Tracpoint Wireless

Sales & Marketing News

9.1.2010

The Customer-Centric Company

"Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others. Unsuccessful people are always asking what's in it for me?"  - Brian Tracy
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Here are seven signs that you're running (or working for) a truly customer-centric company:
 
1) The CEO or owner talks constantly about customers and their experience. He/she talks about it so much that it would be annoying to the employees if they didn't feel as passionate about the customers as their boss does.
 
2) Managers often quote the CEO or owner.  A few employees might think the manager is just trying to act important, but the manager knows that every level of More>>

8.11.2010

Back-to-School Musings and More

"We generally change ourselves for one of two reasons: inspiration or desperation."  - Jim Rohn
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Here are a few quick hits from the 2010 NRF back-to-school (BTS) and back-to-college (BTC) survey.
 
* We're talking BIG money. Spending for BTS and BTC will bring in about $67 billion once you add in new college categories of food, personal care and gift cards.  What most people don't know is that back-to-college spending is twice as high as back-to-school.  Are you targeting and capturing any of those customers?
 
* Zero in on dad, or at the very least distract mom!  The NRF survey found that dads spend 25% more on More>>

8.2.2010

Leadership, Store Standards, and Creating Success

"The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change."  -  Carl Rogers
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So how was your July? If you have a moment hit reply and let me know. Thanks.
 
The differences between meeting, exceeding, or falling short of goal often comes down to one thing - leadership.
 
We see it all the time. The majority of stores in a chain might be struggling but inevitably there are some that are doing well. While that can sometimes be attributed to a strong location or the local economy, more often than not it's the store leadership that makes the difference.
 
And the biggest difference I see More>>

7.1.2010

Find Ways to Differentiate Your Store from Your Competition

What separates your store from any other Wireless Retailer? Most of the deals that you offer on your phones are comparable to the dealer down the street and even the corporate stores. So, with competition between retailers at an all-time high, and saturation rates rising; shouldn't you be searching for any edge to make your stores stand out?

So I pose you these questions:

- How effectively are you targeting new prospects?
- What are you doing to get these prospects to take action and come into your store?
- How can you make sure the customer has a great experience in your store?

- And More>>

7.1.2010

Leveraging Your Customer Base

I think you would agree that YOUR CUSTOMER BASE is the most valuable business asset you have. In fact, an up-to-date customer database can double the value of your business and cut your marketing budget by as much as 81%.

For starters, building your database is important because it gives you firsthand knowledge of who your customers are, where they live, and how to contact them. Secondly, once you have your customer's contact information, you can break the ties to mass advertising and speak to your customers directly with personalized marketing pieces. Now, the thousands of dollars you spend on mass advertising can be More>>

6.2.2010

Respect and Appreciation List

"Being brilliant is no great feat if you respect nothing." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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While visiting my local Starbucks yesterday I saw that employees had taken some of the best parking spaces. Although I almost always have a good experience at this particular store, they could show a little more respect for their customers by parking a few spots further away from the door.

This got me thinking about the different ways retailers, directly or indirectly, can display respect and appreciation for their customers.

So far on my list I have:

1. Parking. The best parking spots should always be for the customers, More>>

4.26.2010

A Customer Experience List

"What you do today can improve all your tomorrows."  -  Ralph Marston
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 Here are twenty signs YOU are focused on delivering a great retail experience.

1. Rather than greet customers who walk into the story you actually meet them at the front. That's what friends are for right?

2. You personally see it as a challenge when a customer says, "I'm just looking."

3. You're bummed when the customer's "just looking" really means leave me alone.
You know most people say it as a natural reaction to other store's bad service.

4. People comment how you're always in a good mood. You and I know better, More>>

2.12.2010

React, Respond, or Initiate?

February 9, 2010

"The easiest thing is to react. The second easiest is to respond. But the hardest thing is to initiate." - Seth Godin
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I just love today's quote.Seth is correct. It is harder to initiate than react or respond, but difference between them is huge. It separates the leaders from the pack. It can mean the difference between winning and losing a customer or even an employee. The impact on the top and bottom lines can be extraordinary.

Think of all the different scenarios where initiative will create a more successful outcome than simply reacting or responding.

