Did you offer a Black Friday promotion and get less than lackluster results? Perhaps it was your first time and you are totally disappointed that no one purchased. Or you have tried Black Friday sales before but are still not seeing the numbers you want.
Let’s take a deep dive. After receiving way too many Black Friday/Shop Small Biz Saturday/Cyber Monday emails, I noticed a few trends. Also I gained a few insights from my own promotions.
So let’s not suffer in silence. Let’s review some possibilities about what might be going on behind the scenes.
Especially if you are a newbie or an early adopter to selling online.
So watch the video or read the three bullets below. Because we need to lower your alcohol bills this weekend
If
Applaud if you actually LAUNCHED a Black Friday promotion
Be crystal clear. I am not the type that believes everyone deserves a trophy because they showed up. No, prizes go only to winners.
But if you launched the campaign, that makes you a winner. Because unlike the masses of “wantpreneurs“, you took action. It takes ALOT of work to figure out :
- What product or service to offer
- Your pricing
- How to set up the online shopping cart
- What the heck is a landing page?
- How to market the message to your community
Each one of those activities might take 2-3 hours of research. And another 10-15 hours of setting up the campaign – Buying software. Installing. Working out the kinks. Testing ideas. Screaming at the computer at 1am when it doesn’t work.
So do a happy dance. You finally got the promotion online. I applaud you for your hard work. The next time will be easier.
Focus more on the lifetime customer value vs. a one day win
A few years ago, I needed an oil change. Usually oil changes are quick and easy repairs.
As I was leaving, one of the shop mechanics rammed into my front bumper. It was an accident. He was rushing and did not look as he went into reverse. I wasn’t hurt. But I was quite annoyed after I spoke to the dealer. The dealer didn’t want to take responsibility and thought I should pay for the damage.
That was corrected after he watched his own video footage.
After the repairs and the hassle, I have NEVER returned and will HAPPILY tell everyone about the experience.
The dealer could have owned up to the mistake. I was more annoyed than mad when it happened. But I did believe that an apology and complete repair would have fixed things. (And if you are wondering, I had to take my car to another shop to have it properly painted).
But in the end, the dealer lost. I’m going to spend THOUSANDS in the lifetime of the car for maintenance and repairs.
At another dealer.
You want to have this long term view when thinking about sales with your company.
Don’t stress over the one time wins or losses. Yes, I understand you need to keep your lights on. Yes, I understand you are in business to make a profit.
But focus more on the lifetime spending of your customers.
- Did the sales promotion showcase a new product that they might be interested in at a future date?
- Is it just bad timing?
- Is there another product that they really want and they are just waiting until you release it?
Even if you didn’t earn the sales you wanted, you got data. You were building a relationship with your customers. Keep focusing on the relationship. Keep digging and listening to what they want. Don’t stress over this one time moment. Ask them questions about what they want.
And find another way to scratch their itch.
Test. Test and Test some more
This last suggestion is worthy of its own post.
Well, actually its own course.
Because testing is high on the list for entrepreneurs who want more sales.
You have to figure out first what your customer wants.
- Not what you want to sell
- Not what you heard someone else is making money on
- Not what you think will work.
Focus on what your people want.
When you embrace this, you’ll remove your hurt feelings and keep creating offers until you hit the jackpot
Start by removing what you want from the table. Listen more intently to your customer needs. Are they opening your emails but not clicking through? Are they visiting your social media pages when you post wins or sales?
Pull a few customers aside. Ask them for their honest feedback. What do they need from you? What did/do they like about your business? What do they wish would change?
Don’t worry about 1 or 2 people tell you. But if you starting hearing 10 or 20 people repeating the same information – it might give you a clue about what products or services that they really want.
And where the gaps are in your sales and promotions.
This will support you long term. You’ll gain HUGE insights into what people really need rather than just a one time sales hit.
So let me inspire you to keep testing more offers. Make sure you are doing it with a genuine heart that wants to serve and educate your people.
And you’ll get much closer to figuring out how to increase your sales with the next offer you make!
Still stressing over how to get more sales in your company? I’m going to host a special event for entrepreneurs on my email list to help them solve this problem. So join today!!
