4 WAYS TO STAND OUT DURING THE HOLIDAYS
For some, this marks the official “kick off” of holiday-mode. Making plans for the season, listening to holiday classics, watching your favorite movies, and of course…decorating!
Whether you’re a “Christmas music in October” person, or a “Only after Thanksgiving” traditionalist, we can ALL agree that the holidays bring incredible opportunities for small business growth.
Today, I’m going to highlight four ways to ensure you are making the most of the holiday season!
I know goal setting might sound unnecessary, but I mean it when I tell you that it’s one of the best ways to set yourself up for success. Not only for your sales, but with just about anything in life.
If you don’t have clear goals, you can’t effectively assess an outcome, which makes measuring performance pretty much impossible. So, this week, take some time to think about outcomes you may want to achieve, like these below...
I know this might seem intimidating, especially on top of all of the other things you’re juggling. But remember, this season is also relatively short, making it a great time to set short-term goals and push yourself to the finish line of 2026, with some big wins for your business!
Reflect on what you accomplished, and what you didn’t. Yes, it’s okay if you don’t reach ALL of your goals. In fact, if you reach all of your goals, you might not be setting enough “stretch” goals.
Have you seen a store where they have displays geared towards specific customers…“Gifts for Dad” or “Top Picks for the Nature Lover.” Those resonate with me because they bring me back to who I’m shopping for.
An example I love is Magnolia– Gift by Recipient! I just love how they home in on the customers that appeal to most– the homebody, the host, the baker, etc. They've already curated their products for this type of customer, so I know my gift is going to be great!
This tip is going to require you to step to the other side of the pop-up table for a bit… For right now, you’re the customer, not the seller.
Have you ever been in a situation when you’re shopping and feel overwhelmed? I know I have. If I’m being honest, shopping for gifts often overwhelms me before I even get started.
Why? Because I pride myself on being a great gift-giver. And having so many options can make it stressful!
A famous 2000 study by Iyengar and Lepper found that offering 24 types of jam led to only a 3% purchase rate, while offering just 6 increased it to 30%. After this, more studies confirmed that “customer satisfaction and purchase intent peak when people have about 8–15 options to choose from. Beyond that range, decision fatigue and regret increase.”
We’re at the part of the semester where things start to move really, really quickly. So if you’ve been saying to yourself “I still have plenty of time to get involved in Student-Made” this is your sign to lean in and make the most of the opportunities in front of you.
Trust me, I am not naive to the fact that as a college student you likely have tons of other commitments and obligations. But, I am also confident that if you look ahead at your schedule for November and December and sign up for at least two remaining pop-up events, you’ll be thrilled with the outcomes.
Think about how much momentum we’ve been building throughout the semester, all leading to these final weeks. We’re entering our busiest, most successful selling months of the year. Trust me, you want to be a part of it… and I want you to be a part of it too!
