There’s something about the holiday season that puts customers in a spending mood. But despite this, winter season can be slow sales months due to high competition. As a small business owner, how can you cope with it? Here are some ways to help your business survive winter and take full advantage of ‘the most wonderful time of the year’…
How small business owners can prepare for winter season
1. Be alert and know what to watch out for
Winter can be harsh especially on areas affected by severe winter weather. If you have a physical store or storage house, make sure you set it up tough enough to last through possible winter storm and blizzard.
Driving and walking can be hazardous, and power lines can break, so always monitor local news and check weather forecasts. If you must close for a few days or weeks, let customers know via your website, email, and social media channels.
2. Map out a plan and stick to it
All of these winter business ideas are of no use without proper planning. Think through what might happen to your business in various scenarios such as power outages and highway closures preventing your employees from getting to work, and plan how to deal with each obstacle to business as usual.
Decide at what point in a storm watch or warning you will close the shop or tell employees not to come in to work. Plan how you will communicate with employees, customers, vendors, and suppliers in case of an emergency.
Have a list with contact information and prepare emergency kits, food, and blankets ready in case you get snowed in. Lastly, create a chain of command so that if you aren’t available to make these decisions, someone else can.
3. Scheduled time off for office staff
Employees will soon start asking for time off and that is understandable because they have families, events, and bucket lists to check off too, just like you. Allow your staff to do so but give a deadline for them to book holiday time off and ask for everyone’s availability ahead of time so you can plan well.
4. Find and fix your business’s weak spots
Inspect your building for any vulnerabilities that might lead to structural damage. Make sure snow and ice are regularly removed from entryways, sidewalks, and roofs.
Check the equipment and systems that keep your business running, such as computers and manufacturing machinery. Do you need a backup generator when power outage happens? Is your insurance coverage adequate for any damages that might occur from a storm?
5. Business recovery and continuity plan
Figure out how you will keep the business running should a sudden interruption happen such as the aftermath of a disaster. Do you have a backup vendor and supplier in place if you rely on a certain vendor and a storm shuts down their regular delivery? Does your business support the capability for employees to work from home if they can’t get to your store for a week?
6. Brace for increased customer traffic
For small local shops, winter panic buying is common and it can be the craziest time of the year. Be prepared by hiring part-time holiday employees to assist your customers and cover the rush hours.
7. Prepare financially
Tighter budgets this season due to year-end bonuses, company parties, lower sales, annual donations to charities, etc. Start setting a small amount of money aside for these perks, or create a special account for it, so you know you can’t touch it.
Digital Marketing and Winter Season Survival Tips for Small Business Owners
8. Run a holiday sale or promotion
If you see you might be facing a slower sales period as the winter approaches, go for a holiday promotion and convince people that it’s going to be worth spending their money on what you’re offering. It can be a holiday discount, a limited time coupon, or a buy-one-get-one item. Then, get the word out that your company is offering deals!
9. Hire seasonal employees
Talking about promoting your brand, a social media virtual assistant can help keep your business running. Hiring a seasonal or part-time staff is a smart move if you only want to pay for the work you need on the days/weeks that you need it. And the cost of hiring an in-office employee can be a burden especially on a tighter budget.
It’s highly expected that we’ll have extra things on our plates, and your employees may be spending more time thinking and planning their own family gatherings—resulting in lowered productivity.
Virtual assistants or remote staff can be a great help if you need an extra hand to handle calls, chats, and emails from your customers.
10. Think creatively and repurpose your product
Now’s the time to think outside the box and focus on what else you can devise from your new and existing products and services. Find out what interests your audience the most and use your core strength to be included in the buzz.
Maybe that means designing a new product line, or spicing something up on your menu. For example, Fuzzy Babba creates Cold-Weather Socks and Slippers perfect for a cold winter’s day.
11. Holiday pop-up shop or website
Since people do more shopping during the holiday months than they do throughout the rest of the year, it’s the perfect time to redesign your website by having a holiday landing page for your visitors. Or, you can open up a temporary pop-up retail store for their favorite goods.
12. Other means to increase sales this winter
Generate more income by having some side business that is ideal for the cold weather and festive season. Coffee carts and hot beverage stands are always popular. You can put one up inside or outside your store.
When people shop for gifts, what do they need next that you can offer? Gift wrapping service! Offer to gift wrap their purchases with a greeting card—you can provide it for a small fee or for free for a minimum amount of purchase from your store.
13. Reach out to old and new customers
Send out greeting emails and winter-themed newsletters to your existing mailing lists and get first-time holiday shoppers to come back to your store. Reach out with a thank-you email showing your appreciation for their business and then entice them back with more items on sale.
14. Be flexible and adaptable
The truth is that just like seasons, markets change, people’s tastes evolve, and trends come and go. As a business owner, you need to be more flexible and ready to adapt, too, so you’re better positioned for success.
If you see more and more people are using mobile to buy, then make your website mobile-friendly. If your customers are hanging out on Facebook and Instagram, then get yourself a social media assistant.
15. Get your most profitable products on the spotlight
Selling higher-profit items can help make up for the fewer sales during this time of year. Give extra effort into these products, promote them or even advertise them on sites that will give you a high profit margin. Train your sales team to suggest them often on your business networks.
Did we miss anything? Which of these tips have you tried already? Now is a great time to build team spirit and get your staff in gear for any challenge that will come your way. We hope that this will be a great winter season for your business!
If you’re thinking about hiring part-time holiday virtual assistant to help with online marketing and customer service support, CALL US at 1-866-596-9041 and discover how our highly qualified and trained virtual assistants can help in your everyday tasks and objectives.
Virtual Assistant Talent is a top-notch virtual assistant staffing agency helping professionals from different industries such as the real estate, insurance, small business, coaching/consulting, and executive leadership.
Reference:
smallbiztrends.com
fundera.com
businessadvice.co.uk
