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| Providing You Tools To Make More Money! | December 2010 |
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Greetings!
I hear it too often, "We were doing real well and I didn't keep my eye on my business." Hopefully the holiday season is good for your business but now is the time to get to work and promote your business.
Vacuums: Heavily promote service. Pine Needle specials! I love this time of year but you have to be in their mind before the clog. If they don't have you in mind, they may just go to Brother Big Box and buy a new machine.
Sewing Machines: This is a great time for classes and to market to people to buy that machine or notion that they didn't get for Christmas. Follow up on leads. Call people to come in for classes. In cold weather, they love to get out for a worm class with sewing friends.
The bottom line is that you have to hunt (advertise) while the birds (customers) are flying (buying). January is generally our second biggest month of the year and I think that a lot of it is because we advertise pretty heavy in November and December. There also is a lot of people looking to get what they didn't get for Christmas or just looking for a great deal.
I was in Des Moines last week for a funeral and stopped into the VDTA office. They have some great things planned for the Vegas show. If you are in the vacuum or sewing business and don't go at least every other year, you are really not committed to our industry. Make sure you sign up now. It is the best place to see all the manufacturers under one roof and to meet a whole bunch of successful dealers that can help grow your business. They have negotiated great rates with the hotel. If you can, try to get the Club Level. You can get breakfast there and evening snack for free. Even better, the Club Level Lounge is a great place to meet and talk to other dealers.
I will be teaching a class at VDTA on February 23rd from 11:30am to 12:30pm in room S227 called "5 FREE Secrets to Getting More Customers That You Can Use Now!" I will also be sharing what I did to get 247 people to come into my store in October alone. Don't miss it! So ... Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Plan to make 2011 your best year yet!
Till next time, Always Be Solving, Howard J. Anderson Long View Retail Consulting |
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Tip of the Month 
Does Your Company Website Have Its Own Blog?
The consumers and business clients are a pretty savvy bunch. Sometimes they have done more research on line that you can even imagine! They know how much choice there is out there, they know when they are being sold a bill of goods and they all have an eye for added value. In addition, few if any of them will balk at receiving something for free that is genuinely worth having, and this applies as much to information as to anything else.
Do you have a blog for your store? Company blogs are a superb way for retail stores to demonstrate their expertise to their customers. Providing that the information is relevant to their concerns makes you look like a hero. It must be useful and of good quality. If so it can have a powerful effect in terms of making you stand out from the big box store down the street.
There are, in fact, several reasons why company blogs can be so effective. First, they demonstrate a true commitment to customer service, since they take time to maintain and do not directly generate revenue. Second, they can be an excellent way to drive additional traffic to a company website. A few well-chosen key words in an article can attract vastly increased numbers of site visitors who turn up your blog through the search engines - and the more visitors, the greater the chances of additional business.
Blogs are not as hard as you think. Next week every time a customer asks you a question, write it down. Then write a short answer to the question and put it on your blog. If you don't feel that your own writing skills are up to the job of maintaining a company blog, never fear. You can always hire a freelance writer to write on your behalf.
This month's TIP OF THE MONTH is start your own blog. Wordpress is the program that most people use but if you Google "How do I start a blog" you will have more information that you can handle. |
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On the Lighter Side:
The cold water solution
Sam went to visit his Uncle Pete, who lived out in the country with his dog. Uncle Pete served lunch, and as they were eating, Sam noticed that his plate didn't seem completely clean. He asked his uncle about this.
"Clean?" Uncle Pete said. "They're as clean as cold water can get them."
He brought Sam a drink, and the glass looked cloudy. As Sam examined it, Uncle Pete just laughed. "Now don't you worry," he said. "Those glasses are as clean as cold water can get them."
Finally Sam got up to go, but Uncle Pete's dog, guarding the door, began to growl. Sam looked at his uncle for assistance.
"Oh, don't worry about him," Uncle Pete said.
"Come over here by me, Coldwater!" |
The World's 10 Most Nutritious Vegetables
If Mom was constantly nagging you as a child to eat up all your vegetables, it was not without good reason. As rich sources of a whole host of vitamins, minerals, protein, natural sugar, carbohydrates, fiber, natural fat, calcium, iron and more, they really are nature's super foods.
Just what are the world's top 10 most nutritious vegetables though? According to several reliable sources, the top 10 list looks like this, and if you are expecting it to contain exotic vegetables that you have never even heard of, think again...
1.Broccoli
2.Spinach
3.Brussels sprouts
4.Lima beans
5.Peas
6.Asparagus
7.Artichokes
8.Cauliflower
9.Sweet potatoes
10.Carrots
You see? Ten vegetables that are all readily available in stores and supermarkets everywhere and that hardly rank as the world's most expensive foodstuffs, so there is no excuse for not listening to Mom's sound advice. With just five portions of fresh vegetables and fruit a day, you can literally eat your way to good health.
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Interesting Book
Why We Buy
by Paco Underhill
This classic book by Underhill is not a book about "consumerism," instead it takes a good look at what makes people choose individual items or shop as a hobby, or how people go about the shopping task. Every retail business owner can learn a huge amount about maximizing their profits from this book, something I'm always interested in!
It was a really easy book to read and it gives you insights on strategies to set a retailing space, having a lot of things in mind, that might seem obvious when you read it, but they really aren't. |
I received this poem on December 18, 2006 and every year I make sure that I read it again and share it with everyone that I can. It always makes me stop and be thankful, humbled and honored to have people like this protecting my freedoms.
'Twas the night before Christmas,
He lived all alone,
in a one bedroom house made of
plaster and stone.
I had come down the chimney
with presents to give,
and to see just who
in this home did live.
I looked all about,
a strange sight I did see,
no tinsel, no presents,
not even a tree.
No stocking by mantle,
just boots filled with sand,
on the wall hung pictures
of far distant lands.
With medals and badges,
awards of all kinds,
a sober thought
came through my mind.
For this house was different,
it was dark and dreary,
I found the home of a soldier,
once I could see clearly.
The soldier lay sleeping,
silent, alone,
curled up on the floor
in this one bedroom home.
The face was so gentle,
the room in such disorder,
not how I pictured
a United States soldier.
Was this the hero
of whom I'd just read?
Curled up on a poncho,
the floor for a bed?
I realized the families
that I saw this night,
owed their lives to these soldiers
who were willing to fight.
Soon round the world,
the children would play,
and grownups would celebrate
a bright Christmas day.
They all enjoyed freedom
each month of the year,
because of the soldiers,
like the one lying here.
I couldn't help wonder
how many lay alone,
on a cold Christmas eve
in a land far from home.
The very thought
brought a tear to my eye,
I dropped to my knees
and started to cry.
The soldier awakened
and I heard a rough voice,
"Santa don't cry,
this life is my choice;
I fight for freedom,
I don't ask for more,
my life is my God,
my country, my corps."
The soldier rolled over
and drifted to sleep,
I couldn't control it,
I continued to weep.
I kept watch for hours,
so silent and still
and we both shivered
from the cold night's chill.
I didn't want to leave
on that cold, dark, night,
this guardian of honor
so willing to fight.
Then the soldier rolled over,
with a voice soft and pure,
whispered, "carry on Santa,
it's Christmas Day, all is secure."
One look at my watch,
and I knew he was right.
"Merry Christmas my friend,
and to all a good night."
This poem was written by a marine. The following is his request. I think it is reasonable.....
Please. Would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many people as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our us service men and women for our being able to celebrate these festivities.
Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and dead,who sacrificed themselves for us. Please, do your small part to plant this small seed.
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