* Engaging a customer.
* More>>

1.4.2010

An Extraordinary New Year and Decade

"You can't build a reputation on what you're going to do."  - Henry Ford
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Welcome to a New Year and New Decade!
   It's 2010.  It's almost hard to believe.  It seems only a short time since it was 1999 and many were worried about what might happen when the clock struck midnight.  And then all those Y2K worries vanished with the new year.
   Ten years later we aren't nearly worried going from 2009 to 2010.  Well, except maybe those people who design the glasses everyone wears on New Year's Eve.  I'm thinking they've got some real challenges in 2011.  But I digress. I'm excited about the next ten More>>

1.4.2010

TracPoint Announces New Business Card/Gift Card Combo to Increase Sales

          TracPoint Wireless is excited to announce the launch of a new product, a combination plastic business card/gift card. This new program is designed with a traditional business card front and a gift card with a bar code on the back side. The cards are completely customizable and have full 4 color front and back.With this new product,  the new typical business card would now have a $10 Gift Card on the back of it.
          There is usually strong apprehension towards canvasing by sales staff members. By giving employees business cards with a gift card back, More>>

11.24.2009

Holiday Actions For Owners and Managers

"We don't need more to be thankful for, we need to be more thankful."  - unkown

Last year at this time I asked Daily readers to share what actions you were going to take to have a successful holiday.  Due to a busy travel schedule I didn't get a chance to survey you again this year but last year's list is pretty great.
 
Take the time to read them since taking these actions will absolutely help you create an extraordinary holiday.
 
1. By far the number one action for owner/managers is to stay positive in order to keep the staff positive and motivated throughout the entire season.
• Work to capitalize on the opportunity.  More>>

11.9.2009

NEW LOWER COST OPTIONS NOW AVAILABLE TO TRACK AND ROUTE CALLS TO YOUR STORE

Simply put, if you are not tracking your advertising response rates, and monitoring how your sales people handle inbound telephone inquiries with call recording, you are setting your business up to fail. The Wireless Industry has never been more competitive, and every dollar you spend to drive new buyers to your stores must provide a return. It's a battle for every customer, and simply spending advertising dollars blindly with no tracking is no longer an option. If you are finding it impossible to track your advertising results manually, while trying to make sure your sales people professionally handle inbound calls, read on.
With the busy advertising season quickly approaching, it is More>>

11.9.2009

Save a Sale But Lose the Customer

"A satisfied customer is the best business strategy of all."  - Michael Leboeuf

Have you ever considered that you can save a sale but lose the customer?  It's true and it happens a lot more than people know.  We assume that if we resolve a customer issue that the person will remain our customer.  It's not so.
Think about how many times you've had an issue with a retailer or service business and vowed to never do business with them again.  Just because the company fixed the problem doesn't mean that you're going to choose to do business with them again.

We always label customers as happy or unhappy and assume that as long as we can make an unhappy More>>

10.7.2009

Use Call Tracking to Monitor Every Dollar Spent

"This current economy has stimulated a new marketing consciousness," said Laurence Boschetto, president-CEO, DraftFCB. "Clients are saying they want accountability for every dollar they spend, and they want cause and effect. Clients will continue to rally behind ideas that build business, and we as an industry have to accept that things will never revert back to the pre-recession mind-set that wasn't totally focused on accountability."

Call tracking reports, available with toll-free vanity 800 numbers, will help you account for your ad campaign's effectiveness, and even let you narrow in on the exact media outlets and buys that are most effective at generating leads from your More>>

10.7.2009

Should This Be Your Job?

September 22, 2009
"We cannot do everything at once, but we can do something at once."  -  Calvin Coolidge
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When owner and managers are asked what the most important things they can do to make their business more successful we hear:
 
"Coaching and developing the staff."
"Spending time on the floor."
"Leading by example."
"Driving traffic."
"Creating new and exciting marketing events."
"Finding new products and opportunities."
 
But if you followed these same owners or managers around for a week you'd see that many of them don't spend as much time on these tasks as they might like More>>

9.11.2009

Ten Ways to Create a Sale

"Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals."  - Jim Rohn


Want to create a sale instead of waiting for a customer to make a purchase?  Try these methods:

1. Eliminate the word "looker" from your vocabulary. Very few people walk into your store unless they have at least some interest in what you sell.  Approach every customer as if they are going to buy today.  If they don't buy today you've at least created a future buyer.

2. Warmly welcome and engage every customer who comes into your store. (What would one of my lists be without a warm More>>

8.27.2009

Custom 800 Numbers Help Wireless Dealer Monitor Incoming Calls

Background: Connectivity Source is a market leader in the retail and B2B wireless communication industry, operating 29 retail locations in two states.

