What to sell during the holiday season - from Black Friday to New Year's Specials

Thinking about the holiday season and all the end of year festivities, you could believe that it’s going to be the worst time in your business… or you could believe it’s going to be the best. 

In this episode, I want to help you reprogram how you think about the festive season from a business income perspective. Because if you believe that nobody is going to buy your offerings during the holidays, then that’s exactly what’s going to happen. I’m encouraging you today to choose to believe that something different is available to you. 

I always kill it during December and January, especially Black Friday sales. It’s always been this way for me because I refuse to believe that things will die down financially! I’m talking today about removing the stress of low income during these months, and looking at your projections from a whole new paradym. 

In this episode, I’m riffing on all things end of year from Black Friday, Boxing Day to New Years and sharing some cool ideas of what to sell during this festive season. Whatever you do, it has to feel good and expansive for you. It could be a special package, a credit towards another program, adding an extra course to encourage more sales. It’s amazing what you can come up with when you brainstorm.

There is so much money flying around during the gift giving season, so why wouldn’t it be any different for coaches and entrepreneurs? This season is an amazing opportunity for you to get creative, build out your recurring revenue streams, and feel sovereign in your business. 

After listening, I hope you feel so inspired with fresh ideas and the permission to go big and enjoy the energy of selling. 

LINKS

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WTF is Customer Lifetime Value? The reason why I keep making moolah without launching

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Transcript

[00:00:00] Ruby: Okay. I have a question for you guys. When you think about holiday season, the year end festivities, whatever it is heading into the end of the year when it comes to your business, do you believe that it's about to be the worst couple of months income-wise in the whole year? Or do you believe it's going to be the best.

[00:00:36] Couple of months of the whole year income-wise, and it's one of those questions that I feel if it's not asked in this way, there are certain subconscious presumptions made around November, December, January, and maybe even into early February. So take a minute. What are your beliefs around this time of year?

[00:01:03] And I'll tell you this, I've had too many conversations this week, which has frustrated the hell out of me and it's inspired me to create this little moment, I was gonna say talking to, but that sounds really harsh. Maybe that's what you need. Maybe that is the thing that will come out today. But I've literally just come out of a, a voxer chat with one of my clients and to ad lib she's just finished off a sales period. She's done a promotion for something that she's launching, and it wasn't a very good launch and. Basically crying. She proclaimed out loud words are spells as we know that that's it. She's fucked it up. She's not gonna make what she wanted to make this year.

[00:01:54] It's over. It's done. There is absolutely no way of getting to her [00:02:00] goal. For whatever reason, that last launch didn't do so well, and nobody buys her stuff in November, December, and certainly not January. Everybody's going to sleep. Everybody can't be bothered buying anything anymore, and the shop is shut, and so it is.

[00:02:20] And honestly, if you believe that, then that's exactly what is going to happen during the holiday season and into the new year. However, if you choose to believe that something different is available to you, then let's stick around and have a chat to that. If you are fully tuned into the frequency of it's done, my business is closing over the end of year, maybe you are just tired. Maybe

[00:02:42] you're honestly just over it, and you're just done and you're okay with not earning anything between now and the new year period, then great. But this episode is really about all things from Black Friday to Boxing Day, to the new Year, et cetera. I wanna talk about some ideas. I don't even really know what will come through, but I know that some really cool ideas will come through about what to sell.

[00:03:07] I wanna riff on how the end of year is always the most abundant for us. We always kill it during Black Friday sales, we always do amazingly over December, January is often one of our highest, like in the top, I would say in the top three months of the year for us sales wise. And it's always been this way because for me, I just refuse to believe that we would go through kind of like a dark period financially or that we wouldn't earn anything and

[00:03:37] it just doesn't feel good to me to not have anything coming through the business period. But it also doesn't feel like a match to me to believe that over the next three months everything's gonna sort of quiet and down and die down, and that we won't have any income because I'm also choosing to take a holiday.

[00:03:52] So this is actually really important to note as well, just because I'm expecting one of our highest months to come through [00:04:00] over the next two to three months. It also doesn't mean that it's the highest workload either. In fact, zero workload because I'm taking four to six weeks off coaching, but I'm still gonna be making the highest amount of sales that I'm expecting in the business for

[00:04:15] this next period of time. Listen to that again if you need to, because there is some serious reprogramming that is happening in this episode. I know that we are going to be jamming on some things that perhaps your own energetic system really needs to hear, really needs to be open to. So let's go. The holiday season is in full swing.

[00:04:38] Right. And what are you doing during the holiday season when it comes to money, income spending, gifting, sharing in all the joys in buying things? What are you doing? Maybe there's some of you who are listening in going, you know what, I just don't participate and I don't partake. Me and my family, we just don't gift each other during this season.

