Posts Tagged ‘Sales’

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Tuesday Tip: Traveling Jewelry Sales

 Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

Hailed as the new Mary Kay and Avon, jewelry sales is becoming a booming business for individuals who want to be self employed or for people who want to make some extra money on the side. People are looking to supplement their income to make ends meet, and the average direct salesperson makes about $200 extra a month. The average Silpada rep makes about $285 for every 2 hour party that they plan. Hosting a couple of parties a week can add up to thousands a month.

The jewelry party idea is not only profitable for the sales rep, but this business model can be successfully employed by a small jewelry retailer or an individual starting up a jewelry line. By traveling with your jewelry line to homes or offices for pre-planned events, you will be able to introduce your product to a new audience. You can enhance this experience by also making your products available online on eBay or through a website. Then once people discover your line at a party, they can become repeat customers, or they can host parties of their own.

So how do you become successful in this industry? Here are a few tips that we have, but feel free to add some more tips in the comment section.

  1. Work your contacts- The key to making money in this field is having people who are willing to let you into their home or place of business so that you can sell your jewelry to their friends and coworkers.
  2. Reward the host- Many people host these type of parties because they get some sort of incentive for hosting the party. So make sure to reward the host with a free item or a cut of the profits that they can use toward merchandise.
  3. Make the host look good- The best way to reward the host is to make them look good for hosting your event. Simple ways to do this is to have your items organized and displayed in an attractive manner. Stayed tuned to Friday’s featured product article as we will discuss ways to display jewelry items.
  4. Ask new customers to consider hosting a party of their own- As we said before, some of the success in this industry can be attributed to your networking abilities. So if you get an enthusiastic party attendee, make sure you ask them to consider hosting their own party.

Feel free to add your own tips on how to host a successful jewelry party. Also, what other industries have you seen doing this type of retail? We all know about makeup, jewelry, candles, etc, but what other types of parties have you attended?

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Friday Featured Product: Signs

 Friday, June 5th, 2009

On Tuesday, we talked about ways to increase foot traffic. And one of our suggestions was to improve the signage at your store. Today, we are going to go into more detail about some effective signs to increase foot traffic.

Well, one of the easiest ways to increase traffic is to increase the number of eyes that look at your store. The simplest way to do this is through signage.

The first sign you should always have is an OPEN sign. While this sounds obvious, some stores forget this crucial sign. LED open signs are our favorite option because people can see that your store is open from a distance. These signs are especially popular for stores in strip malls or near a street.

If you are in an area with high walking traffic such as a mall or town center area, sidewalk signs are extremely helpful. They are also very useful for restaurants. Our favorite is the dry erase board sidewalk sign.  These come in a-frame or spring versions. The dry erase board sign allow you to easily customize the sign without having to purchase a new sign from a printer. They are great for sales, specials, menu items, promotions and special events.

Another type of sign that is perfect for catching attention is the moving message board sign. These signs are easily customizable and their vibrant colors are guaranteed to make shoppers stop and look.

Don’t be afraid to have some fun attracting attention. Pennant strands and promotional rope lights bring some color to your store front. Tube lights and promotional beacon lights will light the way to your store.

And don’t neglect the standbys. Traditional banners and window cling signs are sure to help bring in traffic.

These signs will ultimately increase the number of eyes that look into your store. By bringing attention to your store, you can improve sales and coveted foot traffic.

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Tuesday Tip: Increasing Foot Traffic

 Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009

While many of your customers plan a trip to your store, a high percentage of new customers find a store by “stopping in” while shopping for something else. By increasing the foot traffic into your store, you can raise profits and introduce your brand to a whole new customer base.

Right now, many stores are feeling the pain of the economic downturn. One thing that everyone needs is more customers in their stores. Fewer people are shopping, so you need to attract the attention of the people who are out and about shopping. So how do you increase foot traffic?

Our first suggestion would be to increase the visibility of your store. One way to do this is to feature signs and promotional lighting at the entrance. Sidewalk signs, beacon lights and banners are extremely effective for improving foot traffic.

Another way to get people in your store is through a sale. We have discussed this before, but featuring items outside your store will get people browsing. Put merchandise in a dump bin or on a rolling rack so that it can be easily transported during store hours.

Finally, for the more courageous owner, consider some sort of stunt. Liberty Tax has waving Statue of Liberty costume characters outside their store during tax season. Great Clips often has a dancing shampoo bottle on the sidewalk. While you don’t necessarily need to be that extreme, consider having one of your workers hand out fliers or carry a sign to alert other shoppers about your sale.

By increasing foot traffic into your store, you can then show off your merchandise and entice shoppers to make a purchase. Hopefully they will become frequent shoppers after that first “stop in” to your store.

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Friday Featured Product: Dump Bins

 Friday, May 22nd, 2009

In keeping with our sale’s theme this week, we wanted to highlight dump bins and their role in stores for sales and for regular merchandise displays. Dump bins are very good for holding sales items because of their elevated sides. Plus they are compact and easy to store, allowing you to keep them in your back room in a corner when not in use.

Folding dump tables are probably the most useful for sales. They have deep bins, yet the legs fold under for storage. One of the best parts about these tables is that they can be easily divided so each clothing size is kept separate.

To store everyday merchandise, we recommending looking into wire dump bins for their versatility and flexibility. Great for specials, closeouts, seasonal merchandise and everyday items. Ten eye-catching baskets invite browsing and buying and they are easy to stock and easy to reposition to take advantage of traffic. These types of bins include:

So feel free to stock stuffed animals and giant bouncy balls finally have a place. Look into purchasing some of these racks to help break up the monotony of shelving and standard racks in your store.

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Tuesday Tip: Maximizing sales to generate profit

 Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

Sales: the ultimate necessary evil in the retail industry. But sales have value other than liquidating out of season merchandise. Sales can bring in new customers, generate serious profits and enhance the visibility of your store.

The number one way to ensure a successful sale is promotion. Now we aren’t necessarily talking about taking out a full page ad in the local paper. For larger cities, this could be cost prohibitive. But you definitely want to let your current customers and any traffic know that you are offering deals.

The first way to generate traffic to your store is by signs. Luckily, you don’t need to go get a custom printed sign every time something goes on clearance.  General “sale” signs can do the trick. Try sidewalk signs for outside your store, window clings, banners and even promotional lights. These signs will alert driving and walking traffic to take notice.

Another way to drive traffic is to feature sale items on the exterior of your store. Set up a few dump bins with folded clothing so people can browse as they pass. Then have more sales items in various areas of the store so people have to browse through the full priced items as they bargain shop.

A further way to maximize sales profits is to offer good customer discounts. As customers regularly purchase their items, ask if they would like to sign up for email offers. Then, periodically email coupons. The most effective coupons when working with a current customer is the “spend $100, get $15 off” type of coupon (amounts can vary.) Because most often, people end up spending more than the max amount in order to reach that top price.

Not only do sales bring in new customers, they allow you to move merchandise that hasn’t sold yet, clearing out room for your new lines. Often this is pretty cyclical. So think about having a sale a season, so your best customers look forward to it.

Most of all don’t be afraid to experiment with sales techniques and ideas. You will find a method that works perfectly for your store.

We need your help! Chime in and let other people know which techniques work best for your store.

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