The Anti-Black Friday Movement

Are you looking forward to Black Friday?

The holiday season is a significant sales period in my marketing industry. It feels like everyone is working on a Black Friday deal. Except me this year. Let me tell you why.

Services Vs. Products

A product is something you purchase and leave. You may never see the person again. A service is something you will trade your time for money on. You will need to spend your valuable time with the buyer. So the circumstances are very different between product and service. I work mostly in the services industry where I want to vet the buyer for fit, and that is impossible to do when discounts are involved.

People Are Sick Of It

For approximately 15 days, everyone’s email inboxes will be flooded. Talk about the opposite of being productive and helpful. If there were only a few emails, it would be fine. But a whole slew of random offers is simply too much. This was one of the reasons I decided to skip it — to leave my audience alone.

It Attracts Transactional Vs. Quality People

I don’t want joy-seeking customers; I want long-term clients. Transactional customers are like one-night stands who sneak out at dawn and then delete your number. Quality clients are the keepers who value and appreciate you and will continue a long-standing healthy relationship with your brand.

Discounts Should Never Be The Reason

If you have to lower your prices for others to buy, you are talking to the wrong buyer. The right buyer comes to you because they see your value. This is always the case if you are selling services or high-quality products.

It Encourages Consumerism Instead of Investment

I regularly tell my clients to invest in themselves. True investments cost a lot of money. They require research, preparation, and a careful decision. On the other hand, Black Friday sales are all about time-sensitive bribery to hurry and purchase before the sale ends, so it is all about quantity over quality.

It Is Exhausting And Draining

As someone who has run Black Friday deals for many years, let me tell you how much time and effort it takes. A good Black Friday deal takes as long to prepare as to run, so we are talking about eight weeks of work. Marketing the deal, especially considering you must stand out among hundreds of thousands of competing offers, is about as easy as climbing Mount Everest. Then, you need to check the stats almost hourly over the entire sale period and make adjustments, etc. The stress involved is significant. After Black Friday, most marketers want a week off.

Conclusion

Honestly, I feel good this year. I made more money than the same month last year. I have big plans for the future. Instead of offering a Black Friday deal and being all-consumed by managing my offers, I am calmly focused on big investments into my own business — no discounts, please — and leveling up for the New Year. Whether or not you decide to run a Black Friday offer is up to you. But if you don’t, you can keep me company here at the Anti-Black-Friday Movement. When I hire others, I am 100% okay with paying the total price.

Stay safe out there!

Krista