My top outside sales rep is an amazing salesperson – and what he accomplishes is not just inborn talent or luck… nor is it accidental. We’ve worked together for over 15 years and I’ve watched him build up his client-base and reputation from scratch to multiple millions in sales annually. Here are three things I’ve […]
It’s very possible to put your lighting showroom to work FOR you rather than the other way around. The Lighting Showroom Association (LSA) asked me to do a training at the Dallas Market on the topic of putting more cash in the bank and gaining more freedom as lighting showroom operators. Here is a link […]
If someone asked my opinion on the single most powerful zero-cost but huge-reward investment that could be made in a lighting showroom… a great customer greeting would be the easy answer. According to retail experts, more than 75% of the impression clients have of your company is formed within the first 60 seconds after they […]
Your sales rep commission structure will have a lot to do with how well your sales team performs (and what they focus on). Here’s a quick list of things we’ve found to be beneficial: TIE IN MARGINSIf you give your commission sales reps pricing flexibility, make sure their commissions are tied to margins. We pay […]
Lighting people are the best people on the planet! I Just want to wish you a very happy Thanksgiving. I’m truly honored to be in lighting and associated with you. Today’s “showroom tip” is to relax and let your mind be with friends and family on this day. Lighting will still be there tomorrow… make […]
In years past we donated fixtures or threw them away to clean out our warehouse and get the tax write-off. I’m guessing your showroom does the same. Consider holding a “black-tag” event instead. Advertise a one-day black tag event where the first people through the door (set the number based upon how many black-tag items […]
Why would Dominos Pizza admit to being a screw-up… on national television? Starting in 2009 Dominos – who had been losing market share to Little Caesars and other quick-serve pizza chains – started airing TV commercials of CEO Patrick Doyle fessing up to his company using cheap ingredients, wimpy boxes, and other low-quality alternatives. Dominos […]
How would a 40% or more overnight sales growth benefit your showroom? What if you didn’t have to sell ANY additional fixtures to get it? Last week’s post was about uncommon ways to reduce shipping, and one of the points was to get clients in earlier in the build process. Not only can that reduce […]
Shipping costs drain profits out of orders and kill lighting showrooms. Most retailers make less than 10% Net Profit (though lighting showrooms that are exceptionally efficient can get up around 15%-18%). Paying even 5%-6% for shipping can literally chop away as much as half (or more) of your bottom line. Here are some not-so-obvious ways […]
Four years ago our showroom saw an alarming uptick in items disappearing from job-sites. In most cases, contractors or electrician called and insisted that the items had been missed on the delivery. Without proof otherwise, we just ate the cost of re-delivering new fixtures. Here’s how we’ve now cut that problem down to almost non-existent: […]