‘It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Toys in every store.’ Not to mention everything else – the cards, the tinsel, the decorations, the food…There’s no escaping it – Christmas will soon be upon us once again – next month! So who are you: an organised Christmas lover, or a freaked out chaos survivor?
As running a business can often consume us, it’s important to plan ahead to be prepared for the festive season. Not only will you need to balance your clients and customers, but you’ll also have numerous functions, family events, catching up with friends and kids to look after on the loooong school holidays.
Are you stopping for a break over the festive season? Have you advised your clients, suppliers and general community of your office closure period?
Here are 7 sure-fire hints to guarantee your clients know you’re taking a break:
1. Add your office closing dates to your email signature block a month in advance. Highlight it to make sure it stands out as your regular clients/customers probably don’t even look at your email signature anymore.
2. Add your office closing dates to your November/December invoices. Most clients/customers will thoroughly read an invoice to ensure they are paying you correctly, so adding a closure note is a sure way for your message to be read.
3. Send an email campaign to all your clients and subscribers to advise them of your closing dates and a reminder closer to the date. A simple, short and sweet ‘Hi, we’re closing’ is often enough for people to take note.
4. Include the office closing dates in your Newsletter. Simply add a short one-liner to your November & December newsletter to reinforce your closure message.
5. If you send Christmas cards to your network include a little office closing notice. This adds a personal touch and your clients/customers will appreciate it.
6. Post updates to your social media accounts. You can do this simply by setting up a couple of posts/tweets for your social media accounts to remind people you are closing.
7. Get help! Let us know if you need some assistance during this busy time of year!
The team here at Interim Business Solutions take a break during the festive season. You’ll see that I implement all of the above hints into my own business. They are tried and tested and work year after year. I’ve never had a client say, ‘But I didn’t know you were closing’.
And remember, it’s the festive season so many of your customer/clients may also be shutting down. Feel free to share these handy hints with them too.
‘Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus, right down Santa Claus lane’… Are you ready?