It is that time of year again when shopping becomes important on a personal level. Black Friday heralds the time period that retail stores run in the black instead of the red. If you are a service business how does this affect you?
If you do not offer gift certificates, then if you offer a wellness service, coaching service or consulting service you may want to consider doing so. Send out an email to your clients to remind them there is still time for them to make the purchase. For the gift certificate itself, think about cardstock for a nice presentation with an envelope to match. In addition, keep track of what you sell and respect Massachusetts laws that allow for a 7 year expiration date.
You may be thinking how you have gotten great deals on Groupon and Living Social. Offering discounts with these companies can help your business, but remember you are entering a contract. This should be reviewed by an attorney so you understand your responsibilities. You want to make sure there is a shorter expiration date on any of your offerings and if it is not used, then the amount can be applied to another service (just not at a discounted rate). With Groupon the hope is that you will keep the client, but there is a low retention rate since many Groupon and Living Social shoppers are looking for the next, best deal.
True North Business Consulting does not offer gift certificates, but we do have books for Health & Wellness Professionals and Contractors along with a DVD program that make great gifts!
The Business Guidebook for Contractors along with a new edition of The Business Guidebook for Health & Wellness Professionals are offered at Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions. Both Business Guidebooks are filled with business information that is easy to understand and to follow with worksheets to show you the steps involved. We are also offering A Business Program for Health & Wellness Professionals on DVD! All available on Amazon. FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY! If you purchase through the links above then you will receive $5.00 OFF using the following code: ZP682PK9.
For those unfamiliar with Alternative Dispute Resolution, or ADR and want to know more about it so that you can use it in your business, then I have created a course with Udemy (an academy of you). The first 50 people receive $10 off, that is half price, but it is only for a limited time so take advantage NOW to learn about using the processes negotiation, mediation and arbitration in an hour. Use code 10OFFADR at UDEMY.