Bring in dollars whentimesueh

Jean Becker

Aliy,'#i.,; most businesses at one time or another

From an unexpected natural disaster to something as minor as construction that slows down business in the area, the companies that come through unscathed are those who plan ahead and adapt to change.

Back in the early 1980s, when the national economy was in a malaise, there was a business that achieved a complete turnaround. A downtown gourmet shop and cooking school was struggling to stay viable as interest rates soared to 2O7o and inflation grew out of control. Big-ticket items were not moving. Shoppers had tumed into browsers. A consumable product with mass appeal might entice them to buy again. Chocolate.

It had many marketing possibilities. It was easily added to the inventory. in 10-lb. slabs, direct from the factory. A huge sign that covered the display window and generous chunks of samples all over town created a frenzy for chocolate lovers who kept coming back for more and spread the word.

An in-store display featured a wall of chocolate with 10-lb. slabs stacked like bricks. An easel was set up with plain paper and children were provided with melted chocolate to finger paint a picture to take home. Candy making classes were added to the cooking school curriculum, and related products were added to the inventory. A postcard was sent to tour bus operators inviting them to bring their bus loads of tourists for a free "chocolate show," which consisted of a demonstration of candy making and a taste of the decadent confections.

They came in buses of 47 people at once. One day hit a record of seven buses. They stood in line to make purchases of more than 100 lbs. of chocolate almost every day. There was a buzz all over town, which caught the attention of the press. This created more publicity than any paid advertising could have done.

After the first year, over 16 tons of chocolate had been sold from a gourmet shop of only 800 sq. ft. Sales increased and held steady into the next four years. The economy started looking better around that time as interest rates began dropping and people returned to normal buying habits.

What had caused a surge in profits at an obscure shop while other retailers were barely hanging on in the slumped economy? What were the lasting effects? How can you create a booming business when the economy slows or customers lose interest?

Adding a New Product

Is there something out there that is compatible and also an unexpected surprise? Is it vitamins at the gym? Tshirts at a restaurant? Books or greeting cards at the coffee shop? Investigate how new products and services could increase sales.

Promoting the Product

The simplest and most effective way to start is with "cross trafficking." The gourmet shop placed plates full of chocolate samples in shops in the neighborhood. A simple tent card with the name of the shop was set in the middle of the plate. In return, tent cards, coupons and flyers about events were placed in the gourmet shop. This can be done as a partnership with many types of businesses.

Connecting with a charity is another great way to "cross traffic."

Big ls Better

Show off what you are doing by making it bigger than life. Make the sign in the window as big as your city codes or mall association will allow. Look into the city codes regarding temporary signage. In some cases the rules are not overly strict and, even if you are only allowed to have a larger sign for a short amount of time, it is still an advantage. If you give samples of anything, whether it be a product or service, be generous.

Make an in-store display as large as possible. Make it say: "This is the reason you came here." "This is what you want to buy."

Co for Bulk Sales

Instead of selling just one of anything, find ways to sell dozens at a time. Promote yourself to clubs and organizations and invite them to have an outing or meeting program, which you can provide for them, at your place of business. Now that you have a group, you can sell one or more widgets to each one of them. If they don't come to you, go to them. Pack up your widgets, samples and free hand-outs and be the program at their club meeting. Word will spread and you will gain more customers and more opportunities to show offyour products.

Participate in the Community

Many cities have festivals, events and youth sports leagues that you can be a part of as a sponsor or vendor. You can connect with a charity to donate for their auction or give prizes of your product or service to contest winners. Even a small donation gains a listing in a program booklet or your name on a flyer.

The lasting effects of what you did to get through the dry season will be just that-lasting. You gain respect in the community for your participation and for your success in managing your business in a difficult time. You create a desire for people to want to work at your store since it's so successful. You establish a brand for your company. You learn that by adapting to change and bringing in customers despite a dry spell, your business is better prepared for any challenge ahead.

- Jean Becker is a speaker, trainer and author o/An Orphan's Song. She can be reached at (941) 758-7206 or via www. j e anb e c ke r sp eaks. c o m.

Don't Miss This Show!

Kuiken Brothers Co., a building materials supplier headquartered in Fair Lawn, N.J., has opened a new 6,000-sq. ft. home-design showroom in Succasunna, N.J.

Called KB Concepts, the new location has more than 30 kitchen. bath.

siding, deck, window, and millwork displays in what it calls an "architecturally correct and aesthetically pleasing environment." A working kitchen located in the center of the building can be used for demonstrations and meetinss.

Local builders appreciate having a place where they can meet with their customers and make selections. "The builders spent many Saturdays and evenings driving customers around to old jobs, saying, 'Well, here's how this window will look if you do this kind of trim,"' said millwork manager Daniel E. Hughes.

Now, he said, they can spend two to three hours in the new showroom with their customers and find everything they need. Afterward, selections can be discussed in special meeting rooms set aside for builders and their customers. Children who accompany their parents are entertained in a playroom stocked with art supplies and a flat-screen TV.

Hughes said that the showroomwhich has both designers and salespeople- also welcomes homeowners who come without a builder. "Homeowners can come here with a set of rough measurements and a sketch on a napkin, and we can let them leave with 3-D drawings of how their kitchen could look, with an estimate," he said. "We can also provide them with someone to do the work."

Next up is a new lumberyard, which will be built on 12 acres behind the showroom. "When the lumberyard opens, more builders will be drawn to bring customers here, because they'll be visiting the lumberyard every day," said Hughes. "I see this showroom being our highest performing in sales within a relatively short period of time."

Established in 1912, Kuiken Brothers operates seven locations in New Jersey and one in New York.

Pro-Build Shakes Up Hq.

Pro-Build Holdings, Inc., South Plainfield, N.J., is searching for a new headquarters in a central location to better support its national operations.

The company expects to finalize its decision shortly, and senior executives will relocate to the new office during first quarter 2007.

Pro-Build was formed eight months ago through the merger of the Strober Organization and Lanoga Corp.

"Following the acquisition of Lanoga and more recently Hope Lumber, we evaluated how best to structure Pro-Build to effectively deliver value to our customers across our new national footprint and to support the significant growth we see in the future," said c.e.o. and vice chair Frederick Marino. "We recognize that it is absolutely essential that we have the right leadership in place to help us achieve our goals not only for right now, but also for the years ahead."

Consequently, vice chairman Paul Hylbert has added the title of chief operating officer. Joseph Todd is now senior v.p. of market development; George Finkenstaedt, senior v.p. of supply chain and manufacturing, and Michael Cassidy will lead mergers and acquisitions.

William Brakken will continue to oversee accounting, finance, treasury tax, real estate, legal, and merger and acquisition functions until a chief financial officer is hired. He will then assume a Seattle, Wa.-based senior operating position.

Pro-Build will also recruit an executive v.p. of strategy and business operations, to leading its development businesses as well as several functional areas, including human resources, IT, strategy and development.

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( Continued from page 20 ) million pace regionally, starts dropped 12.2Va in the Midwest, fell 6.l%o in the South, and increased 5.4Vo in the Northeast permits slipped 2.3Vo

Akzo Nobel, Troy, Mi., acquired The Flood Co., Hudson, Oh. ...

Amarr Garage Doors will begin production in January at a new 109,000-sq. ft. plant in Davie County, N.C. ...

Instructions: Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9 once. Therelore, each number in the solution will be unique in each of three "directions."

The solution is on page 43