Karen Purves

Make the Most of January

Posted on 30 September 2009

For many businesses, January is a great time for a boost in sales.

Take a look at what happens:

• People look for a new job
• More businesses are started in January than at any other time
• More Relationships breakdown at this time than at any other time
• More People question whether they want to live the life they have now
• More people seek relief from stress
• More people start diets
• Then, there’s the new year resolutions that may never last more than a few days

January is about change.

If you are in the business as a catalyst for change or helping others through change, then Janauary is a hot month for you.

Being October, you have time to make sure your marketing and promotional activity is ready and hits the spot.

Here’s a checklist of the eight steps to maximise your January Sales

1. Review what went well in January 2009
   By taking all the positive stuff, you will get ideas on how it could be improved further. If you’ve changed your offering since January, then concentrate on the service aspect and how well the lead generation aspects went.
2. Ask your clients and prospects now
   Contact these people and ask them what’s happening for them now, their plans for 2010, about things getting them down that they know action is required soon. Some people may not know exactly but by having a conversation you will be able to illicit topics that really required action in the next couple of months but can wait till Christmas is over!
3. Tailor your offering
   Using the information from item 2,  make your offering for January really pertinent to those conversations. Use the words they used when talking to you in the copy.
4. Create your Promotional campaign
   This campaign should run for 28 days or more and will have a mix of  information sharing, teleseminar or preview seminars both on and off line. Making the most of your presence on Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook and specialist sites to raise the profile of what you’re sharing and subsequently offering
5. Schedule the Seminars
   The timing will depend upon your market  and whether pre- or post-  Christmas or all in January. You could play around with the sequence and dates noting which and when works better.
6. Be prepared to deliver
   Know what you can deliver and how many. Prepare all the emails, the information packs and post service follow-up material before you start on the campaign. Doing this now means you will think of things that you can incorporate into your overall plan. It not only increases the cohesiveness of your promotion but its also a boost to your confidence that January will be great!
7. Have a contingency Plan
   Work out what you will do if you have swamped with people wanting your services. Identify other people who could work with you. Be clear how this will be done.  You have done all the marketing and preparation so make sure your expenditure is t least covered and at best, you retain the client in the future
8. Planning for Action brings Activity
   Whatever happens, you will be sure that having done all this thinking and activity that sales will happen. Make sure you record what goes well and not so well to help you next time!

These steps are achievable for you to make the most of the January surge!