[00:04:58] Awesome. That's great. Like we also had an agreement with my family unit on Michael's side cuz it's bigger than on my side cuz literally it's just me, . But on his side he's got, you know, brothers and sisters, we've got nephews and nieces, we've got all the things and so on Mike side of the family, we decided that we would do like a secret Santa and just buy one gift per person.

[00:05:21] So that worked out really well cuz it starts to get nuts. You know, family starts to procreate. Ew, why did I say that? I don't even like that word. Oh, gross. Anyway, I don't know. You know how there are some words that just make you scrunch your nose up? That's literally, if you see me on YouTube, you'll see that.

[00:05:40] I'm like, Ew, I don't like that word. It just sounds really, Hmm. Anyway, Ruby, it's science. It's your body. You have children get over it. Anyway, to the point. We are spending, we are creating goodness in the economy. We are sharing in the joy of whether it be obligatory, [00:06:00] gifting, or generous gifting. There is a lot of money flying around this period of time, and yet why do we think as coaches that it just isn't gonna happen for us or as service based entrepreneurs, that it's just the end of times,

[00:06:13] Why do we believe that if we're selling a product online that you have to heavily, heavily discount and therefore it's probably not worth it and you'd rather shut shop. Coaches, whoever you are, an entrepreneur that's listening into this episode. If you are choosing to take a break during the holidays, good on you, but there's no need to also believe that you can't sell during this time period.

[00:06:33] I'm definitely taking weeks off and I've actually found that there is a majority of my audience and people that I work with my clients, who actually believe that it's the time of year to hunker down and expect the worst sales-wise and income-wise. So much so you probably even, projected for this to happen.

[00:06:54] Have you. Have you actually put that down in terms of your loading the dough spreadsheet? If you don't know what that is, it is something that I teach and it's free. It's on my website under free classes, loading the dough inflow, and it's basically a projection of your income over the next however long you wanna project for six to 12 months.

[00:07:13] If you've looked at your next six month projection, and let's say you've put down $0 or significantly less than all of your other months, this is the podcast to really challenge that thought and more so than that, in a more loving and softer energy I want you to know that there's nothing to worry about.

[00:07:30] Like, don't worry, don't feel stressed about no money coming in. That stress is made up. You have created a worry and an anxiety in your life that doesn't need to exist. You can choose to do something differently as much as I will say this in all parts of business, but especially in particular with this topic in this time of year, if you wanna make a lot of money towards the end of this year and into early January then do it.

[00:07:56] You can do it. You can do it right here and right now. So [00:08:00] let's share some ideas. Let's get some whiteboarding happening. Let's start scribbling all the fun ways that you can sell during the end of this year, and to help you create some fun extra recurring revenue heading into the new year as well. And you know, straightaway, I'm thinking one great option is to

[00:08:20] sell products or services that'll help your clients get ready for the new year. This could be planning, this could be manifestation crystals. This could be energy healing. This could be workouts into the new year. This could be diet plans. This could be crystals that will set you up for, uh, a brand new fantastic action packed new year.

[00:08:42] This could be setting up your budgets and financials if you're a financial person that sells coaching to do with money. Think about things that you can include in terms of theming out this year, goal setting programs, new Year's resolution guides, detox weight loss programs. Another option that you know might really work for you at the moment is maybe thinking about discounts on your regular services.

[00:09:07] I'm very wary about using the word discounts because I don't want you to by any means. Reduce the value of your work, but this is a great way to also drum up some extra business during the holiday season, and it needs to feel good. Obviously, whatever you are discounting, you can choose to either literally take money off the service that you are providing if you are wanting to do a special coaching package or maybe something that you're doing like

[00:09:36] a 90 minute strategy session is usually, $300. You might wanna say, for this season it's $200 and it's just a season. It's just a special for five people. You can do that. Okay. Like it's, there's so many rules that you might have set around going backwards income wise, but when it feels good during this season cuz it feels like you are giving and it feels [00:10:00] like you wanna share and it feels expansive and you know where this sits in the longer term strategy of your business, where perhaps you might set an intention if you're doing a discount and you're having people join.

[00:10:12] The intention might be this person continues on inside of a mastermind that you're offering in the new year. Or this person can use the $200 as a credit towards a further group that they do with you next year. There are so many things that you can do in terms of discounts to feel really expanded and really good about it, rather than feeling like you're just cutting yourself short.

[00:10:34] If you don't like the idea of discounts, which I totally get. I go through seasons of liking a money based discount and seasons where I literally feel ill about it, and I would never do it. I will stack the offer, I will stack the bonuses instead. You know, I will offer a full priced service, but instead say during this holiday season, I'm gonna throw in a journal.

