Questions and Answers

By REED TAWTON Monogement Consultont

We've never really advertised before.

. How should we besin?

AFirst and foremost, set up a budget fI1 atrd stick to it. A halfway, haphazard advertising program is the worst waste of money. Since you admit you've never really advertised before, take a good look at the sign in front of your store as a starting place.

Is it lighted? Is it modern? Does it describe your store at 6rst glance? A large, modern sign is best bought on a lease program. You'll have to allow from $75-$100 per month for a decent new sign, so there goes as much as $1,200 per year. But it will be your best investment. How about the front of the store while you're looking around? Does it need paint? Shouldn't the clean-up, paint-up campaign begin at home? Don't charge the paint to advertising, though.

See your suppliers, especially the paint manufacturer or power tool supplier, and see if you can get a good deal on a lighted sign from them in addition to your olyn. Now. if you have your total budget of- - let's say $10,00o-set down on paper, allot 82,750 or more, for newspaper advertising. That isn't very much each week, but $75 spent consistently in the right medium will make you money. Plan to use product-s which offer cost sharing plans to make your money go further.

Story ol s Glonce

Following up the fine advice to dealers in last year's widely acclaimed series of articles, Reed Lavrrton continues the good work in this first of a series of Q and A columns.

A local artist who has some experienee in this line will handle a couple of hornedelivery flyers for you during the year. This will take another $2,000 each, or $4,000 total including printing, plus about $500 to get them delivered. You may carry one of the aggressive paint lines which has already prepared a good mailing piece that you can buy on a sharing basis and this will get you much better coverage. Ask your paint salesman and look at the ma' terial he shows you. It's probably the first time you've really looked at how much ad' vertising support you can get from your suppliers.

You still have over $1,500 left in your budget. I think that if you can get some small agency nearby to handle your account, you'll find that $1,500 a real time saver for you.

If you have to handle all your own advertising, you'll discover that the localnewspaper has a salesman who is pretty savvy in digging up prepared cuts and making economical layouts. He won't be as good as if you had your own agency, but he'll do for a substitute. Perhaps the ad salesmarr for the paper can steer you to an agency that will do the job.

You haven't allowed anything for Kleig lights and balloons for the kiddies or orchids for the women, but this is the first year and it should be bare bones. After all, you've been in town for a number of vears and you must concentrate on building up the foot traffic and letting people know that they are welcome in your store.

Now, this doesn't take a dime out of your budget, but hardly anyone does a good job of asking a new face in your store where they heard about you. Get the habit of asking your customers about your advertisements. If the man hasn't seen your ad, it gives you a chance to tell him about your special of the week. It also lets you have

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