Why You Should Be Selling Online

Many OPE dealers don’t think they need to sell online. After all, would you really sell a snow blower or lawn mower over the internet?

Well, maybe, maybe not. But open up your OPE inventory management software sometime and take a look at how many parts you sold last month, and the month before. How would you like to increase those numbers by 25%? 50%?

It’s entirely possible to dramatically increase your parts sales, if you start selling them on your website.

It’s also important to realize this: if your competitors are selling parts online, then they’re taking market share away from you. Your customers are busy; if they can buy a part online and have it shipped to their door, they’re going to opt for that instead of driving around looking for it.

The Key to Successful Online Selling

The great thing about having an online store is that it’s working for you 24/7. You don’t have to be “open” to make money if you use the Internet. And the opportunity to earn additional income is incredible. But having a successful store for your OPE dealership depends on a few things.

1. Keywords

If you start selling parts or other items online, people must be able to find you. For instance, if you have a store in Kansas City and someone Googles “Kansas City lawnmower parts”, you want to make sure your dealership is on that first page of Google. So you need to choose keywords that relate to your business, and make sure your site, and your online store, are using them effectively, over and over again. Even if you need to invest in a search engine marketing firm that will help you improve your rankings, your increased sales might be well worth the investment.

2. Use Email Effectively

Hopefully you’ve been collecting your customers’ email addresses. Once your store goes live, make sure your customers know about it! Send them an email to let them know they can now buy parts online. You could also think about giving them a specific coupon code for 10% off their first purchase.

Email is also beneficial because it can go viral. That is, one of your customers may not need a part right now. But they know their sister, who lives 200 miles away, does. So they can forward that email to her to use. This means you just picked up a new customer who normally would have never come into your store.

That’s the power of the Internet.

Last Word…

Many dealers underestimate how much an online store could do for their business. But you can potentially increase your monthly profits by thousands of dollars, simply by putting up an online store and optimizing it with SEO. At the least it would make your store look more professional, and give your customers a more convenient way to shop with you.

What Is PR, and How Do You Implement a PR Program?

As an OPE dealer you might not think you need a Public Relations (PR) campaign. After all, aren’t PR campaigns used by giant corporations? Why would your dealership need one of those?

PR campaigns or programs are not slick, savvy marketing campaigns designed to “hoodwink” your customers. A PR program is just another term for a plan to show the public you’re part of the community. And yes, your dealership definitely needs one.

PR programs are much more than just advertising. It’s a multi-faceted approach to getting more exposure for your dealership, and getting people to know, like and trust you and your business. PR programs put a personal face on your dealership.

So, how do you put one together? Well, think of a PR program like a hand; there’s a wide base, and several different fingers reaching out. Your PR plan needs to have several “fingers” reaching out into the community.

Step 1: Send out Press Releases

A press release is nothing more than a one-page “announcement” you send out to your local newspaper or magazine to let them know of a potential story idea.

The key to getting exposure for a press release is to make it interesting from the editor’s point of view. All they care about is a good story; they’re not interested in just promoting your business.

What can you write a press release about? Anything at all, as long as it’s newsworthy and you can make it interesting. This is especially true if you’re doing good things in the community, like implementing a recycling program and safely disposing of oil in your business, or hosting a charity event.

Well-written press releases can get you a ton of free press in the newspaper and in the local news.

Step 2: Get Involved With Your Community

Are you on the School Board? Does your dealership host a Little League team? Do you collect canned food each December for your local food pantry?

Your dealership needs to be involved with your community on a personal level. This is a huge part of a PR program, but it takes advance planning.

For instance, if you want to collect food for your food pantry in December, then start planning in July or August. Send out a press release in early November so the paper can run the story before the collection begins.

It’s helpful to plan out an entire year’s community events so you can make sure you have all your bases covered.

You can use your OPE business software as a powerful marketing tool in your PR program. For example, you could send an email out to customers letting them know of the upcoming food drive (or other event) and invite them to come drop off donations.

Last Word…

A PR program is nothing more than a multi-faceted plan to get more exposure for your business. Just keep in mind what “PR” stands for: Public Relations. Focus on putting a personal face on your business; get involved with your community, and prove that you’re an integral part just like everyone else.

How to Use Social Networking to Grow Your Business

You’ve no doubt heard about how social networking is sweeping the world off its feet…including the business world. Everyone, it seems, from tiny home-based businesses to large, multi-national corporations are using social networking to get in touch with their customers and grow their business.

