The other day (4/3/2019) I was meeting a friend for lunch and we decided to meet at Delvecchio’s in Plantation, FL. I showed up a bit early for our meeting only to be surprised that they were closed during what would have been regular work hours. I called another location to find out what was happening as many times things happen and the business would reopen. I was told that the owner decided to close this location permanently. The person on the phone simply said they could keep up with it anymore. I found this a bit odd as they are located near a 55 plus community, have office buildings across the street, are next to an elementary school, and down the block from a middle school, and have a high school near by this location. As I went next store to Subway to eat with my friend I started to think about Delvecchio’s and how many other businesses like Delveechio’s close because they do not market daily. I am surprised by how many business owners I encounter who are not open to receive ideas about strengthening their brand and increasing their revenue. So many times a business owner get’s so wrapped up in the other aspects of the business that they forget the importance of marketing and advertising. Surprise, Surprise, Surprise if you are not marketing you are losing a large segment of the market as they are going those that are on the top of their mind. It is imperative to know your community and how to reach the potential customers/clients in your community. Knowing you target audience and how to reach them and have them do business with you is key.
In order to avoid putting the closed for business sign up permanently you need to develop a Unique Selling Proposition. It is important to set yourself apart from every other business in your industry. Think of business and what they became known for and then follow their model in your business. When you think of McDonald’s you think of The Big Mac, when you think of NIKE you think sneakers, when you think All State you think accident forgiveness. The key is having something that you are known for that others in your industry don’t have. Ask yourself what do I have that is proprietary to my business and how can it put me on the top of the mind of the consumer. Then ask yourself how will I market this Unique Selling Proposition.
The key to marketing is to build raving fans that will share your business with others. I remember working at Sinbad Sports back in 2016 and taking fliers to all the sports bars and speaking to General Mangers who allowed me to hand the fliers out to their patrons in return I allowed them to put fliers in the store. This allowed me to share a unique selling proposition as the sports store with all teams available. Another Unique Selling Proposition was the fact that the store had me as a knowledgeable employee able to answer questions while also promoting the store on social media. I remember during football season on Thursdays I would make my NFL Picks and post them on social media. I did this using different merchandise and showing my picks via video. At Sinbad Sports we also had items that you couldn’t find anywhere else thus I made it a point to feature them as well. I share this to emphasize the importance of marketing and engaging your staff in the process.
It is important to get to know your customers and to make them feel welcomed and important. When some one does business with you give them a reason to continue to do business with you. Do unique things like finding out their favorite food and then getting a gift card to a restaurant that serves that type of food to give to them the next time they come in. When you do things for your customers and they feel appreciated they will not only continue to do business with you they will share your business with others. Surprise, Surprise, Suprise, customer service is important. Remember they chose to do business with you so give them a reason to keep doing business with you and to recommend you to others.
Surprise, Surprise, Surprise without a structured advertising and marketing plan you will find yourself throwing good money after bad and eventually this takes a toll on your business as many times it leads to closing the business permanently. Sometimes there are other factors why a business closes however one of the most common reasons is lack of marketing. Marketing is very simple find the problem that your business solves and then promote your business to those seeking to solve that problem. Make sure you know your niche market and target your advertising and marketing to them so that you strengthen your brand and increase your revenue. Marketing should be done daily.
Surprise, Surprise, Surprise you can not have results if you are busy making excuses. I have heard so many times that oh business is slow I can’t afford to market. My answer is instead of complaining think of affordable ways to market. If you have some down time in your business hop on social media and invite people to do business with you by offering a special. When I worked at Celebrity Sports I would do videos and send them out and post them in groups. On some of the days doing this brought in a few people who told me I didn’t plan on coming y but I saw your video. On days that I wasn’t in the store I was out in the community finding people who liked sports or knew people who liked sports as a result I picked up a few regular customers. My Unique Selling Proposition was that I could do auctions on a consignment basis with non-profit organizations which helped them raise money while putting the store in front of the consumer so that when they needed something sports or pop culture related they though of Celebrity Sports 1st.
Surprise, Surprise, Surprise you need a knowledgeable marketing person who can build your brand and increase your revenue. You need someone who will be proactive and help you stay ahead of the curve so you are the leader in your industry not a follower. It is important for you to empower this person to make decisions. You will need someone who understand your business and has your best interest in mind. You will need someone that seeks and acts upon opportunities.
Avoid having to put this sign up by making marketing and advertising a priority.
