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."

---

Getting Off The Advertising And Sales Rollercoaster

Seeing the results of advertising your business can be like... Read More

3 Ways to Increase Your Sales

Last week I got a call from Jose, who was... Read More

Raise Concern About Sales Competition, Not About Yourself

As you are reading this sales article, read very carefully.... Read More

Sales Plan? Whats a Sales Plan?

In the past, if you said the word "plan" to... Read More

Leadership Lessons for Sales Managers

Leadership, like class, is hard to define, but easy to... Read More

Hire A Six, To Consistently Produce Sales Success

For many years as a sales manager, I would only... Read More

It?s Time For A Sales Management Revolution

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

How To Use A Powerful Leadership Tool To Step Up Sales Results

Good sales people can close, but few "step up" for... Read More

Beyond the Golden Rule

There are several types and sub types of people in... Read More

How To Have A Successful Retail Sales Event

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

How to Sell Strategically

If you want to maximize your sales performance, take a... 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

Speed-up Your Sales Cycle

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

Energize Your Organization

No matter what you do, it seems, your employees do... Read More

4 Marketing Myths Threaten Your Sales

These 4 marketing myths can cause you to lose sales... 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

Sex, Drugs, & Rock-n-Roll at Trade Shows

Here's the Scenario...You're at a trade show. Out of town.... Read More

How to Beat the 80/20 Rule in Sales Performance -- Part 2

Another key reason why companies suffer from 80/20 performance is... Read More

How To Become A Better Sales Manager

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

Sales & Marketing Plan Strategies

Design and Implementation of a new Sales & Marketing campaign... Read More

Franchise Sales; Recruiting of Laid Off Employees

Because of corporate downsizing, many people have been laid-off or... Read More

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

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

Make Time, Not Excuses

There are four primary activities that successful salespeople engage in... Read More

3 Steps To Getting A Sales Meeting

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

Stop Drowning: Nine Strategies For Managing Your Priorities

I just got off the phone with Susan. She is... Read More

Never Trust a Silent Customer

Imagine you run a pizza parlour. You have all these... Read More

Do You Really Want Local County Contracts?

If you really want to secure government contacts at the... 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

Snuff Out the Competition Without Leaving a Mark!

Does the competition drive you crazy? Are they relentless about... Read More

The Benefits of Catalog Sales For Your Business

Things to watch out for when selling your product in... Read More

How Many Salespeople Should I Hire?

One of the most asked questions I get is how... Read More

Want to Increase the Amount of Business that Your Firm is Getting?

Business development is important for every business and refers to... Read More

Is Your Forecast Too Sunny? How to Improve the Accuracy of Sales Forecasts

As spring moves to summer, the forecast should be for... Read More