Your Supplier Wants To Help Pay For Your Advertising

Your Supplier Wants To Help Pay For Your Advertising

by | Nov 30, 2021 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice

All of your suppliers have a vested interest in your success, and most of them have access to extraordinary marketing funds and resources beyond traditional co-op to help you sell more of their products.

With the end of the year rapidly approaching, it’s your chance to make a “Last Dash for Cash”.  Don’t think it’s too late. Millions of co-op dollars go unused every year. The main reason is that seldom does anyone ask for these funds! If you don’t access those funds, you are literally throwing money away, or worse yet, your competitors will scoop those funds and use them against you.

In our How to Leverage Your Suppliers’ Marketing Muscle, tactic number one is “Tender your Next Ad Campaign”. Present a written proposal for submissions for marketing support from all of your suppliers outlining your proposed advertising schedule and investment, along with any special displays, promotions, demonstrations, or other exposure the winning bidder will receive.

Many business owners believe their hands are tied to rigid manufacturers’ restrictions if they use manufacturers’ co-op advertising funds, but seldom is this the case.  The “squeaky wheel” oftentimes gets the grease!

If you are an appliance dealer, for example, and you sell GE and Whirlpool, your GE representative has a vested interest in you featuring GE versus Whirlpool in your ad. If you make a presentation to GE outlining the kind of campaign you propose to use to sell more GE products without using the standard GE script or ad copy that the manufacturer supplies, it will generally be approved by their office because they don’t want your campaign to feature their competitor.

Still, other businesses opt not to leverage their suppliers’ marketing muscle because it takes time and effort. In today’s competitive environment you need to take advantage of every competitive edge you can.

It may be too late in the year to go through the process of preparing and presenting a full-blown marketing campaign, but it’s not too late to simply ASK.

The old saying, “Ask and ye shall receive” still works, especially at the end of the year when manufacturers have unspent funds.

Make a Last Dash for your Cash and Good Luck!

Click here to retrieve our FREE How to Leverage Your Suppliers’ Marketing Muscle.
 
 
For the past several years, I have been working with a wholesaler that has created additional coop funding with their largest supplier and it pays for 50% of the advertising they do on my radio station in the form of product credits.  It’s really a no-brainer for the dealers to do this.
 
Another company that I work with has me submit scripts and get a approval number which takes just a couple of days and they also get free money for their advertising on WOWO.
 
Contact me and we’ll help you see what you qualify for in coop funds for the year ahead.!
The Ten Busiest Shopping Days for Christmas 2021…Are you Ready?

The Ten Busiest Shopping Days for Christmas 2021…Are you Ready?

by | Nov 9, 2021 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice

The top 10 busiest shopping days typically account for about 40% of all holiday shopping visits to physical stores. (2019 was 46.5% of the total season’s brick-and-mortar traffic whereas in “2020 COVID”, the busiest shopping days accounted for 35.2%).  Source: Forbes online, Sept 28, 2021.

As we approach Christmas 2021, here’s what consumers will be facing:

  1. It will be more expensive than any year in history
  2. Supplies will be more limited than ever
  3. Shop early or lose out

If you own a retail store, you have heard all the doom and gloom about people spending money online or through e-commerce.  That was certainly true in 2020. COVID caused a huge push to e-commerce, but they are excited and ready to return to Brink-n-Mortar shopping in 2021.

While e-commerce will continue to grow, so will Brick-n-Mortar. Estimates suggest that total US holiday retail sales in 2021 will rise 2.7% to $1.093 trillion, while the season’s e-commerce sales will rise 11.3% to $206.88 billion. Even with the increase in e-commerce, that still leaves 81.1% for Brick-n-Mortar, or $886,120,000,000.00. (That’s $886.1 Billion Dollars)

Businesses that are well planned and run well-executed events and promotions can help garner more than your fair share of the holiday shopping pie. Knowing when the shoppers are ready to shop and being ready for them is paramount to getting that fair share.

Stores that plan in-store special events and then promote them will see greater store traffic and greater sales than those that simply sit back and “hope” people stop in. Getting them into the store at key buying times can and will make all the difference.

Are you ready?

