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

1. The article of the month: Round Up the Usual
Suspects
2. e-ret@iler advisory of the month: Working to
Improve Yourself
3. Sales tip of the month: The assumptive sale
4. Web tip of the month: Small Business Knowledge
Test
5. Our Power Promoting idea of the month: Sell
those turkeys
6. Book of the month: Please don't just do what
I tell you to do. Do what needs to be done!
7. Your e-ret@iler subscription and contacting
Profits Plus and Tom Shay

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

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1. Article of the month: Round Up the Usual
Suspects

There is the public - that is the group that
reads, hears or sees your advertising efforts.
And there are customers - those are the people
that are actually doing business with you. Most
definitely we like the second group better. But
how does your business contact the customers as
compared to advertising to the public? Read this
month's article for some ideas.

Round Up the Usual Suspects

O <= After printing the October 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: Working to
improve yourself

This is the eighth month in our series on the
characteristics of a successful business.

This month we are hitting home. Are you working
to improve yourself? Do you take care of yourself
physically? Do you read business books? Do you
attend trade shows and conventions, and attend
educational sessions at these events to help
you become better at what you do? Are you active
in local groups? After all, this is where the real
winners hang out! Do you have a mentor? Do you have
a group of other business people that you use as
an advisory board to help you learn the shortcuts
from other businesses? Are you working to
improve yourself?

If you missed the past issues containing the first
seven topics in this series, we have archived
them on our website. Here is a link to that page
on our website.

Archieve of e-retailer columns

Next month's topic is "having the right personality".

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3. Sales tip of the month: The assumptive sale

Is that all? Do you want me to ring that up for
you? These and a bunch of other similar statements
are ways of attempting to close a sale. For the
customer will not tell you every time, "This is what
I want. Ring it up."

Instead of using one of these incorrect ways of closing
a sale, we can use the assumptive sale method.
Imagine a person looking at carpet or perhaps a
piece of clothing. Instead of asking if they want
to make a purchase try, "Would you rather have the
blue or the green?"

This is a closing in which the customer will have to
change the direction of the conversation to tell
you they don't want to make a purchase. Instead they
will more likely select a color, and the sale is made.

And when they make their choice, with many appropriate
items you can say, "Is one enough, or would two be
better? About 14% of the time, the customer will take
the extra one. What an easy way to increase sales.

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

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4. Web tip of the month: Small Business Knowledge
Test

This is the first interactive tool we created for
the Profits Plus website. It is 20 multiple choice
questions that cover a wide variety of information
about your business. As you answer each of the questions,
you will choose one of four answers. After having
answered 20 questions, you can press the submit
button and receive your grade. With any incorrect
answers you will also receive the correct answer.

Small Business Knowledge Test

O <= After printing the October e-ret@iler, check here
if you plan to take the Small Business Knowledge Test.

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5. Our Power Promoting idea of the month: Sell
those turkeys!

From page 47 of the blue Power Promoting Ideas
book, we offer the American twist to the
Thanksgiving holiday.

In the states, businesses can expect that
consumers are heading for the malls on the
Friday after Thanksgiving. And if your business
is not in the mall, you are likely going to have
a slow weekend as the mall stores are busy with
all of the weekend sale flyers.

To combat this, try this idea: Clear your store
of all old merchandise during the first part of the
month by removing the merchandise, cleaning it
and then using a new price tag with the full
retail price on it. During the week before
Thanksgiving, you prepare a large table at the
front of your business by decorating it with
Thanksgiving themed items: crepe paper, decorative
fall colors, and some decorative turkeys.

Place signs that announce your business will be
having the annual turkey sale beginning the
Monday before Thanksgiving. The empty tables and
signs will surely peak the interest of customers
before the sale.

To begin the sale, place the merchandise that needs
to be cleared out on the table with substantial
markdowns. Doing this will clear the store of
old stock, get some cash back to work for you,
and give your customers the opportunity to do
their Christmas shopping at your business before
the shopping event begins at other stores.

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7. Book of the month: Please don't just do what I
tell you do to. Do what needs to be done! by Bob
Nelson

This book is not written for management or the
owner of a business. It is written for employees,
but you should definitely read it before you give
it to an employee - just to make sure you can
handle what will happen when your employees follow
the suggestions of the book.

It is an engaging book that invites employees to
engage themselves in your business. This book can
be a great motivator.

If you have already read this book, or are looking
for more books to read, click on this link to
see our book referral list.

Book Referral List

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

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8. 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
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Click on the link in the upper left corner to subscribe.

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 November.

Tom Shay