As a power products business owner or sales representative, you know that turning a profit is about more than selling large machines... the accessories that are designed for use with your power products are also a lucrative income stream that helps to keep your business in the black. By changing the way you sell power products accessories to women, you will up your chances of closing deals on riding apparel, helmets, gloves, and other common add-ons that go with your main product line. If you're not an expert at selling these items to women, you may be making some mistakes that result in stalled sales pitches, or even unintentional offenses. Therefore, it's very important to tweak your approach for female shoppers.

Here are some things to think about as you streamline your selling style for a female audience:

Tact is a Vital Selling Tool - When you're selling fitted apparel, such as leather riding jackets or pants, tact will be very important. Straightforward discussions about "going up a size" or clothes being unflattering are not recommended, even if you're just telling the truth. Every day, women are bombarded with the unrealistic body images of professional models and actresses, who spend inordinate amounts of time dieting, exercising, and posing with their most flattering angles proudly displayed. Due to the "thin is in" culture that surrounds them at every turn, many women are understandably touchy about their weight and their perceived figure "flaws". When women sell to women, they generally understand these issues instinctively, and they strive to be kind and compassionate while steering their clients toward larger sizes or different cuts. However, men who don't understand body image issues from a female point of view may be far too blunt, which will possibly hurt or offend female clients. Always remember that selling accessories to women is a whole different ball game!

Every suggestion about fit should be tactful, carefully worded, and totally inoffensive in every way. Tact is your most important selling tool as your attempt to entice female buyers while pushing your apparel and other power products accessories. A smooth, complimentary style of selling will work - you will catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Ask the customer, "How do you like this size?", and then wait for her to ask you for a bigger jacket or pair of pants. Use questions and feedback to drive the sale. Also consider your plus-size or very tiny female clients - are their sizes for these ladies? If there aren't, you may offend simply by providing only standard sizes in your stores. Try to offer something for everyone - word will get around that you have excellent options for female riders of all shapes and sizes. As well, don't assume women want pink leathers or girly-looking clothes - in general, these styles are not fashionable for the typical female, who will vastly prefer gunmetal grey, matte black, or chocolate brown...

Women are excellent word-of-mouth advertisers for your business, provided they are happy with your level of service. This very verbal gender can also do a great deal of damage if things don't go their way. Obviously, the way you sell to women affects more than your profits - it can impact your company's reputation. Since women also influence the way men buy, it's crucial to cater to them at all times. Tact, kindness, and a conversational approach will win your accolades and help you to generate more profits from female buyers.

Cross-selling should never be confused with up-selling (which is the practice of pushing a higher-priced product after a client shows interest in a more reasonably-priced product). Instead, cross-selling is all about suggesting complementary items after a client has already agreed to buy a single product - however, the price of said complementary items should never be higher than the initial item's retail list price. The principles of effective cross-selling, when properly applied to power products sales pitches, assist sales teams with upping the final tab for many deals. Getting the most out of a cross-selling technique requires a refined knowledge of inventory features and pricing.

Cross-selling on the Internet

Cross-selling may also be performed in a digital selling environment, such as a virtual storefront, by presenting clients with a series of options that complement the price and type of item that they've already chosen...once a client is at the checkout, ready to finalize their online power products purchase, they may be shown a series of complementary items that cost about the same, or less, than what is currently in their shopping cart. At this point, these extra options will be arranged appealingly, with corresponding check boxes. If a customer wishes to add an item (or more) to their cart, they can simply check the box, and the cross-sold item will become a part of their order. It's so easy, it works, and it's a wonderful way to grab more profits from "impulse buys". While some power products retailers don't offer a full product line at a virtual shop, many do offer accessories and the like...and these items are ideal choices for cross-selling.

Know Your Inventory

If you're looking for ways to cross-sell successfully, ask yourself if you really know how much everything on your sales floor (or at your virtual storefront) costs. If the answer is yes, then you should immediately begin to mentally "bundle" similarly-priced items that work together naturally - for example, a sale-priced helmet might bundle perfectly with a pair of luxurious leather riding gloves. Personal toolkits for easy roadside repairs might bundle well with nylon motorcycle saddlebags or other inexpensive cycle luggage. Knowing your inventory and having a sense of which items are priced for effective cross-selling will be the first step to mastering the art of successful cross-selling. From large machines to riding apparel to tools and logo t-shirts - you must have an encyclopaedic knowledge of what you sell. At this stage, you'll have the expertise to cross-sell with true confidence...

Timing is Everything...

The best salespeople will wait for the crucial moment before transitioning from a regular sales pitch to a cross-selling sales pitch - they will need to know instinctively that the first sale "is in the bag". Some buyers resist hard-sell, so cross-selling must be done with a great deal of tact and care. The most important thing to emphasize during a cross-selling pitch is your passion and enthusiasm for the products. Assure the client that a complementary product will increase their enjoyment, convenience or ease. Demonstrate how a bundle of attractively-priced items will be a great deal and a solid financial investment.

With a little practice, adding cross-selling elements to sales pitches and online storefronts can net out in a positive way for your power products business. While getting a handle on cross-selling may take some time, it is well worth the effort, and it will pay off in the end.

