9 ways to deal with a post-Black-Friday "sales slump"

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They came, they shopped, they.... spent all of their money.

I'm hearing so many business owners say "Shoot, I offered a great Black Friday sale, and now I'm not sure I'm going to sell ANYTHING for months!"

Or they're saying "Crap, all of my hottest leads are falling through. Everyone's saying money is tight, and they'll reach back out in a few months."

Listen, bestie. It's only temporary. We go through these kinds of cycles ALL year long. I want you to take a huge, deep breath. It's going to be okay!

And at the same time, spinning your wheels and stressing ALL the way out for the next month isn't going to do ANYBODY any favors. So let's talk about what you CAN do right now to deal with slow sales either as a result of a natural ebb following a promotional period you ran, or because your potential clients spent all of their money on Uggs and iPhones!

So read on, relax, and keep rocking, soulful CEO:

1. Shift to seasonal messaging

It might be time for a messaging refresh if you've been positioning your offers the same way all year round. Why might December be the PERFECT time for them to get started? What are they thinking about, stressing about, and feeling this month, and how can your offer help make life easier for them right away? Think about what's coming up on their calendars: the end of the year, the holidays, wanting to start fresh in 2024. Think about what's stressing them out: shorter days, more time with people who bring out their angry inner teenagers, money flying out the door with all the gifts they have to buy, cold and flu season... the works! Go ahead and brainstorm for 10 minutes about what your peeps have on their minds right now, and think about how you might be able to position your offering as something that could help them NOW (only if it actually could! Stay ethical, kings and queens). Then send a few emails to your warmest leads specifically speaking to this.

2. Create a seasonal offer

Now that you've thought about what your people are dealing with, is there a low-lift way to create a specific offer just to help them tackle these challenges in a short-term way? Think about creating something high reward but low risk that they could engage with just to help them over these super-specific seasonal humps. You can include season-specific bonuses or fixtures in the offer that help them solve these "crap, I need help with this yesterday" challenges that pop up with gusto this time of year. Maybe it's even just a one-off workshop, or an on-demand training, or something to prepare them for 2024. Ask your people what feels most present and pressing for them right now, and see how you can help!

3. Create a time sensitive bonus

If creating a new offer feels like a "hard no" for you right now, consider adding a seasonal bonus to an existing offer that will expire 12/31/23, and message it as such. Make sure it's something high value enough that would actually make someone consider starting now rather than later. Maybe it's extra 1:1 time with you, a special audit, or an extra piece of the puzzle done FOR them (even if you have to outsource this!) Ask yourself "what extra sparkle of value would be REALLY juicy and special for my clients?"

4. Create a special payment plan

If more folks than usual are saying "I just can swing it right now," consider offering them an extended payment plan! If it makes the difference between getting them started now and having them wait six more months, it could be SO beneficial to both of you to offer this. (Six more months of struggling with the thing you can help them with? No thanks!) I know a lot of folks will say to never offer a payment plan that extends beyond the duration of the service, but here's my take: in my experience, a VERY small percentage of people default on their payment plans. Better to make an offer more accessible to more folks and deal with the tiny handful of people who won't pay as one-offs, than to shut out a whole group of people just because you're worried about people defaulting!

5. Offer a trial (if appropriate for your biz model)

If your offers allow, see if you can incentivize folks to get started on a trial basis, where they don't have to commit to any lengthy contracts. Give them a chance to take your offer for a test ride and see how it feels for them. Maybe until the end of the year, they can try out your offer with no obligation to continue (have the payments automatically cancel at year end, or break out a single month of payment that doesn't auto-renew).

 6. Bundle your great stuff

If you have two complementary offers, now could be an amazing time to offer them bundled together for a reduced price. Message it as a holiday bundle, a gift for yourself, or a way to kickstart 2024 the right way. Make sure these two offers are suitable for the SAME person, because it won't be compelling unless both offers are something they'd want independently of the other.

7. Create a giftable option

"Send this to your partner and let them know it's what you want for Christmas/Hanukkah this year!" Again, not every business model will allow for this, but can you create a giftable offer like a service or a workshop or a series that can be gifted? Let your audience know EXACTLY who this gift is perfect for so they don't have to scratch their heads. "Hey, have you got a busy entrepreneur in your life and want to get them something that will support their business goals in 2024? Book them a Business Human Design reading with me!"

8. Focus on top of funnel stuff

Pssst.... it's okay if your sales end up being slower this month! Now's a great time to work on building up your top-of-funnel audience: do some pro-bono guest teaching, guest podcasting, offer a free Masterclass or seasonal workshop, and work on getting in front of NEW eyeballs and audiences. If you're new to the paid ads game and haven't tested and optimized your campaigns yet, this is going to be the most expensive time of year to figure out what works and what doesn't, so I'd focus on organic strategies until after Christmas if I were you!

9. CHILL OUT

There's another option here, folks. Ready for it? Put on your out of office! Drive to your friends' houses and make cookies all day! Go make snow angels and forget all of your troubles! Your business will still be here on January 1, so if you're feeling called to just dip out and enjoy an extended holiday, DO YOU. You need that precious rest because 2024 is going to be big!

I'd love to hear from you - which of these are you going to try?!

Xo,

Kelly