lot more to do, and a lot more to earn.  Now although these numbers aren’t exact, and the specifics can vary from job to job, or even location to location, the sure fact is this: there is certainly more work and less competition. Why not take advantage?

Jingle All The Way To The Bank

Whether you stay the course and keep your holidays at the end of the year, or mix it up with a mid year getaway, it’s all about planning your annual leave the smart way. Look at your trends and record your jobs (especially over the holidays) to decide what’s best for your business. At the end of the day, if you can make more money simply because other people don’t want to, then you’re looking at one heck of an easy business decision.

GET IN TOUCH

Want to maximise your holiday sales and make the Christmas/New Year period count? Get in touch with an AdWords specialist like SponsoredLinX on 1300 859 600!

*Note: this article also appears in our Optimise 2016 Q4 issue!