Increase Holiday Sales With Special Offers

by Bob Leduc

The holiday season is filled with busy shoppers who are ready to buy. What can you do to get the attention of all those holiday shoppers? How can you get them to buy from your Web site?

Give them an irresistible offer they can't refuse.

An irresistible offer is the number one reason people buy something. But few businesses make special offers during the holidays. You can increase the traffic to your site and your number of sales during the holiday season by promoting special offers.

A special offer should be as attractive as you can afford to make it. The greater its value to customers the more sales it will generate.

Here are six different offers you can use for almost any product or service. Combine two to create an offer so powerful it really is irresistible.

1. Special Holiday Discount: People don't expect discounts during the holidays. An unexpected discount offer gets their attention. It will motivate many visitors to buy -- visitors who would have looked around briefly and clicked off of your site without buying anything.

2. Special Combination Price: Combine several products or services for a price that's lower than the price of ordering each item separately. A combination offer increases the number of orders you get and the size of your average sale.

It increases your number of sales by generating orders from visitors who were only "shopping around". It increases the size of your average sale by motivating buyers to spend additional money to get the "good deal" of your special combination package.

3. Free Bonus: A good free bonus has a high perceived value to your customer. But it doesn't have to cost you very much. For example, I recently visited a Web site offering special interest travel books. They offered a free map of any country as a bonus with the purchase of each book. I'm sure each map cost the site owner much less than its perceived value to the customer.

4. Free Fast Delivery: People want to receive something immediately after buying it. This is especially true during the holidays. If you sell tangible products, offer free overnight delivery at no additional cost.

5. Bill Me Later or Bill My Credit Card Later: This offer generates many sales you normally wouldn't get during the holiday season. It removes the customer's concern about spending too much money right now.

6. Free Trial Offer: This is similar to the bill me later option described above, but with the addition of a guarantee. The customer can cancel the service or return the product within a specified time with no financial obligation.

Be careful with free trial offers during the holidays. Use them only if you have a highly desired product or service your customers can easily afford. Otherwise, you may find yourself getting a large number cancellations or returns.

Tip: Your offer will be most effective if it includes a deadline. For example, "Order today. This special discount price expires on (insert date)".

Promote Your Special Holiday Offer

Announce your special holiday offer prominently near the top of your home page. Something as simple as the words, "Special Holiday Discount," will lure visitors into spending more time at your site.

You can also use your special holiday offer to drive visitors to your site. For example, announce it in your newsletter, send a brief email or postcard announcement to your customer list. You can even promote it with inexpensive small ads.

Everybody wants to get a "special deal". Most people don't expect to find one during the Holiday Season. Surprise your prospective customers with a special holiday offer. Use it to generate traffic to your Web site and to increase your sales.

Bob Leduc retired from a 30 year career of recruiting sales personnel and developing sales leads. He is now a Sales Consultant. Bob recently wrote a manual for small business owners titled "How to Build Your Small Business Fast With Simple Postcards" and several other publications to help small businesses grow and prosper. For more information... Email: BobLeduc@aol.com Subject: "Postcards". Phone: (702) 658-1707 (After 10 AM Pacific time) Or write: Bob Leduc, PO Box 33628, Las Vegas, NV 89133

02.05.2007. 23:28

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