[00:10:58] I'm gonna throw in an extra course, or I'm going to offer something that I haven't yet created yet, but it's coming out in the new year, and they get a free pass to that because they've taken the offer during the holiday season. Both ways work super well. The other thing you can do is you can offer some gift certificates, gift cards for your services in the new year.

[00:11:21] So something to the value of $500, you could say, okay, I will provide a gift certificate. If you buy over the holiday season, you could buy a $300 gift card, but it's actually to the value of $500 worth of coaching services. That could be something really fun that you can play with as well. And obviously I'm just throwing these out there so that you can start to rewind that belief that the season of selling is over for you. Especially if you are feeling so ready to gear up and have an extra $50,000 come through before the end of the year or an extra a hundred thousand dollars come through before the end of the year. These are the ideas that I would literally sit down [00:12:00] and just start brainstorming with me, myself, and I, and just see and conjure up the response as a manifesting generator.

[00:12:08] I will bring up all of the ideas. I'll bring up all of the thoughts, and I'll respond to each one. Does that feel good? Does that feel good? Is this what I wanna do? And eventually I end with something that does feel really great for me to sell. Okay? So whatever you decide to sell make sure that it's something that your clients are understanding, so don't just throw out some haphazard thing.

[00:12:31] Actually create a story and a narrative and an intention and a why behind why you're selling something like this. And that is how you get ready for a really successful sales period when you're able to set up the story and the narrative itself, it'll make it so much easier on your sales rather than just randomly putting shit out and going Buy this and buy this and buy this and buy this.

[00:12:54] And it can feel very hectic and very crazy. Especially during Black Friday season when it seems like every single business and service based entrepreneur and coach and your favorite brands, all of that is all going on sale at the same time. it can feel super overwhelming and in truth, I cannot even sugar coat it.

[00:13:15] When the sale season happens, it can get so hectic that it might even turn you off from selling in your own business. And if you know that that doesn't serve, then you really need to get in and get out. You need to get in, sell the things that you wanna sell. Don't consume other people's shit unless you really want to get out..

[00:13:37] That's what I do to protect my own energy. That's what I do. To stay really clear with what it is I'm doing, why it is I'm doing it, and knowing that when I am showing up during a sales season, it's not only because I wanna create more money and income, although this is the focus of this episode, it's also a sense of like, wow, I can create this expansion

[00:13:59] and I feel [00:14:00] really great about offering my services to a wider group of people who might not have been able to really come to the party because financially it didn't suit them throughout the year, but now it does, especially because it's on sale. Fantastic. Okay, so during a sales season, I also want you to think about creating that extra recurring revenue that's gonna feel really so good during the start of a new year.

[00:14:26] I really feel for those of you who start the new year on zero and you feel sick about it, that is no way to start your business. That is no way to start the energetics of the new calendar year starting on zero. For us in the southern hem and in Australia, our financial year starts on the 1st of July. It's very random.

[00:14:47] I know. So I guess it's kind of an energetics thing where it's like, I know that I'm not starting on zero on the 1st of January. I'm already typically, you know, a good couple of hundred thousand dollars deep into the new financial year, which is a whole vibe on its own. But, you know, starting in January, it's nice to kind of feel like you're kicking off the season with money in the kitty, that you're not starting from zero.

[00:15:10] And mind you, I have worked with clients who have done, you know, six, multiple six million years, and they still feel fearful of the January $0 start line. That is just unnecessary. You've mainly done that to yourself because you've decided to take time off, and like I've mentioned several times already, just because you're taking time off doesn't mean that you're not making sales because there are so many ways in this day and age in this incredible field of possibilities that we play in, in business that you can have passive sales role in at any one point in time. You can have the energetics of having doors open in your business and now during a sales period, shining a spotlight on the programs that you are really loving, that you have loved putting out there.

[00:15:54] And you can say, do you know what? It's a great time to pick up these products and these services [00:16:00] leading in the new year because it gives your clients an opportunity to also look forward to something in terms of their own self-development and self-improvement. And one of the best messages that you can put out during this time is to say, You know what?

[00:16:15] I wanna put something on special. There's a bundle. There's extra bonuses or there's a discount during the sales period. You can choose to purchase it now. Either lay down a deposit pay in full, cuz there's some epic bonuses when you're paying in full and, or you can put you know, a portion of it down. Now the payments pause until you start with me in the new year, this is gonna offer them something that is really gonna be very creative.

[00:16:41] It's gonna be an exclusive feeling deal or package. And customers are gonna love the fact that they can purchase something. Now, clients are gonna love the ability to be able to lock in their manifestation. Which is working with you now, not waiting until the new year and knowing that their spot is locked in, that they have a place, they have a goal, they have a start line to begin with their new coach in the new year.

