A slow-month offer with a real end date

Most service businesses have a month or two when the phone goes quiet. For some it's January. For others it's the stretch after the summer rush. You already know which months are yours.

You can wait it out. Or you can plan one simple offer for that month, put a real end date on it, and give people a reason to book now instead of "sometime."

Find your slow month

Look back at last year. Open your calendar, your invoices, or your booking app and count jobs by month. The low spot is your slow month.

If you're newer and don't have a year of records, ask yourself when you had the most open days. That works as a starting point.

Pick one offer that's easy to explain

Keep it to one thing a customer can understand in a few seconds. Here are a few that work:

• A set price on a common job, like a tune-up for $X.
• A small add-on at no charge when they book the main job.
• A dollar amount off, like $X off any job booked this month.

Choose something you can still make money on. The goal is to fill empty days, not to work for free.

Skip "up to" offers and long lists of fine print. If you need a paragraph to explain it, it's too complicated.

Give it a real end date

An offer with no end date is just your price. A real date tells people to decide now.

Write the date out plainly, like "Book by February 28." Then stick to it. If you keep extending it, people learn to wait.

Also say what the date means. Is it the day they need to book, or the day the job has to be done? Pick one and say it.

Put the offer where people will see it

Once it's set, put it in a few places at the same time:

• Near the top of your homepage, with the end date.
• On your Google Business Profile as an offer post.
• In a short text or email to past customers.

For the text, keep it short. For example:

Hi [customer name], it's [your name]. We have open days in February. Book a tune-up by February 28 and it's $X. Reply here or call [your phone].

One message to people who already know you is a good place to start.

Take it down when it ends

When the date passes, remove the offer from your website and your Google profile. An expired deal left on the site makes it look like nobody's minding it.

Then jot down how many jobs it brought in. Next year you'll know whether to run it again or try something else.

Plan it this week

Choose your slow month, one offer, and an end date. Write all three on one line and put it on your calendar a few weeks before that month starts.

If you want your website to show your offer clearly and take it down on time, talk with Hexacomb. You run the business. We take care of your website.