According to Forbes magazine, here are in order what are expected to be the 10-busiest shopping days for 2021:

  1. Black Friday, November 26
  2. December 18, Super Saturday – last Saturday before Christmas
  3. December 23, Thursday before Christmas
  4. December 11, two Saturdays before Christmas
  5. December 26th, Day after Christmas
  6. December 22, Wednesday before Christmas
  7. November 27, Saturday after Thanksgiving
  8. December 4, 1st Saturday in December
  9. December 21, Tuesday before Christmas
  10. December 19, Sunday before Christmas

If you would like help in planning any of your marketing and/or advertising events for this holiday season, it’s not too late.  Give me a call and I will have someone from my team sit down with you and help come up with creative ideas to help you have a successful 2021 holiday shopping season.

Customer Trust Builds Customer Loyalty

Customer Trust Builds Customer Loyalty

by | Oct 26, 2021 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo's Collective Wisdom, Sound ADvice

In last week’s article and podcast episode which featured material from my SoundADvice newsletter, I mentioned that when all things are equal, the decision we use to determine who we purchase from is based on… perception! And that perception is, who’s better, who’s more “trustworthy”, and who’s more reliable!

The internet has changed the way your customers buy.  Before most purchases, they go online to learn more about you and your competitors. Successful marketers today know the route to higher closing ratios and sales is built upon stronger customer relationships. And those relationships are built upon trust.

“Trust” is defined as, confidence in a person or thing because of the qualities one perceives in them. Your advertising, your website, and your front-line people can create the qualities your prospects perceive in you and cause them to choose you over your competitors when they go online.

If your customer count and page views are not reflected in your sales, you need to examine four key areas:

  1. Does your advertising pre-sell customers and build realistic expectations?
  2. Do the expectations match the actual shopping experience?
  3. Does your website answer the questions your customers are asking?
  4. Are your front-line salespeople competent and confident?

The powerful four-way marketing of credible advertising to pre-sell your prospects, matching expectations with actual experience, combined with helpful websites/Facebook pages and knowledgeable salespeople to improve your closing ratios will increase your sales.

In the Twelve Trust Techniques, Technique Number 3 is Be Real – Turn Weaknesses into Strengths.  Every business has a “perceived weakness”. Don’t be afraid to share the weakness and turn it into a strength. People will trust you more when you share an inadequacy.

Click here to review our Twelve Trust Techniques to create a pre-need trust and preference for your website and your salespeople.

What’s Your Edge?

What’s Your Edge?

by | Oct 19, 2021 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

In the world of selling products and services, when all things are equal, the decision we use to determine who we purchase from is based on… perception! And that perception is, who’s better, who’s more trustworthy, and who’s more reliable!

In most cases, many businesses offer the same products or services that you offer. In these cases, standing for “something” and being “different” is what is needed to break the tie.

At this very moment, people have a need or a want to buy the products or services you sell. Their next decision is the all-important one. Where will they choose to buy, and why!

First, let’s be honest.  For a certain percentage of people, price is all that matters, and you may or may not even be in the conversation.  But when price isn’t the only criteria, that’s when you have a shot.  Will it come down to a relationship, an emotional connection created from strong advertising, or a past experience, good or bad?

The key is getting people to know you and your business and know about your business BEFORE they need the products or services you sell.

Developing your tiebreaker, a consistent business strategy you can use to differentiate your business in your advertising and marketing, can be a challenging task but well worth the effort. 

Once you’ve clearly established your competitive difference (strategy), your challenge is to develop a unique and memorable way to consistently highlight that competitive tiebreaker.

Remember, when all things are equal, the “buy” goes to… whoever has something that is perceived to be BETTER or DIFFERENT!

It’s imperative that you have a clear and compelling reason for consumers to choose you over your competitors. 

If you would like help in creating your unique difference, click here to receive our Ten Tiebreaking Strategies as thought-starters for this important exercise. If you would like additional help, contact me and we will help you conduct a creative brainstorming or storyboarding session.

A Lesson in Business from the Business of Baseball

A Lesson in Business from the Business of Baseball

by | Sep 22, 2021 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

Long before baseball was known as BIG business it was known as America’s favorite pastime! But the truth be told, it’s always been a business and some valuable lessons can be learned by looking at how a baseball organization is run.

