We get over a dozen different printed publications every
week in our office which makes it difficult to separate the wheat
from the chaff. What is important to us and our customers and
what is fluff or filler material?
Trying to run a business and stay on top of the latest trends
in sales and marketing can be daunting. Here are a few tips to
point you to the future.All of these items keep showing up in
article after article. There must be some truth to them.
1. Email Marketing. If you're not yet collecting the
email addresses of your customers, make a decision to implement an
Email Campaign in 2008. Everyone that is anyone is doing it
and doing it because it works. Email is the easiest way to get
the word out about special sales, limited deals, special discounts
for email customers and more. Anything that you would say to a
customer coming into your store can be said in an email.
2. Internet Sales from your website. If you are selling a
product, service or even food these days, it is required that you
have a website. But what do you put on it? Highlight a
few of your best selling items to get started and perhaps offer a
'web discount'. There are so many ways to offer items for sale
on the web these days that there is NO EXCUSE for not having
something available. Discount coupons printable from the web and
brought into the store for redemption is another great way to get
them coming in for your deals.
3. Inventory Control upgrades and updates. How do you
control your inventory? How do you COUNT? What is hiding on
the bottom shelf in the back corner that has not seen the light of
day since it arrived? What are the Best Sellers?
What items should be discounted and removed from
inventory? Wouldn't it be nice use a Hand Held wireless device
to asist you in counting? We can help you find an easier way
to keep track of your inventory. These are all things to be
thinking about as the New Year arrives.
4. Credit Card Processing upgrades and Giftcards. If you
are still using a stand alone terminal with a dial modem for
processing cards you are wasting resources, time and customer
goodwill. Today, everyone is looking for the Fastest way to
get in, get out and get hone. Internet based Credit Card
Processing is no longer a 'nice to offer' it is expected by your
customers. Every POS software package today offers some type
of high speed based credit card processing. We even have a
solution from LAVA that will port your old Credit Card system into
an IP based system. So don't make your customers wait next
year, do something now.
5. Video Surveillance in store and remote over the
Internet. IP based Video Surveillance systems are the NEW
STANDARD in Video monitoring of your store, customers and
employees. They allow you to use analytics to actually view
were the most popular displays in your store are. They allow
you to protect your assets and serve your customers better by
insuring that each customer is treating each customer
correctly. Video surveillance works and allows you to see what
is happening in the store while you are with your family . We
have a LIVE VIDEO FEED on our website here.
ACT-POS VIDEO
These are just a few suggestions to PUSH You forward.
However all we can do is make the suggestion, it is up to you to
move forward. Believe us, your competitors are looking for
ways to get your customers first.