Client Profile: Connectivity Source, Houston, TX – Scott Aronstein, President
A fellow wireless dealer recommended the company use vanity 800 numbers with call tracking and recording services to monitor their advertising campaigns. Connectivity Source has now been using vanity 800 numbers for two years.

Challenge: Connectivity Source was placing each store’s local phone number in their ads as the response tool. They had to list multiple phone numbers in More>>

8.27.2009

The More You Know The More You Sell

"Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand."  - Chinese Proverb

Share this Daily with your entire team.  It makes an important point about maximizing your customer opportunities.

Last month I needed to go to New York for a few days to present at a jewelry show.  It's roughly 225 miles from my house to Times Square.

Here were my transportation options:

1. Airplane. Definitely the fastest option, although that could depend on the traffic from LaGuardia to my hotel.  The total cost with taxi and parking at Boston's Logan airport is around $350.

2. Train. It's by far More>>

7.10.2009

Your Customers

"Your company's most valuable asset is how it is known to its customers." - Brian Tracy.

Some things you may or may not know about your customers:

They don't compare you to other people who sell what you do. They compare you to every store they shop in.

They appreciate being treated like they're special, even if don't show it.

Although they might decline that drink or cookie you offer, they appreciate and remember the gesture.

They will tell other people about your store if you give them a reason. What they tell people is up to you.

They dislike being hounded, but they also hate being ignored. Yes, that's confusing and yes, that's why More>>

7.9.2009

800 Tracking Tips of the Month

Remember, it pays to stay the course with your advertising. Delivering a consistent message to the people in your market. To get the most out of your ad dollars, follow these five tricks:

1. Include a Strong Offer that will Result in Action Give people a reason to call you and get them to act fast.
For example, "Call 800-NEW-PHONE to upgrade to a new phone and get the best deal in wireless".

2. Feature a Vanity 800 Number as the Direct-response Tool in all Ads.
To have a successful wireless business, it is imperative that you give people the tools to contact you immediately after hearing a commercial, viewing a More>>

5.18.2009

ADVERTISING WITH DIRECT RESPONSE TOOLS

We know your days are jam-packed running your retail business, managing staff, returning phone calls, reading emails - the list goes on and on. That is why we want to give you some quick answers to questions we have been asked in the past about using direct-response tools in advertising.

1. Why should I use a vanity 800 phone number as the primary direct-response tool in my advertising?
There are lots of reasons! First, 45% of Americans have initiated purchases using the telephone - compared to just 37% who have initiated a purchase over the Internet. Second, unforgettable phone numbers are proven to generate 30-60% higher response rates when used in advertising. Third, More>>

5.18.2009

Your Opinion Counts. Well, sort of.

"Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do." - Benjamin Spock

The other day I was in a wireless store when I overheard the following conversation. A customer was looking at an entry-level phone and when the salesperson walked up to him they had the following encounter.

Salesperson: "Can I help you?" (Gee, that's original!)

Customer: "I was interested in this phone."

Salesperson: "The (brand removed)?"

Customer: "Yes. What can you tell me about it?"

Salesperson: "You don't want that phone."

Customer: "Why's that?"

Salesperson: "It doesn't have Bluetooth capabilities or a very big display for reading emails and surfing the net More>>

2.22.2009

Clerks, Jerks & Retail Pros

One night as I was flipping channels, which is pretty much how I watch television, I stopped for a minute to watch Jeff Foxworthy do his trademark "You know you're a redneck" bit. Even though we don't have a lot of rednecks here in the northeast I still find him pretty funny.

Not that I equate salespeople with rednecks (except for back when I used to open outlet stores two hours from any city that served real Chinese food) but it did get me thinking about where retailers and rednecks intersect. With apologies to Jeff Foxworthy, I present:

You know you're a Clerk, Jerk, or Retail Pro when. . . .

You know you're a clerk when you say, "How may I help you?" to More>>

2.22.2009

A 15 POINT PLAN TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR RETAIL TRAFFIC

1. Greet each customer and introduce yourself by name. A salesperson says, ‘Hi, I’m Chris. Welcome to our store.’ Compare this to, ‘May I help you?’, ‘Can I help you?’, ‘Do you have any questions I can help you with?’ Which greeting do you feel is more likely to lead to a relationship?

