I can’t believe it’s August already…. Before we know it, kids will be back in school. Here we go all over again! I know how busy everyone gets, so that’s why I want to encourage you to start planning for your last quarter success. People don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan! If you don’t take the time NOW to plan your last quarter and holiday success, you won’t maximize your results. It’s a proven fact: the last quarter of the year is the best quarter. To make it your very best, it takes planning. I want to help you get started today with the following planning steps:
9 Holiday Planning Steps
- Select Holiday Merchandising Mix
- Prepare Gift Card Packages
- Decorating the Spa
- Plan a Holiday Event for clients
- Promote Products & Services in your e-Newsletter
- Identify a Special Gift for VIP clients
- Establish Team Targets
- Create Black Friday Packages
- Team Appreciation Party
1. Select Holiday Merchandising Mix
Visit a trade show (There is the NY gift show coming up on August 16 & 17th. I’ll be there! www.nyigf.com) for some ideas on products you might want to carry, and add you own ideas. Create a festive way to package them. Bundling a few items together is a good idea, but make sure the packaging is attractive and irresistible. Create low, medium and high price points in order to appeal to different clientele. Run reports to determine what sold very well for you last year and do something similar. Don’t get stocked up only on skin care. Combine skin care with other items like CD’s, bath products, accessories, candles, books, etc. Get creative and involve your team in the process. If they’re sold on the items, your team will promote and sell them!
2. Prepare Gift Card Packages
Gift card sales are always a big hit during the holidays. Here is a tip on how to maximize your gift card sales; don’t sell gift cards alone. Create three to four packages of gift cards that include product gifts within each one. So instead of someone just buying a gift card, they are able to buy a gift with the card. Create a flyer featuring 3 or 4 packages making sure they are at different price points. Display the gifts in a prominent area within the spa to attract attention and make people aware of the packages. This really works! You can increase your gift card sales tremendously by implementing this strategy.
3. Decorating the Spa
Make your spa ambiance festive, but keep it simple. Remember less is more. Include your products within your decorations. A simple thing to do is to display beautifully wrapped packages with ribbons, especially by the gift card area. Have fun and get creative!
4. Plan a Holiday Event
What a great way to thank all your clients and generate revenue at the same time!
Planning a Holiday party should involve the whole team. I can write an entire article about this topic! But to summarize, you will need to create an invitation, barter for your food and drinks, and decide which treatments you want to feature in each room. Most importantly, set a target as to how much revenue you want to generate. One key point is to give each guest when they walk in “spa dollars” that are good only during the event. Spa dollars are used towards a variety of items you are offering on that day. Depending on many people you invite, thousands of dollars in sales can be generated!
5. Promote Products & Services in your e-Newsletter
Prepare and send out gift card promotions via e-mail. Inform your clients of all the fun and exciting things you have going on this season. Include some spa cuisine recipes and tips on how to stay healthy during the Holiday Season. If you don’t have an e-newsletter, check out our “Ready to Go” Spa e-Newsletter under "Spa Business Tools" on our website.
6. Identify a Special Gift for VIP clients
We all have special clients that spend a lot of money. You want to show your appreciation to them with some sort of gift. Let them know they are special to you! Some suggestions are a baseball cap, tote bag, or even a spa robe, all with your logo.
7. Establish Team Targets
Set team targets for service, retail, and gift card package sales. Make a contest and give the winners or whoever reaches the target something special. Get the team excited about the opportunities they have!
8. Create Black Friday Packages
Create special packages for Black Friday. One of our clients made over $60,000 in a four hour Black Friday sale! If you want to hear more of these strategies, join me for a complimentary Holiday Coaching Call this Tuesday at 4:00 pm eastern. It’s my holiday gift to the spa industry! Go to www.inSPArationMangement.com to register.
9. Team Party
A Team Appreciation Party is a must! Do something special to let them know how valued they are and celebrate your success!
Go ahead and get started now! We found the best way to get things done is to schedule them into your calendar and begin working on them. If you start now and don’t procrastinate, you & your team will have a GREAT Holiday Season!
Happy Planning!
Please share your comments with us. Tell us if you did something really great for last year’s holiday season. We enjoy hearing about your success!