Is Your Business Ready for Christmas?
You would expect most businesses to be ready for this time of year, but it’s amazing how fast time slips away, and you find yourself in the season to be jolly.
For some, Christmas is a welcome time of year, being the busiest time and bringing in bonus revenue, while for others it can be the quietest time of year as all eyes are fixed on the new year to come.
Whichever one it is for you, you must be ready either way.
If Christmas is a quiet time for your business, be sure to tighten your belts and make no unnecessary purchases that could potentially make your Christmas period a little tougher. Also, don’t forget that some of you will be paying your tax return at the end of January so you will need to save funds for that.
If, however Christmas is a busy time for your business then preparation is key. You need to ask yourself questions to ascertain if you are prepared. Do I have time? Do I have enough staff? And more importantly do I have enough product? Christmas can be a welcome time of year, but do you have the resources to handle the demand and the day to day running of the business.
Do You Have Enough Staff?
Staffing can be an issue and you need to have a plan in place to make sure you have the manpower to deal with your busiest time of year. Inevitably your staff will want to take some time off at Christmas which won’t help, so hiring some temporary staff may be a solution, but be sure you are ready for the additional cost and training this will bring. You will of course will have to insure your temporary staff as well which can apply more pressure.
Sometimes the best solution is to shut up shop. Closing at Christmas isn’t uncommon and can be a much easier way to deal with this period, especially if the cost of hiring temporary staff will outweigh the revenue you expect to get in the Christmas period. Any potential losses you will suffer can be made up with careful planning in the new year.
Marketing at Christmas
There is nothing better than some well thought out Christmas Marketing to give your business that well-earned boost. The festive season provides plenty of opportunity to have a well thought out themed campaign to maximise your chances of extra revenue.
Plan your campaign early and pick what is right your business.
Enough Stock?
If you have a website, make sure that you make it clear on there that you have plenty of stock to deal with the Christmas period. Also put your customers mind at ease by insuring that delivering their purchases will happen before the big day and make sure you live up to that promise.
If you do that and make the whole shopping process as smooth as possible then you will have happy shoppers and excellent feedback for your business. Have a comment section on your website so your customers can express their delight in your business.
Don’t put everything off to the new year
Come November and December, many businesses adopt the attitude of leaving everything to the New Year. Why not start planning early so that when your competitors slowly awake from their festive slumber, you have already hit the ground running. Use the festive period to gain a competitive advantage by finishing important tasks before you break.
Enjoy Yourself!
Tis the season to be jolly. When you are in business the customer does come first. But with early careful planning you will ensure a smooth fruitful Christmas period which will allow you to enjoy the festive season with limited stress. A happy business owner breeds happy staff breeds delighted customers.