With Black Friday around the corner and the holidays coming up, it's important to take action. One strategy that has proven to work well is for your company to create an online store for virtual sales. An online store with all of your inventory so customers can access it at any time and any place.
There are still many things you can do before November 1st to make sure that your business has a successful holiday season. While the majority of the chaos will happen on Black Friday, Cyber Monday is also important and requires proper preparation. This is where your virtual sales team must excel. Below you will find some recommendations to prepare your virtual sales team for the season.
1. Hire Early
If you need to hire any new people, do it now! Most seasonal workers are just looking to provide an extra bit of cash for the holidays. However, even with prior experience it can be very difficult to learn how to do sales well. You should set aside at least three weeks of training time before you hire new employees.
When hiring in advance, you'll not only be able to build a great team of top sellers who offer better customer service than their counterparts, but also filters for hiring employees who are a tight fit for your company. Remember you will need to cover the equipment and login requirements for new hires as quick as possible, so if there are any account issues, you can handle them swiftly.
2. Play to your Employees' Strengths
Most employers only hire temporary staff for the season, instead of full-time workers. But this can cause problems because when you need more help, you won't know which workers will be available. By hiring them early (and on a full-time basis), you'll be able to better understand their skills and experience.
By giving your employees more tasks on busier days, you can identify their strengths and the areas where they need improvement. If you identify the overachievers and the ouliers early, your team will be able to collaborate and accomplish more for the company.
3. Schedule ahead of time
Part of successful virtual sales training includes a tight schedule. Deliver the agenda a few days or even a week before the main event. Last minute scheduling can leave your employees feeling overwhelmed and tired.
You take the example of a sports team. When a critical game is coming, they'll focus on lifting the physical condition of their top players before it starts in order to compete at their best. And if there's another game in the way, substitutes will get more playtime which will improve them. Resulting in better players with better physical condition.
This analogy works great for enterprises as well. Take some time out to train your best staff with a special training session. This will help clear doubts and give them a better understanding of the project timeline. While you're doing that, other workers should be trying to gain more experience in different sales channels.
Here's a great tip - schedule a meeting two or three days before Black Friday with the whole team. This meeting should help identify and resolve any issues before the big day.
4. Appreciate your virtual sales team
It's important to remember that although your employees work for you, they're still people at the end of the day. Many left Thanksgiving plans behind so they could get a little extra cash for Christmas. Think about how much you appreciate their dedication to your business during this difficult time and you might come up with some creative ideas to reward them.
According to a survey, 54% of employees plan to shop directly from the store they work for on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. As it happens in the retail business, it will happen in the virtual business. Since employees will have an ultra-busy schedule, try to ask them beforehand if they are looking into buying something from the company on those days. You must assure them that the product they are looking for may not be in stock after the day is over, but you will look into the inventory as soon as sales finish. Make no promises!
5. Be creative
Most employees you will hire for the holidays are not trained, but this will be useful to your company. As a matter of fact, every employee has their own cultural background that they bring to your company while it's busiest. For this reason alone, they should be considered.
When it comes to big events, it's important to give your customers and employees choices that will accommodate their needs. The list below has some ideas for you, but remember to ask your team for new ideas too!
For Employees
Make a sales contest for a prize (No gift cards, please).
Team up with other small businesses.
If possible, offer a slight raise for working those days.
Host a dinner party the day before (small companies and startups).
Offer a variety of complimentary snacks during the day, or if you have a cafeteria, consider giving a free breakfast or lunch.
For customers
Offer hourly online deals.
Offer mystery savings.
Offer a gift with a purchase.
Create an event.
These bullet points should be included in your virtual sales training. Employees should be able to promote the customers' deals as well as try to achieve one of the goals you selected to motivate them.
6. Don't lose focus
A big part of what makes Black Friday and Cyber Monday such a success is how you communicate with your employees and managers. This will help them to know what they should be focusing on, which is getting prepared and creating revenue for the company.
One of the most common mistakes companies make during Black Friday and Cyber Monday is neglecting their employees. Plan to have a meeting beforehand with managers, so that everyone knows how they are supposed to be working.
When you're in a hurry to make sales, it's easy to lose sight of your business goals. Focus instead on earning more money and less on making the sale. This will ensure you stay on track with your goals for these important days and will not get interrupted by other tasks.
If you want to take your business to the next level, management is a key part of how you get there. Creating a safe and supportive environment for your team will motivate them in their work and help them perform better. When you're managing like that, reaching greater heights becomes possible.
Takeaway
If you need to remember one thing about this article, let it be this: It's the holiday season. Most of your employees are eager to get home and spend time with their families. By crafting a plan that clears doubts and gives your employees an objective, you and your workers will see the project develop and work like a charm.
Black Friday has been a notorious day for retailers since its inception. Businesses need to think about how it impacts their sales objectives while also considering the competition and what they hope will happen on Cyber Monday.