As a fan, we look at baseball as pure entertainment. Behind the scenes, the owners and managers are meticulously trying the create the perfect team on the field and the perfect balance sheet in the office. It’s not just the team they put on the field that makes them successful. There is more to it, much more!

As you work each day to build a successful business, there are some lessons to be learned from the way a professional baseball team builds, creates, and even re-organizes its rosters.

As with baseball teams, businesses have owners, managers, assistant managers, players, and personnel. They also, intentionally, have a mix of veterans, rookies, and those somewhere in between.

When creating a roster, it’s more than just pure talent that they look at.  They look at personalities, and attitudes on and off the field as well. Regardless of the position, each player and person on the team plays a major role in the overall success of the team. The same rules apply when creating your roster of employees.

In the 10 Lessons from Baseball on Building a Successful Business, Lesson #4 is: Hiring or Identifying Specialty and Utility Players.  In today’s baseball, every team has specialty and utility players. Having employees on your team that specialize in one area or another can be very rewarding. Likewise, having a player/employee that can play several positions can pay huge dividends as well. While a utility player may not be an all-star player at any one position, it’s the player, or in a business’ case, the employee that can fill in in a pinch without missing a beat.

Lesson #8 is: Create Fans.  Fans just don’t happen, they’re created. Baseball players will tell you that it’s much easier to get hyped up when you have fans cheering you on.

Teams that have the best fans sell the most tickets, t-shirts, and logoed products. True fans are fans that cheer and promote the team, or your business, whether they are inside or outside the stadium.  Do you have a plan to create raving and vocal fans/customers that not only root for you when they need you, but will root for you between purchases as well?

The similarity between a professional baseball team and your business is that you want to create a team that attracts a lot of fans/customers that are so thrilled by your product(s) or service(s) that they not only come back time after time, but they bring friends with them.

The ultimate goal is not just to win, but to be successful on and off the field.

To see the 10 Lessons from Baseball on Building a Successful Business, click here.

A Bottle of Happiness

A Bottle of Happiness

by | Aug 18, 2021 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice

Today, I’m going to share with you a story that began 135 years ago.

Coca-Cola taught the world to sing in perfect harmony and it also taught all of us some great marketing lessons!

On May 8th, 1886, Dr. John Pemberton sold his first glass of Coca-Cola at Jacobs Pharmacy in downtown Atlanta, Georgia.

Advertising has played a key role in Coke’s worldwide dominance since the beginning when John Pemberton invested $77 in advertising while he was only making a $50 profit. 

135 years later, Coke, as it is affectionately known, is served 1.9 million times every day, and remains one of the most recognized brands in the world.

After decades and multitudes of marketing campaigns, Coca-Cola remains consistent in communicating one very powerful and effective message, “Pleasure”, using two very powerful words, “Enjoy” and “Happiness”. A product that makes people, smile, laugh, sing, and brings pleasure to our daily lives, never goes out of style. 

A major reason for Coca-Cola’s success is the emphasis it places on the brand instead of the actual product. Coke rarely talks about the taste or ingredients, instead, it focuses on what the product does for you and to you. It doesn’t sell a drink in a bottle, it sells “happiness” in a bottle.

There are a number of marketing lessons local businesses can learn from Coca-Cola’s long history of marketing successes, as well as from their famous marketing blunder. 

One of the most important lessons is the value of targeting emotions with your advertising. Who doesn’t remember the emotional appeal of a multi-ethnic choir standing on the hilltop singing, “I’d like to teach the world to sing…it’s the real thing.” 

And what can be more nostalgic than the Christmas spirit…everyone has seen the mysterious Christmas gift-giver, Santa, drinking a bottle of Coca-Cola. 

Have you ever noticed the Coca-Cola bottler’s trucks are always clean and in excellent repair? They “walk the talk”. 

No Knee-Jerk Marketing – Remember the failure of New Coke, followed by the rapid return of Classic Coke? Coca-Cola blinked when a sweeter Pepsi product was winning the Pepsi challenge in blind taste tests. Coke overreacted by sweetening their New Coke to the dismay of loyal customers who wanted “the real thing”. 

The most successful marketers hold the course and do not overreact to competitors’ campaigns. 

Click here to get the 8 Coca-Cola Marketing Lessons you can use to grow your business. 
 
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