January can be tough on many businesses as people simply don’t have money to spend after the Christmas splurge. Thankfully, there are some easy yet effective steps that you can take to draw in customers over the bleakest month of the year. Whether you run a pub or a motor trade business these tips are universal and can be applied to all market sectors!
Hold a January sale
While buyers may be strapped for cash it’s hard to resist a bargain! Tempt your customers with an exclusive January sale that they can’t refuse. While you may have to shave off a little of your usual profit margin at the end of the day discounted sales are better than no sales at all.
Introduce customer incentives
Like sales, customer incentives are a great way to tempt buyers into bringing you their business. Loyalty programmes work wonders and will help secure repeat business well into 2015 and beyond. Discount vouchers, coupons and two-for-one offers are other hugely effective ways to lure customers out of the post-Christmas scrimp.
Follow up on festive shoppers
During the festive season try to pull as many email addresses as you can from your customers. You can then use these to create a mailing list and stay in touch with buyers long after they’ve left the store. Sometimes something as simple as a ‘Happy New Year’ and mention of a January clearance is enough to get credit cards flashing!
Roll out promos
While sales and incentives are effective sometimes all that’s needed to drive sales is a good old fashioned injection of fun. Holding competitions, giveaways and challenges is a great way to engage with customers and get them excited about your product or service.
Advertise with a futuristic theme
January marks the beginning of a brand new year and most people are ready to implement significant lifestyle changes. No matter what you sell tweak your advertising policy so that it places an emphasis on how your product or service can help them welcome in the new or make a positive change. This will tap into their psyche and make your business instantly more appealing.
Review your insurance policy
While it may not help to boost sales a review of your current insurance policy will help to make sure that any profits generated from the above ideas stay in your pocket. Far too many businesses pay too much for their insurance policies and by seeking out a better deal you can make sure that your January profit boosting efforts aren’t in vain.
Whether you choose to use one of these tips or try your hand at all of them, we guarantee you that January doesn’t have to mean slumping sales!
