How to Get Your Small Business Ready for the New Year
January is on the horizon and it's ushering in the start of a bright new year, so I’m sure you must have heard about a thousand times already, “What’s your New Year’s Resolution?!” Chances are you’ve got your eat healthier, be more outgoing, exercise more, sort of systematic answer already memorized to a T. However, you’re not just anyone, you’re a small business owner and here's a new year's resolution proposed especially for you.
What’s your small business’ New Year’s resolution?
This is a question that is so seldom asked, and yet begs to be answered. It’s a new year and a great opportunity for you to start your small business strong, on the right foot! So, let’s take it, step-by-step, and get you and your business rolling into the new year. Below is a three-step, simple, formula for eradicating empty slots in your calendar and capitalizing on missed opportunities this year.
Step 1: Get those email addresses and phone numbers
There can be a bit of a lull going into the new year. Everyone is just getting back into the swing of things and still adjusting back to real life. So, make every customer count. Any customer that enters your shop be sure you capture their email and/or phone number.
Tailor this in a clever way. Don’t just ask. Make it feel like they get something special out of giving you this information. Something along the lines of “Would you like to provide us with your email address or phone number so we notify you of any upcoming special offers?” It’s vital you capture this information while things are busy, so you’ll still have access to these customers even when things slow down.
Step 2: No more empty calendar slots
They throw off your schedule, they waste your time, and they cause a loss in revenue - that’s right, we’re talking empty calendar slots. Let’s say goodbye to empty calendar slots this year…. or at the very least be ready to combat them!
Don’t let last minute appointment changes or cancellations eat into your spa or salon’s profits. Instead, consider automated marketing. Ideally, you want automated messaging that can quickly notify other customers of a last minute opening, prompting them to fill in the empty slot. If you can quickly get the word out about last minute openings, you’ve got a good chance of another customer filling the space.
Step 3: Get clients to come back
In November/December business is booming for most small businesses; however come January their shop can become a bit of a ghost town. If things start to slow down at your business after the holiday rush, and you’ve been proactive capturing email addresses and phone numbers - the power for more profits is in your hands! Start reaching out to clients and encourage them to come back. Let them know you miss them, promote a post holiday special - whatever the message, just get the conversation going.
It’s great that you’ve captured all these email addresses and/or numbers, but you may be finding it a little time consuming to individually send out all these emails, calls, or texts. Don’t be deterred by lack of time, because that can be fixed! Consider looking into automated marketing that can do all that for you. The right automated marketing solution should be able to access your clients contact info and automatically send all the communications you designate - no more calling clients, no more writing emails.
