Have You Started Thinking About Holiday Promotions?

Following up on my Oct. 17 post last week, if you’re hoping to capture some of this year’s holiday spending, you’d better get moving with a strategic sales plan. Here are some ideas to help you get moving and boost your dealership’s holiday income.

Timing

• Try a “12 Weeks of Christmas Specials” promotion. (Of course, this won’t work now with eight weeks till Santa arrives, but you get the gist.)

• How about a “12 Gifts of Christmas” promo? Start by offering two or three specially priced gifts and add another to the list until all 12 are revealed. This gives you reason to contact customers to announce each gift addition.

• A “Countdown to Christmas” promo. Divide the days till Christmas into equal numbers and change the specially priced Christmas items, i.e. the 30 Days till Christmas Special Deal, 20 Days to Christmas Deal, and so on. Each change presents a new item and reason to notify your customer/prospect list.

• A “Daily Deal” promo. For a dealer that doesn’t have a full-time IT person, daily frequency can be accomplished by sending customers a list of the upcoming specials for the week. Emphasize that each deal is for the one day only.

• A “Holiday Flash sale.” Flash mobs are in vogue, why not a flash sale? Periodically announce to customers that a Holiday Flash Sale features specially priced gift items, but only for a very limited time. If it’s for Saturday and Sunday only, communicate that to create urgency to buy before the deal ends.

• The “Elite Promo.” Here’s one for your select list of biggest-spending customers. Offer this exclusive group high-end, specially discounted gift ideas for the captain, first mate, crew, etc. This allows you to push high-price-point items.

The Deals

• Every department — sales, service, accessories, parts — should be included in some part of the holiday sales plan. Each should bring ideas to the planning table, and the most enticing and viable ones should be selected to anchor the promotions. The service department, for example, could offer discounts or package significant extras on certain maintenance services.

• The accessories and the parts departments have a wide range of options to offer discounts. But the discounts must be notable and the items must be in demand or it’s not going to bring in business.

• The sales department has wide latitude, too. Holiday discounts on certain models could get a prospect to move. Package electronics, future service, water toys, dockage or storage for Christmas eve delivery to the customer’s house (with a big red bow, of course).

• Don’t forget gift cards. For the boater or angler, a gift card could be the best gift, and for the supplier, there is no need to discount.

The Delivery

It’s paramount that special offers specify whether they’re in-store only or an online/phone ship-to-customer deal. And it’s critical this be clear when communicating with customers. Everyone on staff who may be involved in the fulfillment process needs to be aware of the details. There would be nothing worse than having to apologize because the promo wasn’t handled as promised.

The dealership team can have some fun deciding on the specials. And once the items, timing and deals are set, cheerfully communicating with customers with a ho-ho-ho holiday message can make your register ring silver bells.