My mother drives 35 miles from our home on the Chesapeake Bay in Annapolis, Maryland to Baltimore, where she could do some serious shopping. I am too young to stay by myself, so she takes me with her. This is good and bad. I like the tall buildings in Baltimore and I like the turkey sandwich I order for lunch at the big store’s restaurant. But I dread the rest of the trip.I sit in chairs by dressing More>>

9.11.2008

SELLING WITH SERVICE

Most wireless dealers agree that something more than the usual buying triggers is needed to build a customer base in today's ultra-competitive environment. Handset form and functionality, network coverage, free minutes, and data plans are no longer presenting customers with a clear cut leader when it comes to committing to a service for two more years. Capturing today's savvy customer demands a new approach to retail sales.

Armed with a higher level of knowledge but lacking in time, today’s wireless customer requires a new approach to selling, it requires consistent delivery of knowledge, customer service, and professionalism. The average customer makes 2.8 trips to retail stores More>>

9.11.2008

4 MONTHS AND COUNTING

Around here on the 25th of August most people are thinking about summer winding down and the kids heading back to school. But I know what you're thinking. . . . it's only four months to Christmas! That may seem far away to most people but we retailers know it will be here before we know it. We'd better be ready.

Here are some of my predictions, thoughts, and tips to prepare for the 2008 holiday season.

1. My 2008 prediction. While most pundits and experts will be predicting holiday shopping season that falls somewhere between soft and disastrous, I'm taking a different route. I'm predicting that (short of some catastrophic event beyond human comprehension) there will be a More>>

9.11.2008

GIFT CARD MAILINGS TO DRIVE YOUR Q-4 REVENUES

Now is the time to plan ahead for your holiday season direct mail campaign. Be ready to capitalize on the most profitable quarter of the year, and understand that you will be competing with many different offers and advertisements during that time. Your offer must be unique and have a high percieved value to drive the response you need.

So what do you do?

Send Gift Cards to your best friends...your customer base. Why? A well put together Gift Card Mailer produces on average a 200% response rate and 3 times the credit approval rates as non targeted advertising.

Most Dealers don't market to their customer base because it takes too much time and effort. The More>>

7.2.2008

TRACPOINT & 800RESPONSE OFFER NEW CO-OP RESOURCE TO VERIZON RETAILERS

Official Verizon Wireless Agents May Now Use Co-op Advertising Dollars to Activate Toll-free Vanity 800 Numbers with Real-Time Advertising Tracking Data


BURLINGTON, VT (July 8, 2008) – Verizon Wireless (NYSE: VZ), 800response and TracPoint Wireless, Inc. announce today that authorized Verizon Wireless agents may now use the online Verizon Wireless Co-op Resource Center to redeem their co-op dollars towards the activation and monthly fees of a vanity 800 number and real-time tracking services with 800response, and marketing programs with TracPoint Wireless.

The three-way partnership between 800response, TracPoint Wireless, and the authorized Verizon Wireless agents More>>

5.12.2008

Why What You Say Next Matters

The manager I worked for when I was first promoted into management was a great coach. He would always say "As a manager, what you say next is even more important than what you just said." I'll admit that the first few times he said that I had no idea what he was talking about. Over time, I learned from his actions what he meant. He always took that little bit of extra time to explain or to show you what he was talking about.

His management style made me realize that many managers I had worked for managed more in passing than in conversation. They were already on to the next thing - whatever it might be - instead of focusing on the employee or situation in front of them. More>>

2.15.2008

7 REASONS WHY PROTECT CELL WILL BOOST YOUR REVENUE IN 2008

As business plans are finalized for 2008, now is the time to implement new strategies to increase revenue flowing into your organization. Through the sale of Protect Cell Handset Protection Plans, which are similar to the handset protection programs offered by carriers, you will earn an average of $32 for each new phone sale.

So, why would you continue to attach a carrier plan to new handsets when you can earn significantly more with each Protect Cell sale? If you sell one Protect Cell Handset Protection Plan per store daily, at the end of a month, you will have generated almost $1,000 in gross profit, for that store location. You can do the math: Number of plans per store per More>>

2.15.2008

NEVER SAY, WILL THAT BE ALL?

