Unbuckle your belt and get comfy on the couch. This week’s roundup features the most delectable holiday articles for your savvy sales consumption. Before you let the tryptophan take over your brain, enjoy a little sales dessert to keep you and your sales team rip-roaring through the busiest season of the year.
Can Small Shops Survive Big Retail’s Black Friday Month? (Forbes)
Writer Carol Tice talks about the uptick in big chain Thanksgiving preview sales and how they will potentially affect small businesses. She highlights struggling movements like #DineLocal and Small Business Saturday and how they are being drowned out by a sea of early red and green big businesses.
5 Strategies to Ramp Up Customer Engagement For the Holidays (ICC Decision Services)
ICCDS Vice President of Operations, Nanette Brown highlights several ways to keep in contact with shoppers over the holiday season, including person-to-person events, social media outreach, and gamifying the shopping experience. This is a great article for sales professionals trying to boost their 4th quarter numbers.
Is Black Friday Obsolete? It Just Might Be (Small Biz Trends)
Rieva Lesonsky explores new research from Deloitte that shows less than half of consumers are planning on taking advantage of Black Friday sales. In addition, 68% of the respondents planned on shopping locally. Lesonsky also shares some great marketing messages you and your team can use to beat the Black Friday rap.
4 Keys to Improving Holiday Inventory Management (Retail Online Integration)
In this article, Direct Tech, Inc. President and Founder Craig Harding discusses four main considerations for e-commerce sales managers and multichannel retailers during the holiday season. He explains how accurate information, managing in-demand items, quick decision-making, and understanding inventory can impact your sales from Nov. 1 to Dec. 15.
Work Productivity Tips for a Guilt-Free Holiday (Red Booth)
Writer Kim Booth shares seven helpful productivity tips for sales managers who want to spend their Thanksgiving without the shadow of work hanging overhead. She suggests sharing holiday schedules, delegating, prioritizing, and automating tasks. This is a great 5-minute read to remind yourself of the basics.
5 Tips for Using Credit Wisely to Boost Holiday Sales (Entrepreneur)
Want a way to set your sales business apart on Black Friday? Use credit wisely and with a goal. Steve Allocca, VP of Global Credit at PayPal, encourages managers to provide installment plans, credit during online sale checkout, and using your credit to purchase additional holiday inventory.
Black Friday Science: What Researchers Say About America’s Post-Thanksgiving Shopping Spree (Huffington Post)
Writer David Freeman highlights interesting research from Winthorp University about the evidence of elevated oxytocin levels in women who participate in Black Friday sales events. This is an interesting article for sales professionals who are considering including a Black Friday event, especially if their primary demographic is women.
Marketing Tips for Your Best Holiday Sales Ever (SocialMediaToday)
Brett Relander, founder of Launch & Hustle, suggests several technology-forward marketing ideas for this season. With a combination of social media, mobile-friendly deals, carefully crafted email subject lines, and educational videos, your sales team can see dramatic improvements in your holiday profits.
6 Tips for Holiday Reputation Management (Business 2 Community)
In a recent Weber Shandwick paper, researchers found that brand reputation accounts for a majority of buying decisions. Writer Jean Dion goes on to highlight several ways your sales team can create a positive brand image, including increasing staff, monitoring social media channels, and creating brand-friendly content.
Managing Staff Holidays During Peak Holiday Season (BusinessWings.co.uk)
Every sales manager knows that the holidays are the worst time to figure out how to give employees time off. Fortunately, this article from Andy Berrow gives some great, actionable advice about specific things you can do to make sure everyone gets their time off without leaving your sales staff high and dry.
What Do You Think?
From managing your holiday stress levels to considering your Black Friday sales strategy, these articles are sure to keep your brain occupied while your stomach is busy digesting. Are there posts or research that you think we should have included in this week’s digest? Share them with us in the comments below. We love to know what you’re reading to prep for your busy Black Friday events.