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A Retailer's Guide
To Frugal In-Store
Promotions
How-To Increase Profits
and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns
Using Thrifty Events and
Sales Techniques
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A Retailer's Guide
To Frugal In-Store Promotions
How-To Increase Profits
and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns
Using Thrifty Events and
Sales Techniques
 |
A Retailer's
Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions was named best business book
award by USA Books News and was a Military
Writers' Society of America Gold Medal
Winner.
See Carolyn's other
awards.
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Cover Design
by John Quinn,
www.designsolution360.com
A Retailer's Guide
is available on
Amazon. |
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Endorsements
for
A
Retailer's Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions
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“As a columnist for Home Décor Buyer, Carolyn’s
no-nonsense approach to retailing and her easy-to-read writing
style made her a coach to thousands of retailers.”
~ Jim Carper, founding editor of Home Décor Buyer
"This book is just what retailers need to help them
through this economy. Step-by-step with nearly no money
at all!"
~ Debra Gold, acknowledged expert in buyer education for
the retail industry and President of Gold & Company,
www.goldsco.com
“Carolyn Howard-Johnson uses her wit and experience to
share easy, low cost business-building ideas to attract
clients and make them feel special. A Retail Guide
was invaluable in assisting me to create a mission
statementand a successful promotion plan.”
~ Debra Synott, Creative Memories unit leader
"[A Retailer's Guide to
Frugal In-Store Promotions] will be as helpful as the
books I already have from from the HowToDoItFrugally series.
They are full of sticky notes and dog-eared like crazy."
~ MaAnna Stephenson, author of Blogaid's book on making
Wordpress work for you
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Excerpt |
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From the chapter on building lists in
A Retailer's Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions
Here’s a retail riddle: Which of your
assets never shows up on your inventory list or your general ledger?
Which asset do we often praise but then neglect to utilize in our
business building plans?
Of course, the answer I’m after is
“my customers.” You may protest,
“But I do recognize the importance
of my customers!”
Of course you do. But you may not treat
their names, addresses and preferences like collectibles—each a mini
treasure—in your quest for building a better business.
BUILDING YOUR CONTACT LIST
is the single most important thing you can do to assure your
future success. So, if “my
customers” is at the top of the list you made when you were reading
the last chapter, then building that customer list (and yes, other
kinds of contacts is the single most important reason for you to
have an event. So now, you’ll want to move that contact list to the
top of the list and keep it mind as you plan. There is a way you can
put almost every idea in this book to work as part of your
list-building effort.
Even if you believe you are already doing a
good job of collecting your customers’ names, check your techniques
against this list:
- I keep a list of
my customers’ vital statistics, including names, addresses, phone
numbers, and e-mail addresses. Preferably even birthdates and
anniversaries.
- I know exactly
what aspects of my business interests each one. In other words, I
categorize them by something more than their zip codes and/or how
much they spend with me each year.
- I can tell from my
list precisely where my business can grow to meet their needs.
- I stay in regular
contact with this list—in ways that will arrest their attention.
(Yes, that’s where in-store promotion comes in!)
- My list is so
detailed and organized that I can filter and focus a specific
promotion effort on the customer each would most appeal to. (This is
a great way to save mailing costs when indicated.)
- Though I may keep
a list handy in an index card box, I also capture the data on a
program like Excel so that I can use its power to reach exactly the
right customers at the right time.
- Media contacts are
an important way to get the word out about your in-store events.
They should be on your list specially coded in your database as to
media type. It should include feature editors, business editors, TV
producers, radio and TV hosts, and even bloggers and editors of
related Web sites.
- Your contact list
should also include networks other than customers and media. They
might be advertising department contacts, community leaders, and
even resources including your vendors They can be kept on separate
lists. If you use one database for all your lists, code each name as
to the kind of network it fits in. That way you can easily filter
your list by category.
Caveat: If
your store isn’t computerized so
that you can keep detailed lists, don’t
let that derail this effort. You can design an effective system that
lets you manipulate lists by hand. It won’t
be as time efficient as a computer, but it will work in most, if not
all, other ways.
MORE ON THIS SUBJECT AND OTHERS IN
A Retailer's
Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions...
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Contents
of
A Retailer's Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions |
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Tip
Use coupons to drive
in-store traffic; unlike events, the results are traceable.
Well, the sales results are. But wait! What if the results are poor?
Don't ditch that promotion yet! There are still
other things to consider.
Learn what those are in
A Retailer's Guide to
Frugal In-Store Promotions.
