e-ret@iler from Profits Plus and Tom Shay
ideas to sell more merchandise and service
June 2004 - Our 55rd consecutive issue

The June issue of the e-ret@iler contains:

1. The article of the month: Are they ever
coming back?
2. e-ret@iler advisory of the month: Financial
understanding
3. Sales tip of the month: The right feeling
4. Web tip of the month:
5. Our Power Promoting idea of the month:
6. Book of the month: Becoming Preferred
7. Your e-ret@iler subscription and contacting
Profits Plus and Tom Shay

=> Print the June issue of the e-ret@iler so
you can read it at your leisure.

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1. Article of the month: Are they ever coming
back?

We are sure you will enjoy this article. As you
read it, think about how many businesses like to
brag about having the best customer service. If
even half of the claims were true, then the best
customer service is not just the best, but it is
also the average customer service. And which of
our customers want to remember us as average!

Does this sound like some valuable information to
you? If so, read this month's article. Click on this
link to visit the Profits Plus website to read the
June article of the month.

Are they ever coming back?

O <= After printing the June e-ret@iler, check
here if you plan to read the article of the month.

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2. e-ret@iler advisory of the month: Financial understanding

This is the fourth month in our series on the
characteristics of a successful business.In the
first three months we covered having a clear image
in the mind of your customer, identifying the
best customers and technology. If you missed
these three issues, we have archived them on our
website. Here is a link to that page on our website.

Archive of e-retailer newsletters

One of the great things about people that do what
we do is that they are passionate about their
business. Unfortunately, they don't share the
same passion for understanding the financial
management side of the business. Without going
into a long commentary, we can point you in the
right direction with two items.

The first is that most every tool you need to
learn about financial management can be
found on the Profits Plus website. The second point
is that there is nothing wrong with learning to be
the best (fill in the blank as to what you do), but
if that is what you concentrate on, it is very
likely that you could become the very best (fill in
the blank as to what you do) ever hired by some
chain store. Is it worth the gamble?

Next month's topic is advertising vs. promotion.

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3. Sales tip of the month: The right feeling

As an example, you sell chain saws, lawn mowers
and power equipment. If you are in a good size
business, you may sell several pieces every day.
It becomes a natural, every day process to the
point that as you speak with other sales people on
your team, the afternoon discussion usually drifts
toward, "How many have you sold today?"

For the customer, it is a different story. If they
are a commercial customer, they may purchase several
pieces of equipment each year, but for the residential
customer it is probably only one piece of equipment
every few years. As the salesperson, it is our
responsibility to make the situation more like what
the customer is feeling than what we are feeling.

Sell the product like it is the first time you have
ever made a sale. Remember that exhilarating feeling
from that sale? A professional, not just a salesperson,
knows how to have that feeling everytime!

Not only will it improve your repeat and referral
sales rate, but you will be amazed at how your
attitude soars each day you work!

O <= After printing the June e-ret@iler, check here
if you plan to use this tip

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4. Web tip of the month: Price Point Analysis

For years we have shared with people a series of
techniques that allow them to make small changes in
the prices for their products and services. Changes
that customers do not notice, but ones that your
bottom line and accountant will surely notice. Your
check book will also be noticing an improvement.

If you have not attended one of our class room sessions,
or if it has been a while since you participated, we
have created a great follow up tool on our website.

It works like this: Enter the cost of the item and
one of these two: desired margin or the selling price.
You will then see the missing entry, but when you ask
for the second calculation, it will show you the
rounding technique with the new price and the new
gross margin. Wait till you see what a difference it
can make!

What can I charge?

O <= After printing the June e-ret@iler, check here
if you plan to visit the price point analysis calculator.

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5. Our Power Promoting idea of the month: Ice Cream

From the same red book we just mentioned, we
have a business that has a local non-profit
youth group help them draw customers for every
Saturday afternoon during the summer.

The business purchased several ice cream makers, and
the necessary ingredients for making multiple
batches of ice cream. The group then does the
promotional work to invite people to the business
to enjoy their home made works. All of the donations
that are given by those visiting the business on
that Saturday go entirely to benefit the group,
and the business benefits from the many new
customers that visit them.

The only cost to the business? The expense of
the weekly ingredients. The business that
started this idea tells us that the response
has been so great that they are expanding the
time frame for this event to now include every
warm weekend of the year. And they still have
groups waiting in line for the opportunity to
do their promotional work.

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6. Book of the month: Becoming Preferred

After having heard this author, Michael Vickers
speak at a conference lately, I just had to read
his book. It was great and I think every small
business will find a lot of information within the
150 pages of, "Becoming Preferred".

If you have already read this book, or are wanting
to find other interesting titles, follow this link
to the Profits Plus website where you will see
a list of suggested reading.

Book Referral List

O <= After printing the June e-ret@iler, check here
if you plan to read the book of the month.

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7. Your e-ret@iler subscription and contacting
Profits Plus and Tom Shay

The subscription is free. Just remember if you
are changing your Internet service provider, you
will need to enter your new e-mail address
to keep the e-ret@iler coming.

If you received the e-ret@iler by way of someone
that passed it to you, then you can easily get your
own subscription.

Contacting us is just as easy:
The phone is 727-823-7205
The fax is 727-898-3179
The mailing address is:
PO Box 128
Dardanelle, AR 72834 USA

Thanks for visiting with us this month. We
appreciate your taking time from your
busy schedule. Our goal is to help you and
your business to become more profitable. We hope
we have done that.

We encourage you to seek out and do business
with other independently owned businesses. If
you are wanting people to do business with you
because you are a locally owned business, then
it stands to reason that we should be doing
what we are asking others to do.

Get your Profits Plus. May God bless you and yours.
We will see you in July.

Tom Shay