The holiday shopping season has officially started! With Black Friday and Thanksgiving in the rear view mirror, the real holiday gift giving and buying has now begun. With that. I'd like to arm you with a few tips for improving your holiday sales for services, retail and gift certificates. Use these suggestions immediately, share them with your colleagues and re-cycle each gift oriented season

Today's Tip - Make Gift Certificates available and easy for clients to buy! Make sure your clients are aware that you sell gift certificates in-house and online. Try to remember and ask every client that comes to your spa or business if they need to purchase gift certificates for the holidays. Do this in the same way you would ask them if they would like to reschedule their next appointment or buy another package of sessions or classes. This practice is very common during the holidays and your clients will most likely not be upset by the question. Think about your last visit to McDonald’s. Were you upset when they asked you if you wanted fries with your burger or if you wanted a combo meal? This is really no different and a much better gift than a Big Mac. 
 

Here's a sample script I use when teaching this technique to front desk professionals.  

 

You: “How was your massage today, Jennifer?”

Client: “My massage was great.”

You: “Well I am so glad you enjoyed it? Would you like to schedule another appointment with Mary or for another service while you’re here?”

Client: “Sure. Can I get a 90 Minute Hot Stone Massage next Friday at 2pm?”

You: Absolutely. I’ve got you down. Do you need any gift certificates today?”

Client: “Now that you mention it, I do want to give something to my daughter’s soccer coach for the holidays. Let me get a $50 gift certificate.
You: “Here is your certificate, Jennifer. Let me also give you a flyer with all of our new packages on it.
Client: “Wow that looks great. I’m definitely going to tell my husband about the Forty and Fabulous package so that he can get it for me this year.”

 

When clients are unable to decide on their purchase or aren’t ready to buy a certificate at the time of checkout, let them know that they can purchase them online 24/7. You can also direct clients who call in for information to the web site for a complete listing of all services and packages available as well as to purchase online gift certificates. 

Need help getting set up with online gift certificates? Click here now and you'll be on your way to selling gift cards online at no up-front cost. TheGiftCardCafe.com also offers cost saving options for higher volume businesses that sell a large amount of gift cards. Whatever the size of your business, set-up is super simple, quick and virtually painless. And you're sure to increase your gift certificate sales just by having your web store "open" 24-7!