Find at least one tip on writing,
promotion or tech on every page of this Web site.
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A Retailer’s
Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions:
How-To Increase Profits
and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns
Using Thrifty Events and
Sales Techniques
Is available in paperback on
Amazon.
USA Book News Best Book Finalist for
poetry for She
Wore Emerald Then and
A Retailer's Guide to
Frugal In-Store Promotion, both 2009.
It is also available for your
Kindle at
only $7.96!
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Reviews
of
A Retailer's Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions |
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Review on Amazon
Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s new “A
Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions” is exactly what
every (and any) retailer needs, not just now in these vicarious
economic times, but always! As if standing right there,
coaching and encouraging, Carolyn’s straight forward advice
often seems like common sense, but for some reason, we need
reminding! A fast and very easy read, you’ll be nodding your
head yes, and implementing the tips and tactics needed to
increase your profits and thumb your nose at the economy!
~ Millie Szerman, president of
New Directions Marketing and PR
~~~
Review by
Pamela Kelly, author and UCLA Extension instructorIf your retail enterprise is
challenged during the current economic dip, you must read Carolyn
Howard-Johnson's "The Retailer's Guide to Frugal In-Store
Promotions." This is the latest in her enormously successful and
multi-award-winning How To Do It Frugally Book Series and the first
in her brand-new Survive and Thrive spin-off. Speaking from decades
of retail, marketing and promotional experience, Howard-Johnson
encourages us to grow our profits with her generous helpings of
tried and true sales techniques and practical tips for producing
low- or no-cost events. She leaves no stone unturned in her
recommendations for list-building, ways to transform your entire
store into a promotional zone, tricks for getting the most bang out
of your location and making the most of the internet, and much, much
more. This is an easy-breezy read, but you'll want a highliter, pen
and pad nearby because it's full of immediately useable insights and
advice. This is the first of Howard-Johnson's Survive and Thrive
books... topping a growing list of other books to come that will
"...increase profits and spit in the eyes of economic
downturns...". In other words, if you're in retail, this is a
must-read!
~
Pamela Kelly author of
award-winning Speak with Passion, Speak with Power! and
communications coach,
www.peklly.com
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Buy Links for
Carolyn's Books |
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"Careers
that are not fed die as
readily as any living organism
given no sustenance."
~
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Studio photography by
Uriah Carr
Logo by
Lloyd King
All Carolyn's Frugal Books Are
Available on Kindle as well as paperback:
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Retailers are now writers.
To market their stories they must write blogs, Web site copy,
advertising copy, etc.
This letter is for writers!
Now it is for you!
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Carolyn's Blogs |
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Sharing with Writers
All things publishing with
an emphasis on book
promotion. Named to
Writer's Digest
101 Best Website list.
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The New Book Review
Great way for readers, authors, reviewers and publicists to get more
mileage out of
a great review.
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The Frugal Editor Blog
This is the Frugal, Smart
and Tuned-In Editor blog.
Covers editing, grammar, formatting and more.
Get the answers you need.
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Carolyn's Shopping Plaza |
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Please visit Carolyn's
Shopping Plaza
for autographed copies and occasional special offers.
Order two or more books and get Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers free!
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Carolyn's Awards |
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Awards for Carolyn's Books, Blogs and More
The New Book Review
Named to
Online Universities'
101 Book Blogs
You Need to Read
Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites
for Sharing with Writers blog.
Best Book Award for The Frugal Book Promoter (2004) and The Frugal Editor (2008).
Reader Views Literary Award for The Frugal Editor
New Generation Award for Marketing and Finalist for The Frugal Editor
Book Publicists of Southern California's Irwin Award
Military Writers Award of Excellence for
Tracings, A Chapbook of Poetry.
A Retailer's Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotion wins author Military
Writers Society of America's Author of the Month award for March. 2010
Gold Medal
Award from Military Writers Society of America, 2010
And more than a dozen other awards for Carolyn's novel, short story collection and poetry.
See the awards page on this site.
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Video
Trailer |
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Click on the logo below to see an example of Reno Lovison's trailer for
my Survive and Thrive Series of books.
Authors
Broadcast for reasonably priced and thoroughly professional
video book trailers. |
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Tip |
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Gift
Shop magazine presents a series of Webinars on
managing retail businesses. Often one of my books (and
other goodies) are included as part of the registration
fee. I love Webinars. The comfort of growing a business
from one's own office!
Find at least one tip on writing, promotion or
tech on every page of this Web site. |
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