[00:17:06] And if it's not their new coach, existing clients who are also rolling over into the new year. This is another thing that is not talked about enough. If you haven't listened to my episode, wTF is customer lifetime value. Go and find that and listen to it binge over on the holiday season because this is kind of to that, theme of stop only thinking about sales from an outward perspective of new clients and start thinking about sales from an internal perspective because they are gonna be the easiest damn sales you will make.

[00:17:38] Especially this kind of selling where you are rolling on contracts into the new year where you are offering extensions into the new year, and you can literally say, because you are a trusted and loyal and amazing client that I wanna continue working with into the new year. Here's how it's gonna work.

[00:17:55] I'm gonna offer you an ability to place a deposit and add a [00:18:00] discount. You will roll into the new year. I'm not offering this anywhere else, only within my client groups. It's not even going into an email. This is a one to one customized offer just between you and me. And if you wanna do this, here is an opportunity to do that.

[00:18:16] This is literally how I make recurring revenue and also how I continue to make sales into the new year. I'm booking out my sales. I'm booking out my client schedule January, February, March, start of March is already looking so full, and I have a client schedule that is booked out into the first quarter of the new year.

[00:18:36] I have recurring revenue that is already rolling out into the first quarter of the new year. I actually have clients paying me until well into June and July next year already. This is how you get to feel sovereign in your selling decisions that you make in your business. Don't just sit back right now and wish that you could make more money and feel sorry for yourself and feel sick about it and get all wrapped up into an anxiety ball when the power is within your hands to make these, you know, amazing offers right here and right now.

[00:19:10] High ticket works really well during this time, you guys. So don't just think about it from it being a small, low ticket, you know, short term type of thing or stuff that almost just feels like stocking, fillers, air quotes when it comes to your services, and it's just shit that people don't need.

[00:19:30] High ticket works beautifully. There are so many things that you can do during this season of selling high ticket that I think a lot of people miss out on. You know, this could include offers like let's do a Kickoff call now. We could do a 90 minute kickoff call right now on this end of the year so that you are set up and you can start to calibrate and create some really beautiful things in your business and start to really get your energy behind the things that [00:20:00] you need to when it comes to your new year.

[00:20:02] And then in the new year, we're kicking off with a six month one to one coaching program. That works so beautifully for me and my clients. Again, I am loading the dough. I'm stacking the value of my income. I have lots of money coming through for December, January, February, without needing to sell and launch like a crazy person at the start of the year.

[00:20:25] But I'm also not working during this time. Your clients and your customers that you're signing will love the fact that they don't need to start this time of year either. That they can have this appreciation and this excitement of knowing that they're starting with you in the new year. However, no one needs to work during this time in terms of attending coaching calls and doing all of that.

[00:20:49] You are starting in the new year, okay? So maximize your sales by offering that perspective to your clients and that ability for your clients to also pay you in that way. If you are someone that has subscriptions or you have membership services or a membership model over the holidays, this is also an amazing time to, and this is what I've coached a client on recently to offer a bundle deal so they can purchase 12 months worth of your membership

[00:21:20] during this time and they get like amazing, amazing bumps and add-ons for purchasing a year or six months worth in one big go. Rather than you trying to sell a membership and the monthly fee of it, you know, dropping in. Now you can say, Hey, if it's usually 50 bucks a month, here is an amazing deal where you get to buy eight months worth of the membership and you get four months for free.

[00:21:47] So good to be able to just add these chunks of income flow into your overall yearly bottom line. It's so good. I used to do that when I ran a [00:22:00] membership for LinkedIn. I used to do that when I ran a membership for the Own Your Hustle membership. My very first big membership that I ran, I just, I rolled, maybe on YouTube you'll see this, but like the name still gets me that I was all about the hustle , and now I'm all about the flow, how times change.

[00:22:18] But I did that and it was so successful and it felt so good to have new members coming in. Oh my goodness, like in the new year, fresh faces, new energy. It was the best thing ever. Okay, so I hope this fun episode has really helped you think about what to sell over the holiday period and overall, you know, this is such a great time for coaches to create

[00:22:43] and energy in your business. If you don't wanna take the end of the year, kind of, you know, slinking off into the shadows and feeling sorry for yourself. I hope this episode has given you that boost of ideas and permission to go big and enjoy the energy of selling. You may as well. Retail is doing it. Why don't you do it?

[00:23:03] You know, retail is having the best sales month ever. Why aren't we doing it in the coaching world? So I hope you enjoyed this. Let me know. Come tag me over on Instagram. Are you going to be selling big? Maybe you're listening to this during the Black Friday season, or you're listening to it during the Boxing Day season, or you're listening to it, just whenever.

[00:23:25] What have you received from this episode? I would love to hear, come to IInstagram share the goodness with me and I will catch you in the next episode. Love you all so much.