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LET'S TALK
BUSINESS
Holiday Marketing
As business owners and shoppers, we
are entering the season of the ???buyer mentality??? ?? buyers ready to
make purchases at any time, not just when they are shopping.
Especially during the holidays, good marketing ideas translate
into quick sales. Here are a few suggestions to inspire your
marketing and increase your sales during the holidays:
Offer Samples ?? Samples have the capability to generate
instant purchases. If someone enjoys trying a product or service,
the chance of a sale is increased. I am a perfect example - last
holiday season I tried fruit samples and immediately purchased
fruit baskets as client gifts.
Provide Holiday Packages - Holiday packages are quick
sellers ?? they take the ???thinking??? out of buying. They are
pre-packaged gifts that are usually wrapped or packaged as a gift.
Holiday packages typically offer an assortment of goods or
services.
Offer Holiday Specials ?? Special rates, special deals ??
even if offering specials is not your norm ?? you may choose to
make an exception for the biggest shopping time of the year. What
can you offer as a holiday special?
For some businesses, the holidays are the busiest time of the year
and for others the slowest. Below are a few creative techniques to
maximize high season and offset low season:
Cross-Promote ?? Cross-promoting is promoting your products
or services in a variety of ways to maximize your sales potential.
One of my favorite examples of holiday cross promoting is done by
Estee Lauder?ฎ cosmetics. While cosmetics may not be a big seller
during the holidays ?? perfumes are ?? and this company has found a
way to keep its sales high throughout the holiday season by
cross-promoting its perfumes and cosmetics. Each year, the company
offers a holiday gift cosmetic package. The package can only be
purchased when perfume is purchased.
Form Strategic Alliances ?? Strategic alliances are formed
when two companies combine products or services. For example, a
massage therapist whose client base shrinks during the holidays
forms an alliance to provide massages at a vacation resort that is
in high season. His alliance with the resort offsets his low
season and helps the resort serve its overflow clientele during
its high season ?? it??s a win-win scenario.
Bundle Products and Services?? Bundling is done when two
products or services are put together to form a package. An
example is Claudia Barrington, RN, owner of South Florida
Thermography based in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Her breast
screening service can be purchased as part of a holiday ???wellness???
gift-package at a day spa that includes breast screening, a
manicure, pedicure and facial. Both companies, the day spa and her
breast screening company, benefit from bundling.
With the busyness of the holidays it can be easy to skip over
important marketing techniques that can build your business for
the upcoming year. Here are a few suggestions:
Create a Holiday Survey ?? Survey your customers. Come up
with a few questions that will help you grow your business next
year. Surveys are a great way to gather valuable information about
your customers that helps focus and maximize your marketing
efforts.
Collect Contact Information ?? Build your database! Even if
you do not have a database or use one yet ?? you can start
preparing. Collect names and contact information via e-mail or
through your samples or surveys ?? take every opportunity to
collect this valuable contact information. Prospective or current
client data can strengthen your marketing efforts.
Conduct a Marketing Overview and Start Planning- As the
holidays come to a close, take time to reflect about your
marketing efforts over the last year. Did your efforts generate
the results you desired? What might you do differently next year?
Once you??ve reviewed your efforts over the year, start planning
for the upcoming year.
Wishing you prosperity and peace. Happy Holidays!
By Suzanne
Mulvehill, MBA, President of Profit Strategies, inspires marketing
and development excellence through speaking, writing, coaching and
consulting. For a free e-mail marketing newsletter and a schedule
of upcoming seminars visit
www.profit-strategies.com or call (561) 272-8004.
COOKING TIPS
Ants in the Sugar:
Place 3-4 cloves in with the sugar. This will keep the ants from
entering.
Baked Potato Tip
Potatoes are baked fast instead of the usual long period if you soak
them in hot water for 10-15 min. before putting them into the oven.
Slice the ends off before baking and you'll get extra mealy baked
potatoes.
Boiling Liquid Tip
Never leave a spoon or metal object in a pot that you wish to come
to a quick boil. The metals deflect heat, lengthening the time for
the contents to reach the boiling point.
Burnt Food Odors
To neutralize burnt food odors in the house....mix 1/2 cup whole
cloves with 2 cups water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Simmer
cloves for 15-30 minutes. The house smells wonderful and the burnt
odor is gone
Cauliflower: To
keep cauliflower white while cooking - add a little milk to the
water.
Choosing Potatoes:
Potatoes can be divided into two general categories: mealy and waxy.
Brown-skinned russets are the mealy type while white, red and new
potatoes are waxy. Mealy potatoes cook up light and fluffy and are
good for baking, mashing and frying. Waxy potatoes hold their shape
during cooking, when sliced, diced and boiled whole. Knowing this
will help you choose the right potato
CRAFTS
Hanging Apple Potpourri
Cortland apples
lemon juice
Bay Leaves
Dried Nuts
Dried Fruit
Wooden Block
ribbon
burlap cording, string or jute
needles
1. Thinly slice Cortland apples
crosswise
2. Dip apples in lemon juice; place on cookie sheet.
3. Bake slices in 250 degree oven for 3 hours or until dried.
4. Drill hole through block.
5. Drill holes through nuts.
6. Thread string through a nut and tie knot.
7. Thread string through the block.
8. Thread string through the apples, fruit, bay leaves etc.,
alternating as desired.
9. Tie Ribbon into a bow and tie on top of fruit.
10. Tie the top of the string into a loop for hanging purposes.
PARENTING TIPS
Prize Winning Parenting Tip
Tip for Newborn to End of Adolescence - Corporal Punishment and
Children
To Spank or not to Spank
This has become the question of the
century for young parents. It is also causing a lot of parents to
feel guiltridden if they as much as tap their child's little bum.
What to do, what to do? Let's work through a few situations.
Your children are arguing in the
back seat of your car. What is the best way to deal with this?
The first response is to sternly
tell your children that if they continue to misbehave , you will
be stopping the vehicle. If it continues, keep your word. Pull off
the road calmly and sit quietly in the front seat. They now have
two choices, wisely leveled by Mom to show who is in control.. One
might be that you will take them home and tuck them into bed for 2
hours or they will continue the trip playing happily in the back
seat. Their choice and carry through with what you said.
Do not ever give up your position
as a head of the household.
You are eating dinner as a family
and one starts kicking the child across from him under the table.
The child complains and you tell the children that this behavior
is to stop immediately. Ask the children what started this
behavior and whatever the answer, tell them they will have a
consequence. Make sure you will always good and naughty
consequences. Check the injuries and deal with the children
accordingly. It is time for bed. Your youngest waits for you to
tuck him in and kiss him goodnight. The older child is caught up
in a game and is dragging his heels about going to bed. What now?
Do not lose your temper. This
generally is not the first time this has happened. This is going
to be a slightly different solution. There is an age gap between
the two children and therefore the eldest gets an extra half hour
before it's bedtime.
One last important bit of advice.
Listen to your children and let them know you are hearing them.
Trust your children and let them know the importance of truth.
Do not let the power figures blind
you to the fact that your child's word is to be trusted also.
They have had wonderful examples, after all. Who? The fine
example you provided, of course!
Sent in by Bev Sobkovich from
Canada for 'The Dot Com Mommies Contest' 2004.
Copyright ?ฉ Dot Com Women. All rights reserved. For permission to
reprint, contact
webmistress@dotcomwomen.com
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