Mine Your Own Business

Some Great Sales Advice

We recently ran across a great newsletter and blog that had a very good posting regarding one of our favorite topics, good sales advice. While you're on the site, you might want to check out some of the other recent postings or sign up for the newsletter. Many of the postings are very relevant to independent retailers.

A Timely (and Free) On-Line Marketing Course

Here's an interesting free "marketing course" I came across that seemed pretty valuable.  I haven't received the entire course, since it is sent via e-mails over 10 days, but the sample lesson was quite good.  It's also a pretty good way to help you focus on ways to mine your own business for at least 15 minutes a day.

Thanks.

Bill

50 Ways to Improve Your Business in 2009 - Part 8

Here is a link to a very good article listing another 12 ways to improve your business in 2009. That brings our list to 47, any more ideas to make our list complete?

Thanks,

Bill

Do We Need More Repair Ads?

I read this article and couldn’t help but see parallels between the shoe repair store and sewing and vacuum retailers.  From the fact that new customers “didn’t even know the store existed” to the problem of “throw away” mass merchant products killing the repair business, there are many common issues facing the independent retailer.

 

That being the case, does it make sense to cross-promote with other repair shops?  Would someone interested in getting their shoes repaired also be interested in getting a vacuum repaired (and vice versa)?  How about lawn mowers, bicycles, and furniture?  Can you take a stack of your business cards to the local shoe repair shop and offer to give out his cards if he/she gives out yours?  Maybe even offer a discount to referred customers?

 

Going one step further, could you run a newspaper ad with other local repair shops?  Maybe a hungry newspaper sales person would even do the leg work for you.    

 

Let me know if you have any success.”

 

Thanks,

 

Bill

50 Ways to Improve Your Business in 2009 - Part 7

Here are five tips for Marketing (not Selling) on the Internet:

31. Whenever possible collect email addresses from your customers.
32. Use the collected email addresses to alert customers of sales or store events using this free e-mail software.
33. Use the email addresses and the email software to invite previous customers to take short online surveys  of their sales experience at your store using this free online survey software.
34. Post positive comments from the surveys and other sources to a special section on your Website.
35. Make sure to keep your Website current, nothing looks worse than having outdated information.

Number 33 can be especially helpful in improving your sales, if you don't know what customers like (or dislike) how can you hope to make improvements?

50 Ways to Improve Your Business in 2009 - Part 6

Here are four more posted to Mine Your Own Business:

27. Tell your spouse you Love them everyday.
28. Keep your store clean, clean.
29. Let your positive attitude be the first thing your customer notices about you.
30. Under promise and over deliver.

Granted, 27 may not help to much in improving your Business, but it is certainly good advice for improving your home life.

50 Ways to Improve Your Business in 2009 - Part 5

Here are my 5, bringing our list up to 26:

22. Survey Your Customers.
23. Paint At Least One Part of Your Store.
24. Clean the Carpets.  Replace if Beyond Hope.
25. Read a Business Book.  (“Good to Great” is still a great book.)
26. Move the Furniture.  Replace if Beyond Hope.

We are over half way now, and we have at least a few more to post tomorrow.

Bill Hinderer

50 Ways to Improve Your Business in 2009 - Part 4

6 more tips from John Kaido - SR. Vice President Home Floor Care

16. Formulate and rehearse a "Quick Demo" that has "Wow" impact with customers.
17. When customers enter your store with a vacuum for repair, ask them if it's a repair or a trade in.
18. Ask customers if the "Love" their vacuum.
19. Advertise a 1/2 price sale on your trade-in inventory.
20. Ask your belt customers if they want the belt for free in exchange for looking at the latest technology in vacuums.
21. Get an outsider to give you an honest evaluation of your store from the customer's perspective.

We are almost half way there, so keep sending in those tips.

Bill Hinderer