When doing a sale like this, its wise to avoid seeming desperate. That will only hurt future sales. Things like "huge discounts on everything in the store!!!" give you a firesale image. You want to conduct the sale with dignity while also generating excitement, offer real value, entice repeat purchases down the road. If your contract says you cannot advertise discounts on some line or other, well, does it say you cannot bring in some memo goods that CAN be advertised as sale?(just check local consumer law for what qualifies as a 'sale'. A blanket, single discount percentage is neither necessary nor desirable. While you might discount old merchandise at say 40% off, you just cannot do that with large diamonds. When to start advertising it? Too soon and you'll delay regular purchases til the discount applies, too late and you won't generate enough buzz. I would say one to weeks advance notice should be plenty, but it depends on your ad media.

When doing a sale like this, its wise to avoid seeming desperate. That will only hurt future sales. Things like "huge discounts on everything in the store!!!" give you a firesale image. You want to conduct the sale with dignity while also generating excitement, offer real value, entice repeat purchases down the road. If your contract says you cannot advertise discounts on some line or other, well, does it say you cannot bring in some memo goods that CAN be advertised as sale?(just check local consumer law for what qualifies as a 'sale'. A blanket, single discount percentage is neither necessary nor desirable. While you might discount old merchandise at say 40% off, you just cannot do that with large diamonds. When to start advertising it? Too soon and you'll delay regular purchases til the discount applies, too late and you won't generate enough buzz. I would say one to weeks advance notice should be plenty, but it depends on your ad media.

For any event at all, whether a sale or a trunk show, having your staff make personal phone calls to their own customers can really bring people in. They should make it sound exciting, and leave a phone message if necessary. Choose words that convey the idea that the customer is receiving special treatment: "We're advertising the sale, but I'm calling my own customers to be sure you know.." "I wanted to be sure you didn't miss out on our sale." Mentioning an item that the customer is interested in will make the call more personal and give more incentive for her to come in. "Shanu is marking down those earrings you were trying on last week!"