Add on or Necessity Sale?

2006-10-23T20:28:00Z

I’m not going to beat a dead horse about last week’s “Impulse Buying” but to take it a step further, can anyone explain this one to me?

I made a sales call to one of my accounts and after they placed an order for a few guns, I asked if they needed any ammunition. Their reply “we don’t carry any ammunition” has me scratching my head…

Why would you want to send a customer to your direct competition? I’d bet that next time that customer is ready to buy, they’ll go to the place that had everything they needed to make their purchase without all of the extra running around.

During my time in retail firearms had me always stressing to my employees that we’d never get rich selling just guns and that every gun sold should also ammunition (both defensive and practice loads, at the very least, they should at least, try it out once), some sort of case or holster (if not both), speed loaders or spare magazines (My theory is if you think you might use the gun for personal defense you always carry two complete reloads with you anytime you carry the gun and you should always have enough magazines that if you’re carrying three of them at least three more are at home unloaded to allow the springs to rest and they should be rotated on a monthly basis).

That’s the bare minimum that they should take home with their new gun. If they’re new shooter or don’t own a similar caliber already (You did qualify them as part of their purchase, right?) A cleaning kit, silicone rag, along with some basic instructions on it’s safe use and how to make it go bang in the right direction (You DO carry some NRA handouts on firearms safety and recommend joining the NRA, right)?

Speaking of the NRA, their dealers program can earn you money while making sure you help with the fight to preserve our right to own firearms and to stay in business too.

So, enough of my ranting, why don’t you share some of your tips for happy customers and increased sales with the rest of us?

Until next time, get on out there and sell something!

Impulse Buying

2006-09-29T18:03:00Z

Most of us never give a second thought to product placement and impulse buying when it comes to the layout of our stores be it brick and mortar or on line. Remember small items at up to big sales!

Do you think the big boys do product placement by accident? Next time you’re in your local grocery store walk down the candy aisle and you’ll see that most of the candy is placed below waist level. Now think, do you believe this is done to give the candy purchaser a little exercise as they pickup that jumbo bag of Snickers bars? Of course not, it is there so the main consumers of candy, your kids will have it at eye level and pester you until you cave in and buy the bag to keep peace in the family. The same thing goes on at the checkout; you’re held captive in a narrow space filled with candy, gum and a few items you might have forgotten, razor blades, panty hose, etc.

You’ll see the same at just about any store you’re in these days from Qwiky Mart to auto parts, they all have impulse items right next to the registers and it accounts for a huge part of their annual sales.

When was the last time you ordered in a fast food restaurant without hearing “care for fries with that?” More impulse buying!

Even online, every major net store (Amazon, e Bay, and the rest) have the little section as part of the checkout process “Others who have purchased this item have also purchased the following….”

An old friend who always managed to make an extra sale kept a clear plastic cup filled with the old “P-38” G.I. can openers next to his register that he sold for a quarter a piece. During the Iranian hostage crisis he had buttons made up in both “G” and “X” rated versions “Iran Sucks” and “F--- Iran”. Without even saying a word to offer them to a customer, he sold them by the thousands!

So, what’s on your counter or check out screen?

Lower cost items like bulk packed pocket knives, bullet or knife key chains, pocket or keychain sized pepper spray, a tub of foam ear plugs, knife and hook sharpeners, the hot fishing lures for your area, bait and fillet knives, flashlights of different types “LED” cap lights and “Shake light” batteryless lights make great additions to everyone’s tackle box. And anything branded with your business name and logo should be featured at your checkout.

These are low cost items that will dramatically add to your bottom line year round.

Just some food for thought, without even asking if you want fries with that…

Now get on out there sell something!

Clyde's Corner

Add on or Necessity Sale?

Impulse Buying