Use them to Attract your RAVING FANS! You come back from trade shows with so much NEW…new lines, new items, new ideas and new enthusiasm. Today is your first day back at work. You are pumped up! As you pull up to your store you are thinking, “Just wait until my employees hear about all the great new items … Read More
What are you doing wrong in December?
What are you doing wrong in December? Not knowing how much cash you will have at the end of the year. It is important to see how much cash you are on track to generate compared to how much you need to take care of bills. There is still time to take strategic action. I am here to help you. … Read More
Do It the Peppermill Way – 5 Ways to Connect With Your Raving Fans
The images of Las Vegas linger in my mind. Boy do they know how to do marketing there. Even in breakfast diners! Paul and I had spent the evening at the Venetian. We asked a bartender where to go for breakfast and her immediate response was “The Peppermill.” Then our cabbie on the ride home gave us the same advice. … Read More
GO BIG or GO HOME
It is NCAA basketball time. I LOVE IT! It is March Madness. All these teams get one shot. If they lose – they go home. If they go big, they advance. For you, to advance means to increase your profits, right? So how do you go big? In order to go big, let’s start by going small. Let’s look at … Read More
Calling is NOT a 4 letter word. Really. Count it.
This is an actual conversation that I had with a retailer… “Cathy, my business stinks. What can I do?” “I would love to help you. Send me some information so that I can see what strategy you should take to explode your profits. In the meantime, can I give you one REVENUE-BUILDING-GUARANTEED tip?” “Please anything…I will do anything…the store is … Read More
The Single Biggest Mistake You Can Make!
What is the single biggest mistake you can make? I used to go to seminars about retail advertising and when they would start talking about target markets my eyes would glaze over. “I sell kid’s clothes and gifts. Everyone knows a kid. Therefore, everyone is my customer,” I would think.In one way that is true. But obviously at some level, … Read More
There is no difference between a markdown and a discount. WRONG. Have you been making this mistake?
There IS a difference between markdowns and discounts…..AND they are exactly the same. The difference is in how you track them, but they can mean the same thing. ANYTHING that reduces the price of an item is a markdown. A markdown is sometimes given different nicknames (reward credit, discount, loyalty dollars, etc.). Remember, YOU are giving the customer money to … Read More
So Much Profit Hidden In This One Word
There Is So Much Profit Hidden In This One Word. The following is a true story. The names have been changed to protect the innocent idiot. Pat owned a toy and children’s clothing store. After a great year in which she was up about $42,000 from the previous year while maintaining the same expense structure, Pat was looking forward to … Read More
DO NOT Make Any New Year’s Resolutions Yet. It Would Be A Big Mistake.
There are so many posts about resolutions for the New Year. And you all know that I believe in goals…and in writing them down. That is surely a step that increases success. But DON’T make any New Year’s Resolutions. Not yet. It would be a mistake to jump forward like that. There is something else you must do first! We … Read More
3 Must Do Things for 4Q Marketing to Drive Your Raving Fans to Your Store!
It is HERE! We are in the midst of the 4th quarter and the end of the year will be here in just about 7 weeks. The great news is that there is still enough time to pump up your sales before then. Let’s talk about your marketing and advertising from now until them. There are 3 things you need … Read More