For many of you, December is the biggest sales month of the year.

Most likely, though, you've a lot going on in both your spa business and your personal life. So, it can be really easy to let December get away from you, and by the time you close your doors on the 24th you often feel like a hot mess.

If you want to get through December intact, be able to enjoy your own holiday and be profitable, you need to create a system for your December sales and opportunities. You also want to be able to repeat the system in January to leverage your sales in the slower months.  

The step-by-step plan to leverage holiday sales & opportunities:

Start your promotional planning now. 

• Review last year's sales (service & retail) – Are the results worth repeating? Repeat what works, ditch what doesn't.

• Take advantage of vendor holiday offers, but don't over order! Take a look at last years promotions and how they sold.

• Package up some of your current retail products for decor & impulse buys – A little cello and ribbon around a cleanser and a moisturizer are great quick yeses for those clients who need an impulsive buy. Plus it adds to your spa decor for the season!

• Online gift certificate sales are a time lifesaver – Sell gift certificates while you work with clients or on your days off? These options if you don't offer these yet are spaboom and vigaro. 

• Give January bounce-back coupon for December clients – This is a great way to get those clients back in the spa when things slow down in January. Make sure to add that the coupon is good with a minimum purchase and for January only. 

• Keep December simple! - Refrain from offering too many service or retail specials. When consumers are offered too many choices, you’re distracting them from purchasing. You can certainly have one or two special treatment features, but your buyers want S I M P L E gift giving solutions - that would be your dollar amount gift certificates so the recipient has flexibility to choose any service they wish.

Review last year's schedule.

If you were overbooked and exhausted by December 24th last year, you need to re-think your schedule - then stick to it. Don't burn yourself or your staff out this month - this is a great way to lose sales opportunities in December. Instead, train your staff and clients to pre-book so that they are not calling last minute asking you to squeeze them in.

And whatever you do…don’t squeeze clients into an already full schedule. As a spa leader, this is where you need to walk your talk about self-care and healthy boundaries.

Create your December marketing content now.

If you’re struggling to get your marketing ready for the holidays, I’ve mapped out your action steps and due dates below so you’re taking full advantage of the sales opportunities at your spa!

Week of November 11th – Create your December email marketing now. I know you dislike writing, so here’s a pro-copywriting tip to help that go a little smoother. Write your rough draft, 2nd draft and final drafts on different days this week so you’re coming back to it with fresh eyes each time. But that means you’ll need to be organized with your time this week to make sure it’s finished & scheduled by the 18th so you can move on to other tasks.

• Write & schedule your Dec 1st holiday kick off email outlining your promotions, retail pairings and holiday spa hours.

• Write & schedule a follow-up reminder email between Dec 10th – 15th. This email should have any last minute appointment availability and definitely a reminder about online gift certificates with a hotlink to your gift certificate page. Don’t forget to include a gratitude note from you and the team!

Week of November 18th - Curate 9 social media post for December & schedule.

Creating your social media content in batches is a total timesaver! Below are ideas for posting 3x/week on your social accounts. Find your images, create your copy & schedule in Facebook or Instagram.

• 3 Educational - holiday self care, winter skin tips, wow ingredients for winter skin

• 3 Promotional - pre-book you appointments, holiday service offer, holiday retail offers

• 3 Engagement - 1 gratitude, 1 funny, 1 inspiration 

Week of November 25th - Book a staff meeting to make sure your team knows exactly what the workflow will be for this month. Here’s what should be on your agenda to discuss and find solutions for:

• The spa holiday hours

• Will you need your part-time staff to work extra hours?

• Share holiday retail features and service offers so they can engage in in-spa conversations about promotions.

• Discuss anything that could disrupt December workflow (based on last years experience). What is the backup plan if someone is sick or you are fully booked out?

Being a hot mess on December 25th usually happens because you don’t have a system to manage the extra client flow during the holiday season.

Is this the last year you’re willing to be a hot mess on December 24th? Great!! Contact me and we can chat about which systems your need in your spa business needs and if we’d be a good fit working together!