| If you need money quickly or want a surefire | | | | to hold tent sales, inventory clearance sales, |
| way to increase your cashflow, it's time to throw | | | | scratch and dent sales or close-out sales, so you |
| a sale.Take a look at what types of sales make | | | | can model that type of sale in your online |
| sense for you, get out your calendar, and | | | | business. In one of Tom Antion's workshops I |
| integrate them into your marketing plan. If you | | | | attended a few years ago, he talked about having |
| have a good sense of when cashflow is tight, a | | | | an inventory clearance tent sale and had a graphic |
| planned sale should significantly boost your | | | | of a red-striped tent that went out with his |
| revenue. Copyright 2006 Donna Gunter If you | | | | promotion. The great irony, he explained, is that |
| need money quickly or want a surefire way to | | | | he has no inventory because the items he had on |
| increase your cashflow, it's time to throw a sale. | | | | sale were all electronic downloads. However, it |
| Having a sale is especially easy to do if you've sell | | | | was one of the most popular sales he had held, |
| electronic information products (available as an | | | | as the concept of a tent sale is very familiar to |
| online download), as your overhead costs are | | | | the American consumer. 6. Across-the-board |
| very low once these products are created. | | | | discount or coupon sale. Give your contact list |
| However, a sale also works if you have physical | | | | 25% off or 50% off of everything you sell, or |
| products that have to be shipped, especially if you | | | | create a coupon code or special link for a sale on |
| want to get rid of older versions of a product | | | | certain items. You can make this coupon or |
| (cassette versions, for example), or if you have | | | | discount available exclusively to your VIP list, |
| slightly used products that have been returned (a | | | | whether that's your audience at a conference, |
| scratch and dent sale). There's one key rule to | | | | your email newsletter list, or your current client |
| remember for your sale -- make sure your | | | | base. Everyone feels special if they're on a VIP |
| audience is aware that the sale has a time limit on | | | | list! 7. Pre-release sale. Do you have a product |
| it. Many shopping cart programs permit you to | | | | that's almost ready to launch, a subscription |
| put an expiration date on price specials for | | | | membership site that's about to go live, or a |
| products. Here are 10 occasions for you to have | | | | printed book that's about to be issued? If so, give |
| a sale: 1. Special occasion sale. Your birthday, | | | | your list members the opportunity to buy it at a |
| children's birthdays, wedding anniversary, business | | | | special price before it's released to the public. |
| anniversary, half birthday, etc. are all occasions in | | | | Consumers want to be the first to have the |
| which you can have a sale. I constantly receive | | | | newest information, so give your list members |
| sale promotions commemorating the owner's | | | | first shot at your newest information. 8. BOGO |
| birthday or business anniversary. You can even | | | | sale (buy one, get one free). What works for |
| have a little fun with this and create your own | | | | Payless Shoes can work for you, as well. You can |
| special celebratory occasion -- your cat had | | | | offer a buy one, get one free for one of your |
| kittens, your child walked for the first time, your | | | | products, and pitch it so that if one of your |
| daughter lost her first tooth, you repainted your | | | | customers splits the costs with a friend, they'll |
| house.....you get the idea. 2. National holiday sale. | | | | each get a full product for 50% off the regular |
| Those of us in the US might plan for national US | | | | price. Or, they can give the additional copy to a |
| holidays like Labor Day, Independence Day, | | | | client or colleague. Another way to create a |
| Thanksgiving Day. All you need to do is consult | | | | BOGO offer is for all of your same-priced |
| the calendar and determine the national holidays in | | | | products, i.e. if you buy one for $29.99, you can |
| your country. One of my favorite sales I offered | | | | get any other product priced at $29.99 or less, |
| a few years ago was one on Independence Day | | | | for free! 9. Payment plan sale. I see so many |
| here in the US. I asked if my readers wanted | | | | furniture store ads proclaiming, "Interest-free |
| coaching to help them declare their independence | | | | financing! No payment until some date that's 2 |
| to do such things as finally starting that business | | | | years from now." If you have higher priced |
| of their dreams, change their career to something | | | | products, you can do the same thing. Offer to let |
| that gives them joy, creating a new marketing | | | | your customers divide payments over 3, 4, or |
| plan for their business that will get results, or | | | | more payments. Sophisticated shopping cart |
| reinventing themselves or their businesses. A | | | | programs will permit you to set up recurring billing, |
| great online resource to locate holidays around the | | | | so that your client's credit/debit card is charged |
| world is 3. Special event day sale. Do you realize | | | | automatically on the same day each month for |
| that there are special days to celebrate almost | | | | the appropriate number of occurrences. 10. |
| every occasion? In the month of October alone | | | | Tax-free or free shipping sale. If your state |
| there are Billiard Awareness Month, National | | | | requires you to collect sales tax on your products, |
| Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Celebrate Sun | | | | offer to pay the sales tax for your customers. |
| Dried Tomatoes Month, National Cookie Month, to | | | | Each August the State of Texas sets the first |
| name just a few. The book, Chase's Calendar of | | | | weekend of August as a "Tax-Free Weekend" |
| Events, is published annually with the current | | | | for clothing purchases in preparation for sending |
| dates for these special events. You can learn | | | | children back to school. You can create a similar |
| more about these days at You can even submit | | | | offering in your business, but you'll need to check |
| information to them for a day that you'd like | | | | with your state tax office on the legalities of |
| create! 4. Seasonal sale. Back-to-school sales are | | | | offering such a sale. Or, you can offer free |
| very popular, as are spring-cleaning sales, winter | | | | shipping if they buy before a deadline you've set, |
| stock-up sales, and "get ready for summer" sales. | | | | or if they buy a certain dollar amount from you. |
| Of course, if you have an international audience, | | | | Instead of standard shipping, you can also offer |
| those readers on the opposite end of the world | | | | to upgrade the shipping to express if they meet |
| from you may not be able to relate to getting | | | | certain buying conditions. Take a look at what |
| ready for summer when it's their winter season, | | | | types of sales make sense for you, get out your |
| so you might want to use these sparingly. 5. | | | | calendar, and integrate them into your marketing |
| Brick-and-mortar sales strategy. Believe it or not, | | | | plan. If you have a good sense of when cashflow |
| what works in the brick and mortar retail world | | | | is tight, a planned sale should significantly boost |
| also works online. It's very common for retailers | | | | your revenue. |