How many times have you been working and it has been approaching time to close up and go home and you could wait to leave? Many times we are is such a rush to get out and go home that we leave money on the table and instead of turning a customer on and having them buy something we turn them off. I have found that as long as you have a retail operation you can not be in a rush to close. This came to fruition yesterday (4/30/2016) when I was finishing up an 11 hour day at Celebrity Sports located at 1825 N.Pine Island Road in Plantation. I had been posting specials being run during the moving sale all day on Facebook on The Celebrity Sports Page but sales were lacking. At about 9:45 PM a family came in and started to look around and like many potential buyers asked how much something was. In this case it was The Dwayne Wade signed Jersey that normally sells for $999. I told the customer it is normally $999 but because we are moving I could sell it to him for $750. I went back to interacting with his kids and he came over and said If I can do it for $725 he would take it. I called my manager to get approval and the manager said yes. I sold the piece did all the paperwork and as they were leaving his son saw The Dwayne Wade Finals Jersey Swatch Piece it wasn’t in the system so I called the manager who told me it is normally $99 but I could sell it for $65. I told the customer he said I’ll take it. In not rushing the customer and staying open about 15 minutes later than normal I sold $790 worth of merchandise. I share this with you so the next time you are dreading working a long shift and rushing to close that you stay a bit longer as you never know when that browser will become a buyer. As the customer was leaving he asked about any Marino Items we may have as his business partner has a birthday coming up. As a result of not being in a rush to close I not only made 2 nice sales I am confident that I will have future sales.
Even though Celebrity Sports is moving from its current location and having a moving sale I have learned that it is important to be nice to everyone even those who are only taking pictures and browsing as you never know what will lead to a sale. In not rushing to close and taking time to know who is walking into your retail establishment you will begin to drive more business as people will begin to speak highly of your business and bring you future business. Though you can not live on be backs and empty promises you must not be in a rush to close. I have learned over the last several months that it is important to create a good feeling for everyone who comes into the store, calls you on the phone, or stops by your booth at a special event. I have learned that whether in the store or representing the store at a special event that is imperative to stay till the end and sometimes work past closing if necessary.
As Celebrity Sports transitions and moves to a new location I hope the lessons I have shared here will translate to your business and show you that it is important to market, deliver outstanding customer service, and not be in a rush to close. Look for other lessons learned from Celebrity Sports like the importance of networking, paying it forward, using social media, having a great tagline and creating urgency. remember to be consistent in your message and not to rush to close and you will have success.
I have always thought of myself as a problem solver. I have found that those who put judgement and EGO aside and listen to me become successful as I come up with practical solutions. In today’s market place if you do not have a web presence you need to develop one by defining your target audience and giving them a reason to come to your store. I have found that those who think they know everything stat to lose everything because they are not open to outside thinking. The solution is to see what is working in the industry you are in and find a way to be a step ahead of everyone else. If you are a sports related store you should be doing things that are sports related in your marketing for example You know every March that The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Takes Place and is referred to as March Madness so why not do a special March Madness promotion that appeals to those who follow the tournament. Every day there is a special day designated on the calendar so look up the special days and do promotions around the day. A great resource for marketing ideas is Heidi Richard’s Mooney’s Book Quirky Marketing Ideas.
Two of my favorite cartoon characters are Garfield and Snoopy and my favorite charity is The American Cancer Society. 2016 Marks my 17th year as a volunteer with The American Cancer Society Relay For Life. In my many years of fundraising and promotions I have learned that to succeed you need to be creative thus I developed a fundraising program called The Snoopy VS. Garfield Challenge where people are asked to visit http://main.acsevents.org/goto/jdogg4 and make a donation and put Snoopy or Garfield in the comments and whichever character gets the most votes based on donations wins. It is very simple and easy to participate in. This fundraising triggered a thought about the importance of being creative in your marketing. In being creative you want to have a campaign that is memorable that resonates with your target audience. With the Snoopy VS Garfield Challenge I am looking for people aged 25+ who will know who each character is and who wants to help plant the seeds of hope and healing for cancer patients and their families. In using creativity and cause marketing people are seeing what I am passionate about and learning that when they use my services that they are supporting a cause that most everyone can relate to as cancer has touched almost everyone in one way or another.
Another creative fundraiser that I implemented was The Points For The Cure Football Edition, which helped to raise $21.50 for this relay for life. In having fliers and promoting it across football related platforms other relay participants ran a similar campaign. Now let’s translate this to your business if you have clients/customers that are football fans you can pick a team and do a special price based on the points that team scores or offer a discount based on the points scored. You can then market this across all your marketing platforms and thus generate more revenue simply because you were creative.