Never say, 'Will that be all?' Sometimes I wish I owned a chain of convenience stores – like Quickie Marts or 7-11s. Everday they get a gazillion customers in their door to pay for gas, buy soft drinks, chips, or the newspapers.
But what do their customers usually hear at the point of sale at the convenience stores? 'Will that be all?' And what do their customers say most of the time? 'Yep. That’s it.'

I might recommend to these stores that they train their people to ask one question : 'Have you have this week’s TV Guide? Because I know a secret – most of the people in the United States own a TV. And if they handed the new TV Guide to a gazillion customers everyday they would More>>

2.15.2008

When MUST is always and SHOULD is Most of the time

One thing that fascinates me when working with retail chains is seeing the different levels of performance that spring from the same retail strategy. All of the stores have the same products, merchandising, marketing, and approach to engaging the customer, so why do some stores grow their sales year after year while others struggle to equal last year's numbers? Why do some stores almost always score nearly perfect mystery shop and customer experience scores while in others the only consistency is inconsistent scores?

At this point I'm sure you're thinking to yourself that the answers to these questions are pretty obvious. It's people. More specifically, it's leadership More>>

2.15.2008

February FasTrac Dealer News Letter

Link

12.12.2007

DECEMBER FASTRAC NEWS LETTER

Link

12.12.2007

NOT GETTING THE RESULTS YOU NEED FROM YOUR ADVERTISING?

You need to spend that hard earned co-op on a monthly basis or risk losing it. The easy way out is to spend it blindly on advertising mediums that are easy to use with a generic “carrier” template. The real measurement here is not going to be how attractive your ad looks, or whether it is well written, but whether or not it works. One of the biggest challenges dealers face is how to improve their advertising results without spending additional funds.

What can you do to make sure you a get a great response with your ads?

1. Focus your resources on prospects within the buying radius of your stores. You can’t sell everybody……so stop advertising to people who may see More>>

12.12.2007

HALF OFF HOLIDAY SALE

Stop guessing about your marketing and sales decisions. SalesSmarts analysis packages offer the concrete data needed to make better decisions. And, for a limited time only, you can purchase a package at a fraction of its normal cost.

Act now to gain a new perspective on your target market. Retail managers can garner insight on their neighborhoods, customers or expansion plans with our Location Demographic Analysis. B2B sales managers can help generate better sales leads through our Sales Territory upgrade.

With the new year fast approaching, now's the time to nail down your sales and marketing plans. And with this special, limited-time offer, there's never been a better More>>

12.12.2007

REINFORCE SALES PERFORMANCE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

Assuming that shortfalls exist in your stores, and that lost opportunities are great enough for you to take action, what can you do to influence the way things are moving? How can you stimulate movement where there is none? How will your people react? Consider this sales management plan.

1. Set your performance criteria. What do you want your people to do? How should they do it?
How often should they do it? For example, should salespeople recommend accessories to every customer, or just when they have enough time? Why should they do it? Are they responsible for the results of their efforts? Are these efforts totally under their control? If yes, what are the predictable More>>

9.11.2007

3 WAYS TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR RETAIL TRAFFIC

1. Greet each customer and introduce yourself by name. A sales person says, ‘Hi, I’m Chris. Welcome to our store.’ Compare this to, ‘May I help you?’, ‘Can I help you?’, ‘Do you have any questions I can help you with?’ Which greeting do you feel is more likely to lead to a relationship?

My mother drives 35 miles from our home on the Chesapeake Bay in Annapolis, Maryland to Baltimore, where she could do some serious shopping. I am too young to stay by myself, so she takes me with her. This is good and bad. I like the tall buildings in Baltimore and I like the turkey sandwich I order for lunch at the big store’s restaurant. But I dread the rest of the trip.

I sit in chairs by More>>

9.11.2007

PLAN NOW FOR YOUR 4TH QUARTER DIRECT MAIL

Now is the time to plan ahead for your holiday season direct mail campaign. Be ready to capitalize on the most profitable quarter of the year, and understand that you will be competing with many different offers and advertisements during that time.

So what do you do?

Utilize Targeted Direct Mail to reach new customers. Why? A well put together Direct Mail campaign produces on average a 200% the response rate and 3 times the credit approval rates as newspaper for the same cost.

Most Dealers don't do Direct Mail because it takes too much time and effort. The Dealer needs to spend time researching and buying the right list, have creative done, find a print shop, More>>

9.11.2007

WHO'S MINDING THE STORE?

