Pull sales in with an excuse-proof value statement

Eliminate every excuse your customer has to NOT come in and
you should see the sales start ringing. Countering resistance can get the
shopper out of the house and into your store ready to buy. To get a piece of
today’s smaller pie you have to be strong and thorough.  

Here’s some ways we recommend using to get strong results,
based on our experience in furniture retailing, but could work for other large
ticket retailers.

1. Create a feeling of “I couldn’t let this sale
   pass by.” Build strong, real values that erode customer resistance.
2. Half of customers want financing, so appeal to
   them with zero percent or other attractive finance offers.
3. Pay for any sales tax in addition to the offered
   savings.
4. Create special hours or days during the sale in
   which you offer to pay twice or three times the sales tax.
5. Change your hours for the duration of the sale,
   indicating this is a significant event.  For
   example, open later than usual and/or stay open longer.
6. Make the deal fresh.  You may keep the overall margins the same, but
   differentiate it for customer interest.  Customers
   learn and listen differently; change-ups will appeal to different segments of
   the market.
7. Offer an exclusive deal to your existing customers,
   on top of everything else.  For example,
   email or mail them a gift card worth $100 off any purchase – with no
   minimums. 
8. Empower your sales team to use the “exclusive
   offer” as a lure for customers on the fence, or who didn’t buy within a specified
   time frame. Just make sure you have some rules in place to keep them from using
   it indiscriminatingly.
9. Thoroughly bedeck the floor with merchandising
   tools, in particular your price tags. Your customer is bee-lining to the tag;
   make certain it is reflective of all your offers.  It’s worth the effort.
10. Support everything with attention-compelling
    advertising, direct mail, social media and point-of-purchase materials. Send a
    clear message of your important event. 
    Don’t lose your brand identity, but make certain your messaging cuts
    through to your audience. 

Smart retailers are doing everything in their power to speed
up the market and garner their share. Our experience is that when stores orient
the sale and its messages to the perceived impediments of your existing and
potential customers, you have a strong shot at success.  What else have you seen working for you? We’d
love to hear it. 

 

Sandra Matthews, Retail Mastermind