Capturing Luxury Loot for Less

Luxury is a matter of perception The secret is out. After reading the cover story, “Luxury Brands Mine Riches Online,” in the January 23 edition of DM News, I realized that affluent people want the same as anyone else who buys online: an easy-to-navigate site that ’s pleasing in appearance and searchable by price and product assortment.

If you want to see luxury products online, visit Tiffany, Burberry, and Giorgio Armani, three of the sites mentioned in the article. These sites, according to Milton Pedraza of Luxury Institute, “show the product in its most elegant way without delaying the consumer.”

Some of these sites show products in a scrolling format, as if the customer were in a store viewing items face to face. Others catalog products to resemble designer shops. When the customer clicks on a specific designer’s name, fashion photography provides a close-up look at the collection.

Small and solo business owners should stay updated on cutting edge Web technology but still must keep their Web sites in classic formats for customers, many of which access the Web through dial-up and other slow access methods. That will ensure that our clients aren’t delayed in reviewing our products and services.

Luxury is associated with affluent consumers, but it can also be a matter of packaging and other presentation methods. Review the sites mentioned above, as well as competitive offerings, to identify methods to market and deliver your goods quickly and, when possible, in a visually appealing manner.

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January 31, 2006 | Filed Under Customer Connections, Online Ideas, Recent Entries | 2 Comments

Putting Time on Your Side

Time slows for no business What time is it? Teenagers and young adults quickly locate this answer on their cellphones, Ipods, laptops, and other portable devices. So why should they wear a watch?

The young market believes they have no use for a product that only tells time. The Donegar Group, which tracks fashion merchandising, reports that this one-dimensional focus has caused watch sales in 2004 to decrease by more than 10 percent.

But watch manufacturers aren’t set on winding down. According to the January 18th edition of The Wall Street Journal, watchmakers are adding compasses, thermometers, and ear buds to new models.

Guess Inc. created a charm bracelet with a watch piece as one of the charms, and Fossil will introduce a watch with customizable faces and straps.

Solo and small business owners know all too well about the need to quickly adapt to clients’ moods, tastes, and needs. We must continue to identify and predict changes, which is done in several ways.

1. Connect with customers on a social level to learn about how they use what we sell and collect ideas to upgrade it for future use.
2. Visit industry trade shows to see new concepts to integrate into our current offerings.
3. Read a variety of consumer and business publications from around the world to stay updated on the trends that impact sales.

Marketing information is plentiful. Be sure to act on it, putting the information to use as swiftly and accurately as a precision time piece.

Technorati Tags: watch sales, watch manufacturers, The Wall Street Journal, Guess Inc., watch piece, small business owner, trade shows, marketing, solo business owner

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January 30, 2006 | Filed Under Marketing News, Offline Ideas, Recent Entries | 2 Comments

Secretaries Still Wield Power

The secretary is the decision maker at many firms “Skip the secretary. Schmoozing is a no-go. Get to the decision maker through direct voice and e-mail.”

That’s the first of three suggestions on getting past the gatekeeper offered by Chet Holmes of Jordan Productions, as featured in the December issue of Sales & Marketing Management.

Marketing is and will always be associated with creating and maintaining good relationships. Many executives still count on their secretaries to help them decide who gets priority service, who’s put on a back burner, and who will not receive a return call.

If an office is set up for an executive to receive messages through voice mail or Email, those are the options to use. But if an office is still set up with the secretary as the point person, why not start the conversation on a pleasant note before asking for the executive? This still goes a long way to increase your chances of speaking with the decision maker.

Offend a secretary, and she will show you the door And what if the secretary is the decision maker? Skip her, and you effectively end any chance of marketing what you sell.

My bias on this topic is due to my former secretarial roll at brokerage firms. Supervisors depended on my judgment to decide which telephone calls to return and in what order.

That was years ago, and many things have changed. However, I believe that secretaries are still a powerful ally to help your marketing campaign and win sales in every industry.

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January 27, 2006 | Filed Under Customer Connections, Networking, Recent Entries | 2 Comments

Online Clubs Baking Up Big Sales

Bring like-minded people together People who love to bake cakes gather online with other baking enthusiasts, swaping recipes and sharing advice with 100,000 members on the DuncanHines.com Web site.

The Baker’s Club is in its second year, and as reported in the January 16th issue of DM News, it’s growing by leaps and bounds through a monthly electronic newsletter that broadcasts news about contests, coupons, and more.

In exchange, Duncan Hines‘ executives learn how customers experiment with recipes using their cake mixes.

Does your product or service have online club potential? Individuals love being part of groups with like-minded people. Here are some ideas to consider as you create an online club.

1. Put news about the club on each page of your Web site. Make sure visitors understand the benefits of membership.
2. Create a club card that can be printed online or mailed to each club member.
3. Make specials available exclusively to club members.
4. Keep members informed through a monthly e-newsletter.
5. Create contests based around the products or services club members love most.

Creating a club membership may help to increase your marketing potential. Cook up some ideas, then create your own version of a club that captures legions of followers.

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January 26, 2006 | Filed Under Online Ideas, Recent Entries | 2 Comments