by Mary Kurek, Visibility Consulting
1. Boost Customer Service (Have employees wear holiday attire and special holiday nametags. Train them to offer to hold items at the counter. Have them learn to “pay compliments” and jot personal thank you notes on receipts.)

2. Attach your business to a charity during the holidays. Co-promote and give a % back to the charity.

3. Offer holiday refreshments on high traffic weekends.

4. Offer gift wrapping.

5. Offer in-house babysitting or children’s entertainment corner.

6. Create a special rest or seating area of spouses of shoppers.

7. Offer free delivery.

8. Offer shipping.

9. Create a frequent shopper strategy – progressive percentage off or a special gift that graduates in value with each $50 purchase.

10. Hold an open house with specially packaged items and Santa with a “helper elf” to assist younger shoppers.

11. Hold a holiday sweepstakes, raffle, scavenger hunt, guessing game, or contest.

12. Bombard customer senses with visuals, aromas, music, and interactive displays.

13. Show the savings a customer receives at purchase (pointing out dollars saved is a winning idea used by many big department stores).

14. Institute a “check-out strategy” that could include a coupon on the receipt, pre-wrapped stocking stuffers at the register, buy 2/get 3rd free, or pick an ornament for a mystery % off. (Collect names/e-mail addresses)

15. Cross promote – create collaborations with complimentary businesses to include fliers in bags and in-store posters.

16. Have holiday candies at the register to draw attention.

17. Send out special customer Christmas cards with hand-written notes and offer a % off.

18. Send out a holiday newsletter with recipes, stress reduction tips, and local events.

19. Produce your own gift giving guide/catalog.

20. Hold a special customer/employee dinner or brunch where everyone contributes. Great bonding.

Aurora Regional Chamber Note:

Do you have more ideas or suggestions? Let us know. Share them with your fellow Chamber business members.

On behalf of the Aurora Regional Chamber of Commerce team and Board of Directors, we wish all of you a happy, healthy and profitable holiday season… and may 2010 be a wonderful year for our community.

The US Small Business Administration – through the 2009 Recovery Act – has short-term relief available for qualifying businesses. If your small business is stressed meeting expenses during these economic times, the SBA has a new loan program designed just for you.

Under authority provided in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (signed Feb. 17, 2009), SBA has designed a deferred-payment loan program to help small businesses make payments on existing debt. Section 506 of the Recovery Act authorized SBA to help viable small businesses make payments on existing small business debt. The America’s Recovery Capital, or ARC Loan Program, is designed to give viable small businesses facing immediate financial hardship some temporary financial relief so they can keep their doors open, refocus and get their cash flow back on track.

ARC loans are available through SBA-approved small business lenders and have been authorized through Sept. 30, 2010, or until the appropriated funds run out, whichever comes first. Non-SBA lenders can become ARC lenders. Contact the local SBA district office for information and training. Interested businesses can find the nearest SBA district office at www.sba.gov/localresources/index.html.

How small business owners benefit

• ARC loans are interest-free to the borrower, have deferred payments for 12 months, and have no SBA fees associated with them.
• ARC loans will allow borrowers to redirect cash flow from making loan payments to investing in their businesses.
• Banks will begin investing in small businesses again, making credit more readily available for those businesses that need it.
• Streamlined applications by SBA.

According to the SBA website, SBA loan programs now provide greater incentives to the lender, are more affordable for small business owners, and help to drive economic recovery in our community.

Loan structure

• An ARC loan is a deferred-payment loan of up to $35,000.
• ARC loans will be used to make up to six months of principal and interest payments on qualifying loans for existing viable for-profit small businesses in the United States.
• Disbursement period (up to six months) is followed by 12 months with no repayment of the ARC loan principal, followed by a repayment period of five years. SBA pays monthly interest to the bank.

If you would like to speak directly to a customer service representative about the ARC Loan Program, please call our toll-free number (866-947-8081) Monday through Friday during the hours of 8am to 9pm (Eastern Time).

http://www.sba.gov/recovery/arcloanprogram/index.html