GENIUS IDEAS!

Presented here:  

 GENIUS IDEA #134 Make your answering machine work harder!
GENIUS IDEA #133 Snow Sale!
GENIUS IDEA #132 Advertise With Removable Signs!
GENIUS IDEA #131 More President's Birthday Sales Days!!!
GENIUS IDEA #130 Sell Extra Fabric!!!!!

#134 Make your answering machine work harder!
When your store is closed have the answering machine refer to your web site (specials, etc) This will keep the consumer focused on your store and off the phone looking for someone else.
#133 Snow Sale
The weather directly affects the retail furniture business. Let's face it, we sell luxury items, people don't HAVE to have what we sell. When we experience lousy weather, sales are lost, perhaps never to be found again. When the weather is bad, let it work for you, not against you. When it snows, have a sale.

Example: If it snows 6" during a period of time, offer a 6% discount for the entire day, 7"=7%, 8"=8%, etc. If it snows 30" just close the store.

The customer has to get there, no telephone or e-mail sales. Serve hot chocolate (cognac for the sales reps who show up). "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow" would be playing on the PA system. This is a sale that would best be advertised by way of your web site or e-mail. Any weather will work:

Rain - number of inches
Heat - degrees over 100
Hurricane - what # on the hurricane force scale
Earthquake - what # on the Richter Scale
#132 Advertise With Removable Signs!
Advertise a special by way of your own delivery truck(s).  The price on removable signs have come way down.  The ad should:
  • Be placed on the back of the truck
  • Mention an "item" (recliner, ET, sofa,etc.)
  • Say "mention this ad to get the special price"

Truck signs are read by other drivers

#131 More President's Birthday Sales Days!!!!!
Everyone knows that the biggest sale day in the furniture world is President's Day.  This sale is the celebration of two of our greatest presidents, Washington and Lincoln.  I have done a lot of research and have discovered that there were a lot of other presidents, 43 to be exact.  All of them had birthdays and every single one of them owned and used furniture.  If, for example, you plan on a sale during the month of April, you have a choice  of four former presidents to choose from.  So don't wait until February to have your President's Birthday sales.   With the exception of December at least one president was born in every month. 
#130 Sell Extra Fabric!!!!!

Whenever a piece of upholstery is sold, always try & sell an extra yard of fabric (cut yardage).   In the future, if and when the furniture needs repair, the consumer will have the extra material necessary to repair the item.  Remind your customer that fabrics are dropped & dye lots change.  A yard of fabric is cheap insurance.