With the 4th quarter fast approaching, everyone involved in retail management is gearing up for yet another incredible selling opportunity. Are you fully prepared? Are you comfortable in answering the following question: Who’s Minding the Store?

Having spent countless hours and dollars developing a solid sales team, giving them proper training, selecting the perfect retail location, designing the space to be pleasing to the shopper, stocking your stores with the latest and greatest product mix and advertising your locations with a multi-pronged approach, you are now ready to watch it all come together like a well oiled machine. And it does…so long as the owner, district manager or More>>

9.11.2007

WHY ALL HANDSET PROTECTION PLANS ARE NOT THE SAME

Most of the major carriers offer cell phone insurance plans. Now there is a new alternative to what everyone else is doing. Protect Cell, a new program powered by Digital Leash for Wireless Retailers, offers a broader range of plan options, more flexible payment options, a bonus Lost and Found program and many dealer benefits that will help wireless retailers increase revenue and improve customer satisfaction.

More Plan Options
Protect Cell is not a “one size fits all solution.” There are three plan options for protecting cell phones and other mobile electronic devices from mechanical failure, breakage, water damage, loss and theft:

The Standard Phone Plan covers basic More>>

9.11.2007

NEW LOWER COST OPTIONS NOW AVAILABLE TO TRACK YOUR RESULTS

Simply put, if you are not tracking your advertising response rates, and monitoring how your sales people handle inbound telephone inquiries, you are setting your business up to fail. The Wireless Industry has never been more competitive, and every dollar you spend to drive new buyers to your stores must provide a return. It's a battle for every customer, and simply spending co-op dollars because you need to "spend it or lose it" is no longer an option. If you are finding it impossible to track your advertising results manually, while trying to make sure your sales people professionally handle inbound calls, read on.

With the busy advertising season quickly approaching, More>>

4.13.2007

APRIL FASTRAC NEWS LETTER

Link

4.13.2007

YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW

Many of us go through life blissfully unaware of important details that can make a world of difference. From our physical health and our relationships to our business practices, until some event or detail is pointed out, we are oblivious to its existence.

Sounds confusing? NASA calls them the unk-unk’s (unknown unknowns), the hidden aspects of any business or operation that are not apparent until something goes wrong or right. When something goes right most of us attribute the success to something we did. However, when something goes wrong, people look for the unknowns—trying to find answers in the process or core elements of a business.

I was recently at a training More>>

4.13.2007

TARGET MARKETING YOUR CUSTOMERS AND PROSPECTS

For wireless retailers we have found that direct mail produces, on average, 200% of the response rate and two to three times the credit approval rate of newspaper ads and other forms of media dollar for dollar. With this knowledge gained from tracking actual response rates from hundreds of different advertising campaigns, Dealers would be wise to to give serious consideration as to how every dollar of co-op advertising monies are spent.

At the same time it is becoming ever more difficult to lure new buyers into stores as the penetration rates approach 75%. Advertising to new customers now a days is very difficult to get a return on your investment. With most Wireless Retailers More>>

4.13.2007

SET YOUR BUSINESS UP TO BEAT THE COMPETITION

Now that consumers can buy phones just about anywhere, it is now more critical than ever that each Dealer work diligently to build their own identity. Each Dealer must now think like a Carrier, and set themselves up to handle sales with "call, click or visit" solutions to capture new sales. Part of developing this process is creating a professional image and trackability for every customer inqiry to your business. Consider setting your business up with a service that will help you accomplish that. The service, which is customized to provide Retailers with a pure easy to remember wireless related 800 number, tracks all call from advertising, automatically routes callers to the More>>

2.27.2007

NEVER SAY "Will that be all"

Never say, 'Will that be all?' Sometimes I wish I owned a chain of convenience stores - like Quickie Marts or 7-11s. Everday they get a gazillion customers in their door to pay for gas, buy soft drinks, chips, or the newspapers.
But what do their customers usually hear at the point of sale at the convenience stores? 'Will that be all?' And what do their customers say most of the time? 'Yep. That's it.'

I might recommend to these stores that they train their people to ask one question : 'Have you have this week's TV Guide? Because I know a secret - most of the people in the United States own a TV. And if they handed the new TV Guide to a gazillion customers everyday they would More>>

2.27.2007

RADIO ADV STUDY: VANITY 800 NUMBER OUTPERFORMS OTHERS BY 58%

Radio is one of the most popular forms of media today with over 13,800 radio stations reaching 94% of the U.S. population every week. And, according to a recent study, Tollfree Numbers in Radio Advertising, listeners are more likely to respond to a radio ad that lists a vanity 800 phone number (e.g. 800-NEW-CELL) than an ad with a numeric tollfree number.

