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Outdoor furniture, grills, lighting, flowers, lawn, shrubs, gardening tools and power equipment are common tandem purchases. Although you have everything your customer wants to complete his outdoor living concept, your competitors do too. How do you get the sale?

One way is to establish an image as an outdoor living center with top quality merchandise and specialists who can answer any questions and solve any problems. There are several ways to achieve this.

Story at a Glance

Ways to stretch a deck sale into outdoor furniture, garden and power equipment sales... suggestions for positioning your store as an outdoor living center. . . advertising, promotion, clinic and service checklists.

Shop your competitors and note what they are NOZdoing in the way of displays, customer service and advertising. Make a list of easy and inexpensive changes you can make in your store to position it as offering better service, higher quality and more prestige than your competitors. The following checklist will get you started.

Advertise

a Include furniture, plants, power equipment and other outdoor items in your newspaper and circular ads with illustrations that promote the pleasure of outdoor living.

r HanB a colorful banner in front of the store proclaiming it as an outdoor living center.

o Display plants, power equipment and outdoor furniture in front of the store.

o Have employees wear "Ask me about our garden section" buttons.

o Use flags or other eye catching devices to direct attention to the garden section and seasonal merchandise.

o Set up outdoor living vignettes in several areas including the lumber section and front of the store.

o Place baskets of flowers on the endcaps and put container plants on the checkout counters.

r Group related outdoor merchandise in one huge display in a prominent location.

Build A Reputation For Reliable Service

Educate sales staff to point out the benefits of the various types of outdoor furniture, grills, lights, plants, power equipment, etc.

e List benefits of all products in the signage.

o Use charts to compare the benefits of various products. For example: the relative merits of resin, aluminum, enamel coated, PVC and vinyl strapped steel furniture.

r ldentify water, light and care requirements for each plant in signs.

o Maintain good supplies of replacement cushions, grill parts, etc.

Clinics

o Set up a schedule of clinics on gardening, power equipment maintenance, outdoor cooking.

At{ 0UT000B furniture disolav like this will boost your sales of seasonal jtems. Note the use of accessories and olants as well as the convenient supply of replacement cushions and less exoensive stack chairs.

o Include flyers listing the clinics in each purchase.

o Print the schedule with newspaper advertising.

r Ask the newspaper to do a story about the clinics.

. Post clinic schedules at each checkout, the information booth and front entrance.

Special Services

o Promote samples and catalogs for special ordering high end wrought iron and outdoor wicker furniture.

o Landscaping plans and help available.

o Installation service or contractor referrals for sprinkler systems, fencing, sod installations, decks, gazebos.

o Delivery for large items.

a Power equipment repair, refinishing for outdoor furniture.