Guest post by Joanna Roche, Business Development Consultant for the spa industry

The end of the year should be one of best times for your business.  Are you ready?  Here are six ways to maximize your sales and help you plan for the new year.

1. First let’s do a check on your retail mindset; this area should not be the last thing you pay attention to, it should be the first.  This revenue stream should be something you are constantly looking to increase, not something you see as an afterthought.  Reframe – retail is an opportunity.

2. Staff Incentives – even if you do not have a formal incentive plan in place (that’s a whole other conversation) December is a great month to incentivize employees to sell more and tie it to an immediate reward.  For example – measure your sales from the last several Decembers, determine your average percentage of growth, budget for that growth and add a team based incentive.  So if I have 5 people on the team – receptionists, therapists, retail clerks and I am sharing with them that my goal is to sell 25% more than I did last December and that goal is based on the average growth in the same month over the past few years.

Here’s my program – if we can beat that 25% and make it 30% I will give you each a $50 gift card, a massage, a bottle of wine.  You can make it conditional to team performance – i.e. everyone has to be on time this month for their shifts.  Of course in the end this is designed to create enthusiasm and a team effort, and even if they fall short, know that you have the discretion to reward them.  Most importantly, is that you have incentivized them to grow beyond what you would expect, critical thinking in terms of setting expectations.

3. Gift Cards – this may be a no-brainer, but you should be marketing gift cards (certificates) to your customer base.  Make it fun, offer a personal reward to them for buying for friends – i.e. if you spend $250 on gift cards, and get a free product for yourself. Reward Customers – make your loyal customers feel special.  Offer them a discount in December – 15% off for the month on all retail purchases.  Offer them free wrapping.  Thank them for their business; a very simple act of goodwill goes a long way.

4. Sell What You Know – review your inventory.  Are you selling what you should?  Look in your treatment rooms or your locker rooms – sheets, towels, robes, blankets, candles all make great gifts.  Especially if you have the kind your guests frequently comment about.  Work with your vendors, they will be more than happy to support you.

5. Events – celebrate the season.  Have a champagne shopping brunch, a trunk show, a men’s night, bring in special vendors for a limited engagement, do a pop-up-store, partner with like-minded businesses.  Get creative, create buzz, and sell more.

6. Communication – none of these things will work unless you talk about them.  Your internal audience is as important as your external audience.  Share your goals with your staff, involve them, and trust them to help you.  Share what makes your retail special with your customers, tell them about special offers, give them gifts (gwp’s, special discounts, events), and show your appreciation for their business all year long.

When the month ends, make sure you look at what worked and what didn’t.  Involve your staff, they may have great insight.  You have a whole new year ahead of you to improve and grow, keep at it.