But how can you, as an outdoor power equipment dealer, use social networking to grow your business? And is it even worth the time?

Well, there are several ways that outdoor power equipment dealers can use social networking. And, it’s definitely worth your time if you do it consistently.

Why Invest the Time?

Because that’s where your customers, and your future customers, are spending their time. More people now use Facebook than Google. If you don’t have a Facebook page for your dealership, then you’re missing a huge opportunity to connect with your customers.

Social Networking is also very personal. It’s an easy way to reach out to thousands of people (for free), and develop a relationship. The more your customers, and your future customers, see your dealership’s name, and the more they interact with you, the likelier they are to spend money in your store.

How to Use Social Networking

Facebook should be the first social networking page you set up.

Start by uploading pictures of your dealership, and inviting customers to look you up on the site. Make sure there are incentives for them to do so; let them know you’ll be offering special coupons to all your Facebook fans.

If you’re having a hard time finding fans once you get your page set up, then try and find your city’s Facebook page (chances are, they have one). Once you become their fan, you’ll be able to see everyone else who is a fan of your local town. Invite them to become a fan of your dealership.

The goal here to continually grow your fan base. And it’s vital that you provide value to everyone who’s a fan of your Facebook page. So post quality articles you find online that will help your customers take care of their lawn, do interesting projects on their home, or shovel snow safely.

Using Twitter should be the same way. You can find Twitter fans by typing in your zip code, or becoming friends with other local businesses and then befriending the people on their list.

Twitter is a great way to stay “top of mind” with your customers. You have 140 characters to talk about whatever you want. But you can also post coupons, let customers know about upcoming sales and events, or even post helpful articles that your customers would be interested in.

Measuring Response

It’s important to realize that seeing results from social networking takes time, which is why many business owners don’t believe it works. They’ll focus on it for a month or two, and then give up.

The key is to keep going; social networking only works if it’s done consistently. This means spending time on it every week, at the least.

Social networking may seem overwhelming to many dealers, but focus on doing a small bit at a time. Remember, do it daily or weekly, and do it consistently. Social networking is a long-term growth strategy, not a way to “get rich quick”.

What Is Your Dealership Saying to Your Customer?

When was the last time you spent time analyzing how the outside and inside of your store looks?

Many dealers spend a great deal of time on this. Many more, however, don’t give it a second thought.  But if you want to make a positive first impression to your customers and keep them coming back, then you’ve got to realize that how your store looks says a lot about who you are and what you care about. And your customers are noticing.

If your dealership needs some sprucing up (inside or out), try using these tips…

The Outside

One of the worst things an outdoor power equipment retailer can do is to neglect the outside of their store, especially the lawn. After all, you’re selling lawn maintenance equipment. You need to spend time keeping your lawn looking inviting. Unkempt lawns send a very negative signal to current and prospective customers.

• Make sure the grass is cut once per week during the growing season.
• Create flower beds to add color and visual interest to the outside of your store. If you focus on planting perennials you’ll only have to make the investment once, as they’ll grow back each year.
• Lay down a thick layer of mulch to keep your beds tidy and moist all summer long.
• Make sure your dealership’s windows, and all signage, is spotless.
• Sweep the parking lot weekly, and make sure that all trash is picked up on a daily basis.

The Inside

Once you’ve got the outside spruced up, it’s time to focus on the inside of your store.

• Make sure that your shelves are dust-free. Customers don’t want to buy product they even suspect might be “old”, so make sure everything is kept dust-free.
• Many dealerships, especially ones located in older buildings, have terrible lighting. Customers want a store that’s bright, open and welcoming. If your store is dim, then make it your top priority to add additional lighting.
• Head over to Home Depot and take a close look at how they have their equipment displayed. Customers today are very savvy; well-put together displays sell far more than product that’s just jumbled or stacked on a shelf. Try to make your store look as “professional” as the chain stores.

The Checkout

You can also impress your customers as they’re walking out the door by having high quality OPE point of sale software. Quality software is not only convenient for your customers (since they get out the door faster), but it also allows you to track vital data like buying trends, lost sales, and your customers’ contact information.

Your dealership is constantly sending subtle messages to your customers. Invest the time in making sure that those messages are the right ones so that your customers keep coming back.