Sales SOS Series: Part 1 – Thinking of Running a One-Day Sale?

This is part one of my Sales SOS Blog Series. Marketing is a sales tool, and it only works as well as your sales system does! Ideally this is something you are constantly honing in on, adjusting and customizing your own systems for so that your marketing efforts are maximized!

As small business owners, entrepreneurs and solopreneurs, we’re always looking at new strategies and ways to make more money in our business. Some of you may have tried the one-day sale – or you may have avoided it in the past. You may have thought about it or you may have even made excuses around what kind of one-day sale you want to put out because you might feel like there’s too much competition, or you don’t have something to offer.

A few golden nuggets about one-day sales

In small business we are always evolving and trying new things. Why not try a one-day sale for your birthday, for a special day like New Year’s Day or to celebrate a special occasion?

Build anticipation

One of the things you want to do for a one-day sale is build anticipation. Help people get excited about what you may be revealing on Sale Day, what your special offer is – let them know that something is coming.

Keep it super simple

Think about how you can make it as easy as possible for people to purchase from you on that one-day sale. Is there an order form? Is there a link? Is there a phone call?

Special deals

Attaching a special deal to the one-day sale will encourage your customers to act fast. For example, perhaps you can bundle some of your products or services into a special deal which may offer a substantial savings, giving people an incentive to buy NOW, or perhaps you have a trial opportunity, allowing them to get in on the ground floor of a new service. How can you make a no brainer offer that people can simply say, “yes” or “no” to?

Be strict

Because it’s a one-day sale you will need to be strict with your deadlines. Think about your cut-off time and whether you will let people buy the next day.  How will you cut off the sale technically and logistically?  You need to be very clear about your deadlines to drive urgency.

Prompts

People need to be prompted – one email or one post isn’t going to cut it. They need to be pushed a little bit. I recommend holding a mini-launch around the one-day sale. For example, you can send three emails out on that one day and/or post social media posts that go out at the top of every hour for 24 hours. It could look like a blog post or a takeover page on your website.

Pick ONE goal

Pick one goal to accomplish with the one-day sale and think about all the possible ways you can promote it: Facebook Lives, blog posts, emails and social media posts are standard ways to promote your sale – but be creative!

Create excitement

Make sure that you get excited about this sale – whatever you sell, it has to be something that you get excited about first.  Choose something that you know will help people, that they need your product or services and that the pricing is just too good to be true.

Who is your customer for your one-day sale?

Think about, “Who is this for,” and “Who is this not for?” For example, is your sale for men or not for men or not for women? Is it for children or adults?” Why is your sale perfect for them?  Take a look at their pain points, challenges or desires to help guide your messaging and the marketing.

Testimonials

As you’re prepping for a one-day sale, gather some testimonials. If you’re a solopreneur, get used to and even have and be proactive about having a system in your business to get testimonials and to be asking for them regularly because this really helps people when deciding whether to purchase. Testimonials are a great way to let people know you’re a real person, that you’re trustworthy and that you can deliver the products that people are looking for.

Scarcity

Build in scarcity around your offer to create excitement and also give people incentive to purchase.  We all get excited at sales time and we all want to get in on the deal.  “Quantities limited – buy now!” absolutely works.

One Week Out

A one day sale is never a one day sale.  A few days before your sale, be sure to whet some appetites and stir up some anticipation by posting a few teasers to let your prospective clients know a sale is coming.  If you are all ready to go, you can even do a little sneak preview to let your early birds buy early.

This is the time to hold an event around your offer.  This could be a webinar, a training, a live Q & A, a presentation or even a networking event.

Create a few pieces of content that will support the buying process of your prospective clients, letting them know WHY they should buy, HOW they can buy and WHEN they can buy.

The WHY – Give Them a Reason!

The HOW and the WHEN are usually easy to describe to a prospective client, but when people are thinking about buying from you, social proof, credibility and authority come into play, helping them make the decision.

You need to give them a reason to buy.

A few days before your sale day, you can share statistics or facts, case studies, testimonials, results or research to demonstrate why your product is needed and why your product is important and relevant to your prospective clients.

This is the time to give people a little nugget of your knowledge, or some insights that are going to help them in their day or get them doing something a little bit faster or better.  You are already helping people, giving them a nice feel good experience while providing value.

The WHEN – Put Out the Offer

Make sure to put out the offer – and usually you will want to post multiple times on the day of the sale itself.  Be sure that you have clarity around your offer, so your clients know exactly what they are getting for their deal and why they should buy from you.

The HOW – Test It!

You can assume that whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.  Test and retest your systems.  Make sure that you’ve made it as easy as possible for people to click a button and purchase your product.