#313 The 5-Step Holiday Sales Prep Plan
Jewelry brands that lean into their holiday sales prep during the summer get far better results than those that wait until October or November to scrape together a plan.
I want to help you be fully prepared for this upcoming sales season, so by the time the holidays are in full swing, you can keep your energy high and focus on selling your products.
Even when you do everything right, the holidays are stressful for everyone. That’s why designers who wait until the last minute to plan run a very high risk of burnout.
The last thing I want is for you to burn out during the busiest time of the year when you have the potential to make 50% of your annual sales, maybe even more.
So get this – I took time off from working on my book to develop something just for you, m’dear.
It’s a masterclass focused on high-impact strategies for the holiday season that will help you boost your online sales at the end of the year (and beyond!)
I’m calling it How to Make the Most Out of Your Holiday Sales Season With Marketing That Matters, and you should definitely save a seat while you still can.
In the meantime, let me walk you through a quick overview of the 5-Step Holiday Sales Prep Plan, which I’ll be teaching in more depth during the masterclass…
Click here to download the show notes
Step #1: Set Your Goals & Create A Strategic Plan
You can’t have a successful sales season without a plan, and you can’t have a plan without clear, actionable goals.
Start with a sales goal. How much do you want to make by the end of the year?
From there, I highly recommend you focus on only 1-3 objectives to help you secure the sales you need.
A huge mistake I see designers make all the time is setting too many objectives and stretching themselves thin when they should be laser-focused on the revenue streams that will bring in the most sales.
Once you have a clear, revenue-centered goal in mind, use it to map out your promotions for October, November, and December.
Listen to the full podcast episode above for more details on what this should look like.
Step #2: Finish Your Assets ASAP
There’s nothing worse than trying to photograph brand-new pieces in the middle of November.
I come from a traditional sales background. In retail, holiday merchandise is prepped and ready to go by August.
If you’re still in the process of designing new jewelry for the end of the year, definitely try to have everything finished by the end of September, at least.
And I mean everything, photographs, product descriptions, line sheets, marketing material, etc.
Step #3: Create Your Marketing Calendar
Having an organized marketing calendar is crucial to avoiding stress and burnout during the holiday sales season.
I know planning your marketing can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.
Start by making a list of all the marketing channels you’ll be utilizing for the next 90 days: social media, email, paid advertising, SMS, collaborations, etc.
Sit down and map it out on a calendar, so you can get your content created in advance.
Step #4: Curate Your Short-Lead Press
The holidays provide ample opportunity for collaborations and press.
It’s a little too late to work on long-lead outreach like magazines and television if you haven’t already, but there’s still room to arrange for short-lead press like website features and social media collaborations.
Pick your top 20 contacts to pitch to, gather everything you need, and start doing outreach as soon as possible.
I recommend only picking 20 because if you pitch to too many places, the communication can become overwhelming very quickly.
Step #5: Keep Your Energy High with Theme Days
Your creative energy is your most valuable asset; don’t overlook this final step.
One of the worst things you can do to inhibit productivity is to switch context all day.
Here’s what I mean: You start the day with two back-to-back sales meetings, then you switch to designing jewelry, finish up a blog post you’ve been working on, then jump on the bench for 30 minutes before you have to scramble to a call with a wholesale client.
Not only is this an exhausting way to operate, but it’s also incredibly inefficient.
When you can focus on “themes” for a day, like writing, production, calls, wholesale, marketing, or anything else, you’ll be able to get much more done without sapping all your energy.
And don’t forget to save a seat in my upcoming masterclass: How to Make the Most Out of Your Holiday Sales Season With Marketing That Matters.
Over the course of 90 minutes, I’ll walk you through the marketing strategies that are working now so you can double your sales and ditch the hectic holiday burnout.
xo, Tracy
Links:
How to Make the Most Out of Your Holiday Sales Season With Marketing That Matters
Join the Waitlist for The Desired Brand Effect Book
Ultimate Holiday Sales Machine System
Episode #268: Here’s How to Have the BEST Black Friday – Cyber Monday Promotion This Year
Episode #267: 7 Epic Virtual Trunk Show Ideas to Boost Your Holiday Sales
