The New Year is a significant time of year, especially for business owners. Lots of people make New Year’s resolutions, but the start of a new year is also an opportunity to make a “fresh start” for your small business as well!
New Year Sales Tips
Here are a few sales tips for your small business, inspired by the New Year:
Refresh Your Small Business Marketing
Just like many people use the New Year as a chance to refresh their personal appearance (new haircut, new outfits) or improve their personal wellness by going to the gym, the New Year is a great time to refresh and refurbish your small business marketing. For example, now that the holidays are over, it’s a great opportunity to reach out to some existing clients who you haven’t heard from in awhile. You might have some new business opportunities waiting for you with current customers who were out of the office during the holidays or who weren’t thinking about business – but now that the new year is up and running, people are going to be focused on business again, and that means more opportunities for you.
Make a Special Offer for New Year’s Resolutions
Try to connect your marketing to the spirit of the season – just because the holidays are over doesn’t mean your marketing can’t be “seasonal.” For example, if you sell to consumers, consider offering some special “New Year’s resolution helper” deals that are focused on people who are trying to improve their lives this year. If you run a wine store, offer a special “treat yourself to better wine this year” wine tasting. If you sell massage therapy services, encourage your busy parent customers to treat themselves to a relaxing massage “after going to the gym.” If you run a photography studio, offer family portrait sessions to remind people to “make more memories this year.” There are lots of ways to tie your product or service into a New Year’s resolution-related special offer that resonates with your customers during this unique time of year.
Make New Friends
One of the most exciting aspects of starting a new year is the opportunity to connect with new people and make new friends. As business owners, sometimes it’s easy to fall into a bit of a rut as the years go by – we’re all busy, we tend to socialize with the same circles, and our network gets a bit stale. So this year, make a point of doing something new to make new friends, meet new contacts, and expand your network – online and in real life. One of the most important characteristics of successful small business owners is that they have strong personal and professional networks; they never feel truly “alone” because they have great people who know them and believe in them. Your network is perhaps your most valuable asset as a business owner – so this year, invest in growing your network.
Learn Something New
The promise of a new year is that it can be a time of learning and growth – and being a business owner is all about being a lifelong learner. Use the New Year as an opportunity to deliberately learn something new that will help your business, whether it’s signing up for business coaching or a marketing course or sales training or learning a new language. The season of New Year’s resolutions should be an occasion for all of us to reflect upon what we are doing with our lives as another year begins – time passes quickly, so let’s make the most of it by continuing to invest in our own skills and professional development as business people. There’s always something new to learn, and today’s business owners have more resources at their fingertips than ever before.
Lots of people joke about New Year’s resolutions or act like it’s hopeless to even try to change – think of all those abandoned New Year’s diets and unused gym memberships. However, as business owners, we have an opportunity to beat the odds – because we can use the New Year as a chance to be a bit more disciplined, more driven, and more connected to the wider world that we serve. Let this New Year be a source of inspiration to find new customers, make more sales, and get better at what you do for a living.
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