For some companies, the holiday season is a time when they do the most business. For others, though, it’s a very different story and business seems to slow down. If you’re dreading the month of December, don’t throw in the towel just yet. There are ways to boost sales in December.

Kendrick Shope is an international sales expert, the CEO & creator of the Authentic Selling process and was named the top sales expert to follow by Twitter in 2015 and 2016. She even sat down with Steve Harvey recently and gave him a few pointers on how to be a better salesperson. 

Kendrick’s advice to boost business during the holiday season:

• Play into the holidays: It’s true that people are more focused on the holidays in the month of December, but that doesn’t mean you take the month off and stop selling. Instead, give your customers what they want. Create sales, marketing strategies and events with holiday themes. Do a 12-days of Christmas giveaway, a Christmas themed contest, offer your products and services as gift packages and create holiday-themed mailers and coupons.

• Give back in some way: The holiday season is all about the spirit of giving. Show your customers that you support a specific non-profit, charity or local organization. Offer to match a percentage of sales with donations to one of these groups. Organize a food drive or have your staff volunteer at a local food kitchen. Your customers want to see you doing some good this time of year and they’ll support you with their business as a result.

• Cross promote: Let’s say you are a jewelry business. Can you partner with a clothing line or hair salon and cross-promote each other’s products and services? It can be something as simple as a popup on both of your websites, a bundled package that offers one product from each store or simply a coupon for the other retailer you include with your customer’s receipt. This can help drive business to both businesses.

• Create a sense of urgency: The key to marketing around the holidays is to create a sense of urgency that tells your customers the deals they see before they will be gone come December 25. This price or the extra bonuses you are offering are only good during the holiday shopping season.

• Send thank you cards with special offers: Everyone likes to feel appreciated, and that includes your most loyal customers. For your biggest clients or those who frequent your business, send a holiday card thanking them for their patronage. Include a special coupon just for them. Better yet, host a special event just for this select group of people that offers special savings not available to the general public.

• Offer free shipping: If you’re worried that other retailers are going to attract your customers this time of year, offering free shipping might just be the thing to bring them back to you. Granted, it’s an added expense for you, but it can definitely help boost sales.

• Offer free gift wrapping: Most people don’t like to wrap gifts. Offer this service for free with any purchase in the month of December. It may sound like an insignificant addon, but it’s something that will help your business stand out from your competitors.

• Be aggressive but not pushy: The reality is consumers are inundated with holiday specials, so you’ll have to be aggressive with your marketing efforts in order to stand out. That doesn’t mean reaching out to your database every day of the week, but it can require being more aggressive than you might be at other times of the year.