In case you missed it, big-box businesses have pressed fast forward on Black Friday. Between attention-getting savings and attempts to lessen crazed Black Friday crowds, the shopping holiday is starting earlier and earlier.

It’s time for your business to take those big-box companies head-on. It’s time for Black November.

Black November is the New Black Friday

While going from a one-day sale to a week of sales was already hard enough to plan, a month of sales might be worth the work.

And, counterintuitively, hosting a month’s worth of promotions might make it easier for you to win those sales.

How? Where you once had to “leak” your deals to get on your audience’s radar, now you can simply promote your sales.

And keep in mind that Black Friday isn’t the only shopping holiday to consider. The days following Thanksgiving in the United States offer more options to connect with potential customers.

  • Small Business Saturday. This shopping holiday is always the Saturday after Thanksgiving and encourages those already shopping to shop locally with a small business.
  • Cyber Monday. The Monday after Thanksgiving was dubbed “Cyber Monday” by retailers encouraging online shopping.
  • Giving Tuesday. This global generosity movement is more about helping your community rather than your business. However, you can benefit your community and business by getting involved.

Traditionally these holidays are geared toward retail stores, but service-based businesses can get in on the action too.

Because shoppers are looking for any steals and deals they can find, this is a great time to land new customers and boost your revenue before the year ends.

How to Plan Black November

Timing is everything

The easiest way to tackle a month of promotions is to set one outrageous service sale for each week. If you’re feeling bold you can always add another for the OG Black Friday and Small Business Saturday week.

We’d advise releasing those promotions as early as you can, like near the end of October/first week of November. This gives your clients time to book online and your staff enough time to prepare for perfect execution.

And keep an eye on your inbox. Clients might be a bit confused about when things happen and what is or isn’t included. You’ll want to be able to respond and clarify as quickly as possible.

In fact, businesses that respond to a customer’s message within five minutes were 70% more likely to convert that customer.

Create an enjoyable experience — especially online

You want to make sure customer service is a 10 out of 10, even under this additional pressure.

Remember, your clients are here for stellar service just as much as they are for killer sales. So, let them have their cake and eat it, too.

This is especially true for any special online sales you plan to hold on Cyber Monday. Your website should be functioning and easy to navigate on phones and desktops.

Statistically, you only have three to five seconds until clients get tired of waiting for a page to load before they throw in the towel and hop over to another site.

See what you can offer

Which services are most in demand for your business?

If they’re going to take a while to complete, offer them but then cut back on how many you offer. The resulting increase in demand will make those who snag the coveted deal feel like they scored an exclusive.

For instance, if you run a hair salon that offers weaves with a quick, one-hour turn-around as well as sew-in weaves that take at least three hours, offer the sew-ins at 25% off for the first 10 people who book.

Feel free to offer this only to current or highly-frequent clients if you choose.

Don’t forget those quick and dirty services either. These are ones that can be done both quickly and well.

You’ll want to lean into your staff’s strengths to make this work but it’s a great way to keep a steady stream of customers and big bucks. Using the example above, that could mean $20 off those quick weaves.

You’ve got this. Just like you would for any Black Friday or Cyber Monday sale, pull out your checklist and build a plan with your team. And then be sure to take notes on what worked and what didn’t.

That way, next year, you’re even more prepared to push out a Black November sale like never before.