Sales Truths : To get milk from a cow, you don’t send her an email.

Published

11 years ago

August 19, 2013

Dave Richardson

Sales Truths : To get milk from a cow, you don’t send her an email.

BY DAVID RICHARDSON

Published in the September 2013 issue.

WHY IT IS TRUE: Because it is very quick and easy, and most of all non-threatening, we are quick to send a reminder email to a customer regarding an upcoming anniversary, birthday, or another important date in his life. And then we wonder why he never comes into the store.

PLAN OF ACTION: Considering the fact that the majority of your customers probably receive well over 100 emails every day, the probability that he will carve out time to read yours could be pretty slim. You have two options: Pick up the telephone and give him a call, or send him a very nice, personalized card. If he is considered to be a “great” customer, then a telephone call might be the best. For hard-to-reach customers, send him a card personalized with photos and text that will capture his imagination. Photos of your store and staff, of you on a hike, a vacation, at the gym, with your feet up on your desk, your eyes closed, whatever. The stronger your relationship with the customer, the more imaginative this card can really be. If he chuckles when he reads it, he will not throw it away, and just maybe, just maybe, he will make a beeline for your store. — DAVE RICHARDSON

You Wouldn’t Cut Your Own Hair. Why Run Your Own Retirement Sale?

After being in business for over a quarter of a century, Wayne Reid, owner of Wayne Jewelers in Wayne, Pennsylvania, decided it was time for a little “me time.” He says, “I’ve reached a point in my life where it’s time to slow down, enjoy a lot of things outside of the jewelry industry. It just seemed to be the right time.” He chose Wilkerson to handle his retirement sale because of their reputation and results. With financial goals exceeded, Reid says he made the right choice selecting Wilkerson to handle the sale. “They made every effort to push our jewelry to the forefront of the showcases,” he says, lauding Wilkerson for their finesse and expertise. Would he recommend them to other jewelers who want to make room for new merchandise, expand their business or like him, decide to call it a day? Absolutely he says, equating trying to do this kind of sale with cutting your own hair. “The results are going to happen but not as well as if you have a professional like Wilkerson do the job for you.”