Aside from the scale of business, the nature of business lends itself to seasonality. Seasonality is a major element that can directly affect sales of the business or company. No matter what a company or business is selling, there are going to be busier periods during the particular period of time than others, so efficient planning for those moments is vital to promote profitability throughout an accounting year or particular period of time. Planning ahead of time is an excellent way to manage these seasonal fluctuations in sales of the company to maintain positive cash flows throughout the year. That is the reason, professional recommend business managements to develop detailed monthly sales seasonality and inventory plans before the season begins to get desired results. They can use those plans to guide sales force or sales persons to maintain sales volume efficiently. Proper planning for monthly sales seasonality can help a business or company a lot in maintaining profitability during slowdowns and areas of increasing customer demand. Christmas season is a best example of sales seasonality when a company or business needs proper planning and structures for maintaining profitability.
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No any business or company can prepare for every possible unforeseen event during the sales but considering these below listed tips for monthly sales seasonality can help a business a lot in developing and sustaining a season proof sales volume, tips for monthly sales seasonality are as follows:
- Base your projections about monthly sales seasonality on sales data from at least two or three previous months. If your company or business has not been in the market that long, then you should check with peers and industry sources to understand latest market trends and possibilities.
- Allocate marketing budgets accordingly and forecast marketing costs for the busy periods to maximize return on investment and drive mature customers and clients toward the company.
- Make some special allowances and adjustments for unusual events such as weather, out of stocks, one time promotions and events with high sales etc.
- You as a sales manager or employer, must look ahead at least six months to plan monthly sales seasonality appropriately.
- Use discounts coupons, sales and promotions to bring customers in during off peak months to maintain regular sales volume.
- Building alternative income streams to counteract the off-season is a valid survival strategy for any type of business or company, even if it takes your focus off your core business to a certain extent in sales.
- Do not start advertising and marketing of your business or products only in the busy period. If you can reach your clientele before the peak, do it because you can drive maximum traffic through this way. Businesses and companies should also shift promotions and marketing strategies to suit the various seasons.
- It will also be an ideal option for you to bring in more inventory at any given time than you need to set your displays, support your planned sales until the next vendor delivery and provide a safety stock in the event of an unexpected sales spike or a late delivery etc.