CrossCheck Blog

If you hear yourself saying, “we’re an auto parts store, not a savings and loan,” more often than you like, then perhaps you’ll stick around long enough to discover five tools to increase sales. It’s no wonder you feel that way given the cost of card-terminal certifications in relation to time and money. Then there’s the problem with independent garages taking an extra 60 days to pay their monthly balances or even bouncing those checks. You’re in the business of moving auto parts to legitimate wholesale and retail customers, and you want to keep it that way.

According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), construction companies and housing currently contribute 15 – 18 percent to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Those statistics and additional housing data are available via the organization’s website, including information about membership, blogs and publications, construction codes, educational opportunities and political advocacy. The NAHB is a federation of more than 700 state and local associations representing more than 140,000 members. Approximately 33 percent are construction companies in home building and remodeling while the remainder “work in closely related specialties such as sales and marketing, housing finance, and manufacturing and supplying building materials.” Furthermore, NAHB members are responsible for constructing about 80 percent of the new single-family and multifamily homes in the United States each year.

Remodeling contractors typically see a flurry of kitchen makeover requests during the first quarter of every year that ultimately help increase building supply sales. The reason is simple: prepping holiday meals for family and friends is the surest way of finding flaws in kitchen design and functionality. Those same gatherings may also call out family bathrooms in need of facelifts. Furthermore, even homeowners who are satisfied with their kitchen or bath may look at the specter of summer gatherings on a crumbling outdoor deck with considerable reservation.

Operating small-and-medium enterprises in the United States is expensive — no great revelation there. The plethora of general business expenses may be common knowledge, but industry and vertical-specific costs may surprise more than a few business people. Nevertheless, most merchants would agree that “the cost of doing business” is a necessary evil in a competitive marketplace. Overhead may be broken down into anticipated and hidden costs.

It's not too late for consumers and auto aftermarket dealers to make the most of Fall Care Care Month by the Car Care Council. The campaign aims to increase auto aftermarket sales by creating promotional opportunities in April (National Car Care Month) and October. Funded and directed by the Auto Care Association, the non-profit's online "Industry Tool Box" provides resources, examples and pre-written messaging to help the auto aftermarket industry reach new customers and reinforce brand loyalty among existing ones. "Fall Car Care Month in October is the ideal time to give your car some extra attention before harsh winter weather sets in," said Rich White, executive director of the Car Care Council. "Taking a little time for auto care now can help you avoid the headaches of a costly emergency breakdown later."

With energy being one of the most expensive resources in the world, this winter’s firm grip caused utility bills to remain inflated longer than residents would have liked. Spring officially began on March 20, but people in northern states contested the cold with space heaters, the common devices that provide supplemental heat and account for nearly 45 percent of the total heating bill in the average family home. To address such extreme temperatures, building materials managers and hardware store leads can help consumers save big money by providing energy efficient upgrades.

For those marketing building materials, sometimes the conflict in our own heads is more difficult than the one waged with the competition. Do we push our products through the channels of distribution, or shall we pull them? Push-pull marketing strategy is a significant component of the relationship between place and promotion, or one-half of the Four Ps of Marketing: product, price, place, and promotion. According to Marketing Made Simple, pushing relates to the process of “taking the product to the customer” while pulling concerns “getting the customer to come to you.” Both approaches have coexisted for thousands of years and as long as people have been involved with merchandising. Often, a combination of the two schools provides a proper mix that is determined by the product category, the historical period or the marketer. Whatever the mix, the choices are truly endless for dealers wishing to stimulate building supply sales with pull marketing techniques.

Keeping a sales team motivated can be hard work for an owner/operator or sales manager. In addition to engaging with potential clients and leads, you've got to hold it down on the sales floor and continually inspire employees to stick around and work harder. Salespeople may be short on motivation for a number of reasons. According to Forbes.com, only 30% of employees in the US feel engaged and inspired by their careers. Common factors for workplace demotivation include micromanagement, lack of confidence in company leadership and plain ole’ boredom. “It’s critical to find ways to ignite an entire department, not just identify your leading sellers,” says management consultant Doug Johnson. “You have to create a program that allows everyone to win at some level.” With decades of experience and some tips from sales experts, we've accumulated a list of ten sure-fire ways to keep ‘em motivated to increase sales and perhaps make your supervisory position even more exciting.

What do automobiles, burritos and aged whiskey have in common? … As it turns out, quite a bit. The three seemingly different products have been marketed with taglines for a very long time. Consider “The Ultimate Driving Machine” by BMW, “Live Más” by Taco Bell, and more recently, actress Mila Kunis softly saying, “That’s how Jim Beam makes history... How will you make yours?” Taglines and slogans are the creative work of well-compensated advertising agencies that may chew up months of time and thousands of permutations developing a few simple words that are intended to express conscious and subconscious meaning that will resonate with consumers.

Few things in life function properly right out of the box. Purchase a guitar, and there are bridges to dial in and strings to replace. Buy a new car, and there are seats to adjust and a clock to set. Add a new computer, and there are desktop pictures to choose and hundreds of apps to personalize, including the email client and web browsers. It never ends. What about online management systems for medical practices, especially those claiming to integrate a handful of platforms in one easy-to-use package? Smart management and marketing solutions may indeed simplify and fulfill multiple functions, but the learning curve for setup and operation is extensive. Following a successful launch, the proper management of all sources can increase sales by improving the quantity and quality of patients walking through the door. M