Let’s begin with the fact that September has started. There are many traditional sales events that take place in this next quarter and you need to organize to actualize those sales and fundraising goals you dreamed about last year. The reality is that the economy is back, jobs and spending are on the rise. So how do you get a piece of that pie for your business? And let’s not forget that non-profit high season is about to start as people and organizations think about who they are going to support before the end of the year.

• So start with setting a fourth quarter sales or fundraising goal that you can achieve and be optimistic as that is the economy we embrace today.  If you don’t believe me, just look at the stock market. Write down the average you have made monthly over the last 8 months and then optimistically add 20% per month and use that as a minimum. Or use your annual projection from 2014, add the percent you hoped to gain and then deduct your funds to date to determine what funds you need to raise in the last four months of this year to realize your goal. It is all numbers, so do the math.
• Plan and use the sales events that the American Public celebrates and knows and make sure your messaging takes advantage of those events to maximize your own efforts. Create a calendar and check out my holiday hashtags article to include the tweeting public by adding event hashtags to social media posts.
• Here is a recap of the most celebrated sale dates to come this year:

Grandparents Day: September 7, 2014

Patriot Day: September 11, 2014

Columbus Day: October 13, 2014

Halloween: October 31,2014

Veterans Day: November 11, 2014

Thanksgiving Day: November 27, 2014 (Some sales started last Thanksgiving Day).

Black Friday: The Friday after Thanksgiving- November 28,2014

Small Business Saturday : The Saturday After Thanksgiving : November 29, 2014. Tie in with American Express marketing if you do this event. https://www.americanexpress.com/us/content/small-business/shop-small/about/

Cyber Monday: The Monday after Thanksgiving (some people have one per week to the holidays).

Hanukkah: December 16, 2014

Christmas: December 24, 2014 (remember the countdown and day before sales)

Day After Christmas Sales: December 26, 2014

New Years Eve Sale: December 31, 2014

New Years Day Sale: January 1, 2015

For a list of more holidays and special events click here (http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/)

• Check in with your industry for any special promotional events, conventions, or fundraisers that you can tie into in order to create your own event. These are events like: Home Improvement Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month and any other organizations or non-profits you can use to benefit the organization and your own company at the same time.
• Consider a Cross Promotion with another company or organization that reaches out to the same target market (potential consumers or members) that your organization tries to target. Consider a cross promotion newsletter or sales event (% of proceeds this month only goes to _____). You can expand your Email Marketing list by sharing their news with your customers and having them do the same and cross promoting your events together to save advertising dollars.

Want to learn more? Come to my FREE  Upcoming Marketing Classes or contact me at 310-791-6300 for private help implementing your 4th Quarter Sales Strategy to achieve your goals.  Whatever your organization is trying to achieve, we can find a way to help you accomplish your goals.

Liz Harsch, has been helping small and medium sized businesses make the most of their marketing investments since 1988. Her company, Tailor-Made Advertising is an Authorized SCORE workshop presenter and an awarded Constant Contact Email Marketer and Authorized Local Expert presenting Workshops for Constant Contact, SCORE, SBDC, Metropolitan Water District, multiple Chambers of Commerce, The City of Los Angeles and other Organizations. If you are interested in a quote or more information on a mobile website email us at tmade.mkt@verizon.net.  For more information about Liz or Tailor-Made Advertising, visit tailormadeadvertising.com. To schedule Liz Harsch as a speaker on Traditional and Online Marketing, Social Media, Analytics or Email Marketing for your organization, contact Liz at 310-791-6300 or Email tmade.mkt@verizon.net.