Since David Letterman left late night tele-
vision, we no longer have his "Top 10 lists"
to enjoy, so I thought I would try to fill the
void with 10 tips (5 each) split up between
sales and marketing. My hope is that this
will give you a simple place to start this
season by making sure you do the most
important things first. Sometimes, you
can get so caught up in trivial items that
mean so little that you forget the big picture,
which is getting people into your dealership
and selling them something that is either in
your inventory or service department. Your
business is dependent on doing this well, so
hopefully these tips will help you see things
that might be applicable to your dealership.
MARKETING TIPS
#5 Be creative: I say this a lot, but take
a chance and find a new way to market
yourself. One thought: I like things that
tie an OPE business to weather. When it
rains, snows, floods, storms, etc., make
sure you are mentioned as much as pos-
sible. Obviously, there are 1,000 ways to be
better in marketing, but try one new thing
this year.
#4 Be simple: Have a clear message
that anyone can understand. Sometimes,
being small is an advantage. In that case,
"We remember your name!" might be a
way to make sure that customers know
you will treat them better than larger out-
lets. If you are going to do something like
this, your staff needs to refer to people by
their name. If they forget, give the cus-
tomer something free. Whatever message
you choose, make sure it is very easy to
remember and replicate.
#3 Be different: Don't just do what ev-
eryone else does. Sometimes, that means
stepping out of your comfort zone. An ex-
ample might be finding a new way to get
customers in your store with some pub-
lic relations idea. I have suggested blood
drives, food drives and any other way to
help your community and get people into
your business for a new reason.
#2 Be competitive: How can you do
something that will make you stand out
from your competition? What is it that
you do better than anyone else? Find it,
and use it to your advantage. Maybe your
turnaround in your service department is
less than a week. Make sure your custom-
ers know!
#1 Be professional: Pay people to
help you. Things like Search Engine Op-
timization (SEO), website development,
online/media ads, and public relations
require some sort of expertise, and very
few owners have the time or ability to do
them. Don't allow something to be done
COVER STORY | Best Practices
12 FEBRUARY 2016 OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT www.outdoorpowerequipment.com
Top 10 marketing
and sales tips
IMAGE
©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/YVANDUBE
■ BY JEFF SHEETS
