Proudly serving the industry for which it was named for more than 50 years, Outdoor Power Equipment provides dealers who sell and service outdoor power equipment with valuable information to succeed in a competitive market.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/286953
OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT w w w. o u t d o o r p o w e re q u i p m e n t . c o m 30 T ake it outside. If weather is good, set up display merchandising outside. Identify everything. Have prices and specs available. Good lighting. Change display often, so customer doesn't get bored. Use color. Color catches the eyes. — Shelby Overstreet, sales/parts Overstreet General Repair Inc. Bedford, Va. I have had my best results advertising a product, let's say a zero- turn mower, at a price just a few dollars over cost. The mower is displayed, with a very visible price, in a high traffic area, but also in an area with other, more expensive mowers. The salesman does an honest sales presentation on the price- leader mower and makes no attempt to up-sell the customer. However, almost every time, the customer will ask about the more expensive models, providing an opportunity for the salesperson to point out their additional features, as well as justify the cost for each. Sometimes, the customer still purchases the low-cost leader, and that's OK; a sale is a sale. But more often than not, they leave with a more expensive model. This is a sales method that leads the customer to consider value as a factor of price, in a sales environment where the customer feels in control. The key is to seriously try to sell the low-priced leader. It's natural for customers to resist being steered to a specific item, even at a very attractive price point. So it's automatic to look at other options, in this case, the more expensive machines. — Roger Zerkle, owner Zerkle Diversified Ent. LLC Flat Rock, Ill. Having attractive displays has always been very important to me. I did a great deal of them myself in the last 30-plus years, sometimes redoing them until they looked good to me. My father started with John Deere snowmobiles the first year. I chuckle some when I think of what he used to say, "You should have worked for Hess Bros. dept stores." I think it was a compliment, but I'm not 100-percent sure. I truly do believe it shows a reflection of how you run your business. Displays need to be organized, grouped, clean and priced. That's basically all there is to it. — Daniel N. Falcone, owner/president Hilltop Sales & Service, Inc. Bangor, Pa. Image above ©istockphoto.com/The-Tor. Dealers' Domain Question: What are your top merchandising tips? Hilltop Sales & Service, Inc., Bangor, Pa. Overstreet General Repair Inc., Bedford, Va.