How To Have A Successful Retail Sales Event

In the 30-plus years I spent working in advertising and marketing, one of the most frequently asked questions I got from retailers was "how can I make sure I have successful sale?" While there are no hard and fast answers to this question, there are some guidelines you can follow to maximize your chances of that sale being successful.

First, if your store is in an area with fairly frequent rains (or snows), do not, and I mean, do not have a one-day sale. You put in a lot of work preparing for and advertising a sale and what could be more depressing than sitting in your store for 12 hours on your sale day watching the rain come down and no customers come in?

Second, make the sale a legitimate one. We have one chain of department stores here that has so many sales, we often wonder what its prices would really be during a non-sale week. If you really are clearing out old inventory, don't be afraid to say so. Don't have a moving or going out of business sale unless you really are moving or going out of business. If you have genuine markdowns, feature them. Titles like Carnival of Values, Red Tag Sale or Bargain Days are pretty much clichés and should be avoided unless you just can't do any better.

People are getting to be very sharp buyers and can usually tell the different between a real bargain and a "sale bargain." Your competition today isn't a store across town that sells the same things you do. It's sources on the Internet like eBay, Overstock.com, and Amazon.com.

How can you beat these Goliaths? There's only one way I can think of and that's personal service. You might not be able to sell your merchandise cheaper than Amazon.com or Overstock.com, but you can treat customers like royalty and everybody likes to be treated as if they were someone special. Keep track of your customers' names and addresses so that you can send them special offers, a thank you note for shopping with you or, depending on the nature of your store, a newsletter.

In this same vein, I also like to see retailers give customers an extra- special reason to come in the store. Free giveaways are powerful even if they seem tired. Try offering something free to the first 25 or 50 customers to give people a reason to come in the story early. It doesn't have to be anything expensive; people love to get free stuff even if it has little value. If your business is antiques and collectibles, maybe there is an inexpensive "super wax for furniture" you could give the first 25 customers. If yours is a jewelry store, how about free silver polish? A tire store could offer a free tire gauge. Or if you own a liquor store, how about a booklet of drink recipes? And so on.

So far as advertising is concerned, you will want to run ads a couple of days in advance of the sale and you should buys as large an ad as you can possibly afford. I have seen too many retailers cheap out with small ads that are barely noticeable and then wonder where the customers are. In fact, given a small ad budget, I feel it's better to run only one big ad the day before your sale than two or three small ads.

Following these suggestions won't guarantee a successful sale but it will help ensure your next sale goes great!

Douglas Hanna

Article by Douglas Hanna. Douglas is a retired advertising and marketing executive and long-time Denver resident. He is the webmaster of http://www.all-in-one-info.com, a free resource for information on a variety of subjects. Please visit his site to subscribe to his free newsletter, "Tips & Tricks to Save Money & Live Better."

---

The Hidden Competition: Avoiding the 2 Most Common Competitors

There are really only two types of competitor:1. Obvious2. HiddenThe... Read More

How to Maximize Account Penetration and Jump-Start Sales

Maximizing account penetration is one of the most critical functions... Read More

Keeping Your Sales Team Motivated

Sales managers frequently approach me for advice on how to... Read More

Back-to-School List - 10 Tips for Trade Shows

There's a new year beginning now - the school year.... Read More

Outsourcing the Sales Function

Small to medium companies that want to increase sales or... Read More

Finding A Sales Force That Pays For Itself

The elements involved in building a sales force, especially one... Read More

How To Become A Better Sales Manager

YIPPEE! Kendra won, or should I say, "She was hired,"... Read More

To Increase Your Sales and Revenue Make Sure To Add Value

What are you and your company's services and products worth... Read More

Increasing Sales by Using Coupons - Will it Help Your Business?

Increasing Sales by using Coupons. Will it help your business?... Read More

3 Steps To Getting A Sales Meeting

The best way to get a new customer is to... Read More

Rotten to the Core: The Story of How the Best and Brightest can be Ruined

The objective of an incentive is to incite action within... Read More

Speed-up Your Sales Cycle

This week's article is my response to a question by... Read More

Sales Forecasting For New Businesses

Sales forecasting is the process of organizing and analysing information... Read More

What Is A Proposal? And Why Do You Need One?

Do you know anyone who regularly wins bids? Or can... Read More

Are Your Business Proposals Losing You Sales? 10 Steps to Get the ?Yes? You Deserve

Your ability to write an effective and persuasive business proposal... Read More

Book of Lists Marketing for Pressure Washing Companies

The American Business Journals produces a Book of Lists each... Read More

How to Increase The Sales Of Promotional Products

I have searched for a new way to increase the... Read More

Change in Sales Organizations Starts with Me

Question: What do the following have in common?- I spend... Read More

14 Top Lead Generation Tactics

According to former Harvard Business School professor David Maister, typical... Read More

Profitable Relationships: Is It Amateur Hour or King of the Hill?

"We're in the relationship business?...airplanes are what we use to... Read More

Drop Discounts and Earn Top Dollar

Every dollar you discount is a dollar of pure profit... Read More

Five Steps to Maximize Success in Targeting For Growth

Targeting is the process of selecting high potential customer accounts... Read More

Free to Succeed: Effective Sales Leadership Using A Coach Approach

About 2 years ago, I participated in a training program... Read More

Commodity Sales Prospecting - How to Stand Out From Your Competitors

I have received a number of requests for advice from... Read More

Transforming Your Sales Force by Creating Specific Expectations

I just finished a phone call with a potential client... Read More

Whats a Professional Sales Manager?

I was in the depths of a major depression. As... Read More

How To Have A Successful Retail Sales Event

In the 30-plus years I spent working in advertising and... Read More

Overcoming Sales Objections for Small Business Networks

Do you need help overcoming sales objections? Do you sell... Read More

Shorten Sales Cycles in Complex Sales Environments

Help buyers discover the answers they need to understand and... Read More

How to Write a Business Plan Sales Section for a Mobile Service

We all agree one of the most important parts of... Read More

It?s Time For A Sales Management Revolution

Are you dog tired because of the way you manage... Read More

How You Can Raise Your Business Earnings By 50% With An Age-Old Magic Truth

Imagine increasing your business earnings by 30, 40, or 50%.... Read More

Sales Tactics to Beat Your Competition

This month I want to share a success from a... Read More