Creative Broadcast Concepts, Inc. and Grieger's Chrysler Dodge Jeep joined 800response to test the effect on response rates of placing different types of phone numbers in otherwise identical ads. The radio study analyzed the use of a vanity 800 number (800-TRADE-NOW) versus a numeric 800 number (800-954-2828) as the direct-response More>>

2.27.2007

CUSTOMER CARE: THE BEST WAY TO BOOST PROFITS THIS YEAR

Based on trend predictions for 2007 and the hundreds of articles I read throughout 2006, the best advice I can give cellular retailers to increase their sales revenue is simple: Take care of your customers.

Fact is, consumers have so many options when shopping for a cellphone, accessories or service: countless handsets, an array plans and several carriers. Because the U.S. market is essentially saturated, competition for the remaining buyers is stiff and as a result, pricing and product/plan/carrier offerings are the same from one cellular retailer to the next. What’s to draw a potential customer to your store instead of somebody else’s? Not much.

One competitive frontier More>>

2.27.2007

GETTING THEM IN

By Ed Legum - President of The Edmond-Howard Network

Know your competition.

What is your strategy for driving sales of wireless products and services through your stores? It may help to first see what your competitors are doing.

Businesses that understand marketing understand this : one objective of marketing is to set yourself apart from your competition. If you agree, then it follows that good wireless retailers give their potential customers compelling reasons why they should buy from them instead of their competitors. To start you may want to consider these questions:

Who are your competitors?
What are they doing?
What do they sell?
How More>>

1.9.2007

CELLULAR MANAGER INTEGRATES MINUTE-GUARD AND RATEPLAN.COM

With the cellular industry constantly changing and amidst ever-increasing competition, you’re probably looking for some edge to gain a competitive advantage. Many retailers look outside the company to bring in special product and service offerings to drive sales and differentiate their stores from their competition.

While new products and great services work well, companies need to look internally and get the most out of their current resources. If you buy a fast sports car with a V6 engine, you can add all the performance spoilers and add-ons you want to the exterior of the car, but if that engine is running on just two cylinders, that car won’t be traveling anywhere fast. More>>

1.9.2007

JANUARY FASTRAC DEALER NEWS LETTER

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12.29.2006

INCREASE YOUR DOLLAR PER CUSTOMER

Carriers offer from 10 to 30 plans. The popular plans with bundled minutes are usually in the $39.95 to $49.95 range. When your salespeople know your offers and what your competition offers, you gain a serious advantage. When they also understand your offers well enough to show how a recommended plan might best fit the needs of your customers, you will win more business.

You can tap wireless data to keep churn low and add profits to the bottom line. Third party bolt-on applications are also a potential source of new business, increasing the monthly airtime usage and reoccurring revenue. Once used, many applications, such as gaming, commerce, email, location, wireless More>>

12.29.2006

7 REASONS DIGITAL LEASH WILL BOOST YOUR REVENUE IN 2007

With the holiday shopping season coming to a close, now is the time to implement new strategies to keep a steady stream of revenue flowing into your organization. Through the sale of Digital Leash Handset Protection Plans, which are similar to the handset protection programs offered bycarriers, you will earn an average of $32 for each new phone sale.

So, why would you continue to attach a carrier plan to new handsets when you can earn significantly more with each Digital Leash sale? If you sell one Digital Leash Handset Protection Plan per store daily, at the end of a month, you will have generated $2,500 in revenue, and $1,000 in profit, for that store location.

If earning More>>

12.29.2006

MINUTE-GUARD RECEIVES FULL PATENT APPROVAL

Minute-Guard has recently been awarded full patent approval on its patent filings, which fully protects this very unique service that is long overdue in the Wireless Industry. Minute-Guard, a new minute monitoring service, provides wireless users with text message and e-mail alerts before they go over their minutes. These alerts are delivered via text message and/or email and sent daily, or when a user reaches 75, 80, 90, 100% of his or her allotted minutes. Minute-Guard also tracks text messaging usage, and works for individuals, families & businesses. Dealers & Retailers earn signficant commissions by offering this service to their customers at the point of sale.

This More>>

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