Sometimes, the stresses and rigors of running a power products business can leave owners or managers in a bit of a rut. Since it's your job to be a visionary and to guide your company into a successful future, it's important to keep learning and to keep testing out new strategies and techniques that boost your company's business profits and brand recognition. If you're looking for new tips and tricks to try out in 2012, you'll enjoy these practical suggestions from the experts:

• Put Your Clients First - Many retailers veer off course by focusing on their products and losing sight of the primary target, which is always attracting new and returning customers and giving them a superior customer service experience. Focusing on clients is about putting them first and structuring your business around their needs and wants, rather than slotting them into a structure that you've created to please yourself or your staff. Everything should be centered on the needs of customers - if you don't know your clients well enough to make decisions based on their preferences, income levels, and demographics, you need to get more information through careful research, and then adjust your business methods accordingly.
  
  All processes, rules and regulations should support the ultimate goal, which is quality service that benefits the customer and guarantees the reputation of your power products business. All word-of-mouth advertising from clients is valuable feedback that can make or break your company - therefore, the customer must be treated with the utmost respect and catered to in every possible sense. To structure a business around customers is just good common sense, but many business owners tend to lose sight of this as they evolve their companies.
   
• Give Extra Value - These days, most retail products are sold in many, many places, both on and offline - therefore, to justify your mark-up, you must offer extra value in the form of personal service, professional follow-up, and customer reward programs. Basically, people need a reason to choose your retail outlet over an online dealer or a competitor right in your community.
  
  The best way to add value is through personal service that gives the client a feeling of being special and cared-for; in a fast-paced world, manners often fall by the wayside, and people have definitely come to appreciate service that includes old-school manners and a slower, more personal pace. To give people old-fashioned service, get to know your clients in a more in-depth way; offer social events throughout your yearly calendar - examples include Open Houses, product launches, charity fund-raisers, and customer appreciation nights.
  
  Also, send birthday cards, special offers, and holiday greeting cards to regular clients - let them know that you recognize their contributions to your company's success. When it's so easy to switch around, you need to give clients a reason to stay with your business. However, when you care about your clients, this really shines through - people feel sincerity and honesty. Combine genuine friendliness and accountability with special promotions and appreciative gestures - your clients will thank you by continuing to patronize your store.

Personal service and the right infrastructure are the ideal formulas for business success - however, you must offer the right financing to open up affordability at your power products business. Partnering with Crelogix is the most effective way to give your clients instant access to low, monthly payment plans and affordable interest rates. If you're not currently offering in-house financing through our company - you should be. It's the final piece of the puzzle, and it helps you to serve your clientele better. Call or email us today to find out more...

When you aren't set up to offer your clients in-house financing, you can't give them the financial services they need to afford their "dream" items. Unfortunately, many of today's consumers just aren't in a position to pay cash for the large and small machines that you sell - after all, these items can be costly. Other clients may balk at using their credit cards to pay for purchases - especially since many credit card companies and financial institutions are tightening up credit limits for even the most responsible card holders.

With these facts in mind, it stands to reason that failing to offer in-house financing holds back your customers, who may not have the courage or inclination to sign on the dotted line after mulling over their financing options (or lack thereof) - however, these same clients will likely have more than enough money to plunk down for affordable monthly payments on big-ticket items. When in-house financing is in place, affordability becomes a non-issue - clients may choose the machines they really want, without buyer hesitation and credit or cash woes.

When you partner with Crelogix to offer instant pre-approval for power products loans, right at your place of business, you open up so many opportunities for your new and returning clients - you make dreams come true for your valued clientele...

Getting started with in-house financing really isn't difficult, and Crelogix services pay for themselves over the long term. When you partner with us, you'll gain access to over thirty years of financial acumen and expertise. Our team of specialists will be there to guide you through a smooth and painless transition to point-of-sale (in-house) financing.

Our clever programmers have designed a trademarked online system that allows you to give your customers instant answers about whether or not they qualify for the loans they want - it's called MyCrelogix.com, and it's there 24/7 for your convenience. By punching a bit of data into the system, you'll be able to get an immediate answer about your client's eligibility for in-house financing - imagine how useful this process will be during a sales pitch! It is a powerful selling tool, and it's proven to reduce buyer hesitation. As well, in-house financing is proven to drive more business to your power products retail outlet.

Make the most of a brand new year - join with use to give your clients the financial services they need in a credit-crunch economy. Don't hesitate - there is truly no downside to partnering with our experienced team of professionals. If you're looking for ways to increase your business and put your customers first during 2012, let us assure you that in-house financing is the common-sense solution that you've been looking for - and we handle all loan administration...

Meet Crelogix at these Events 

  

What can you gain from attending  conferences and trade shows? Is it gaining new sales leads, finding new suppliers, partners & product alliances? How about learning how to market your product to your target market better than your competitors?Or finding ways to become more profitable? Meet us at these shows and we can help you add to your profit.

 

 Motorcycle Trade Shows 

February 3-5	Quebec
February 10-12	Moncton
February 24-26	Montreal

RV Shows

 

January 19-22	Toronto
January 26-29	Calgary
January 26-29	Halifax
February 3-5	Hamilton
February 3-6	Vancouver
March 1-4	Toronto
March 2-4	Red Deer
March 2-4	Moncton
March 8-11	Montreal
March 29 - April 1	Quebec City
March 30  -April 1	Kitchner

Boat & Sportmans Shows

 

January 14-22	Toronto
February 17-20	Ontario
March 3-6	Winnipeg
March 15-18	Edmonton

Crelogix is Expanding