One of the worst mistakes car audio dealers can make on Black Friday is to ignore it, say industry experts.
But most specialists do. They claim it’s hard to get noticed with all the big box advertising. But you no longer need to be on TV and radio to get noticed during Black Friday thanks to Groupon, Facebook and AdSense.
Many retailers who once ignored Black Friday are now making money from it.
For those who say “But specialists don’t compete on price,” the experts say Black Friday is one of the few days a year when you should.
There’s nothing wrong with price leader advertising as long as the staff is trained on how to sell the product with accessories or step up sales, says Ray Windsor of Leadership Systems. But “the staff needs to be prepared with what to do when a consumer comes in …. If not, they are going to lose their [shirt] on the deal.”
“You need to have those select items to get the consumer’s attention and get them through the door. The idea is to get them through the door and then show them all the stuff you do,” says Ryan Gunter of MESA, the Mobile Electronics Specialists (MESA) buying/marketing group..
Stereo West in Omaha, NE ignored Black Friday until two years ago. In 2012 it used MESA’s promotional tools for radio, print, email blasts and in-store signage and put together a few promotional deals. “It’s been a home run. We had a 50 percent increase in sales on Black Friday in the first year and it’s been increasing since,” said Brian Hampson.
For a store that is not a MESA member he suggests picking out a few SKUs for promotion at a low price on Groupon that can lead to an upgrade sale or accessory sale. “If you train the salesmen and give them the path on exactly what you want them to do…” they’ll make money on the sale. But, “don’t assume the salespeople know. Otherwise they’ll sell those items and then just say ‘we’re out of them.’”
Hampson runs Groupon sales for one-button 500-foot remote starts at $199 installed with a bypass and then upgrades 75 percent of the customers who come in to units with a lifetime warranty or two-way or 4-button key fobs.
Chris Cook of the Mobile Electronics Group (MERA) says , “If you are a retailer, you should participate in Black Friday and on any promotional date including Dads and Grads…There’s no other way around that…to gain new business, that’s what has to happen.”
One way retailers can start is by participating in Car Tech Demo Days to be held on weekends throughout November. Contact Revenew at 1-877-794-8556 or sign up here.
Source: CEoutlook
Photo: Black Friday at Sound of Tri-State, Delware
Get the news before your competitors do. CEoutlook is the daily brief read by over 6,500 dealers, reps and manufacturers across the mobile electronics industry. Subscribe free.
