How Value Adding Products Can Increase Your Sales

After 10 years of selling aftermarket furniture care products to retailers I am still amazed as to how little importance is given to value adding products for creating extra sales to their customers.

It seems for many furniture retailers aftercare products are only an after thought. I believe that this under utilised form of untapped sales is money going begging.

The main purpose of any retail business is to sell products…as many of them as possible, big or small, but many furniture retailers ignore this, only concentrating on the large furniture sale and missing out on all the small one’s, that over a year could add up to a substantial amount of money.

The retailer must be proactive and make sure their staff are trained to offer add on products before completing the furniture sale and positioning small product displays that compliment the major sale on or near the counter.

Why do supermarkets keep small items at the checkout?
Why are McDonalds staff trained to ask ”Would you like fries with that”?
Because this is where and when the impulse buying occurs!
At the point of sale!

By the correct positioning of merchandise and asking their customers that simple question these companies add millions of dollars to there bottom line every year.

In a furniture store this is where the customer is most likely to purchase aftercare products as well.

Consider this…they’ve just bought a piece of furniture and more than likely wondering what would be the best way to look after it, so wouldn’t having a display at point of sale and training your staff to offer an after care product make perfect sense?

Many sales people are afraid to ask that simple question and fail to realise that they are doing the customer a disservice. Many customers see the salesperson as a trusted advisor and will not be offended by being offered products that compliment their purchase, especially if it in some way extends the life of the furniture or makes it look better.

It is a win – win situation, the customer doesn’t go off to the supermarket and buy the wrong furniture care products and the retailer has added value to each sale, offered the right products and improved customer service as well as decreased the chance of after sales problems occurring in the future.

Chris Green has been involved in the Australian Furniture Industry since 1982 and has vast experience in furniture transport, furniture warehousing and wholesale distribution of furniture care products.

For more tips, articles and product info go http://www.furniturecareproducts.com.au/