How to survive in the window selling iungle.

By Jack Ullrich Manager of sales and promotion Andersen Corporation

Ir HINK of yourself as a hunter, I and your customers as the hunted. The game is to convince them that you can satisfy their window needs. You have a lot of competition. It's a jungle. Now, what's your strategy?

Sure, you can advertise that you sell windows. But just putting up a billboard or buying space in a newspaper won't guarantee that your customers will see it, much less pay attention to it. What you need to do is plan. Plan your ads to target the right market.

To some dealers, planning may seem like a jungle in itself, but it's pretty simple. Basically, an ad plan defines your present role in the window marketplace, and how you want to change that role during the next few years. The following four steps will help you to build the plan.

(1) Information Gathering. pult together statistics on your total window market. The more information. especially current and credible information, the better. (Refer to local newspapers, trade journals, trade associations and library sources to make sure the data are correct.) What are the market trends? What is your reputation in the

Ad Campalgn Check Llet

,* Are the goals oi the ad realistic?

:: Is the ad reaehing the right audience?

Is the ad using the most cost effective media?

Does the ad have a clear, simple message?

Are you repeating the message in repeated ads?

Is there follow-up to the ad in the store?

marketplace? Who is your competition and how do their services, products and reputations compare to yours?

(2) Writing Down Goals. Identify the problems and opportunities. Decide how you can create a unique edge over the competition. It could be in terms of market area (you target a new community, for example), product introduction (you become the local lowemissivity glass expert), image (you become the most reliable window dealer in town) or all three. Write down the logical steps that will help your store succeed and grow over the next few years.

(3) Defining Your Strategies. Now that you know your goals, decide what your advertising needs to do to reach them. What should it say to whom? A dealer in a new, growing community may decide to target young families; his ads, then, should be progressive and dynamic. A dealer in an older community may decide to target active retirees; his ads should focus on tradition and reliability.

(4) Putting Funds Aside. Businesses spend 2-50lo of their forecasted gross sales on advertising, as a rule of thumb. This is a good guideline. You may advertise more if your competition advertises heavily, your business is small and young, or your location is remote. You may advertise less if your business is large and well established, and in a welltraveled location. Be sure to put extra funds aside for special promotions, like a store opening or anniversary.

Story at a Glance

A game plan for plotting window sales . studying the market.. setting goals.. selecting adveilising media... following up with promised products and seruices in yourstore.

With the plan completed, youthe hunter-now have your map and ammunition. All you need is the lure: the ads. For the most effective advertising, you will need to place ads in the right media, practice what the ads are preaching, and evaluate the results. Each of these efforts should be developed in light of your plan.

In selecting the advertising media, meet with sales representatives for each of the media available in your market-such as television. radio, newspapers, billboards. Gather their information on billing rates and audiences; then compare to see which one reaches your clients at the cheapest rate. The basic measure of media efficiency is CPM, or cost per thousand.

Once you've selected the right media, schedule the window ad campaign. Keep in mind that you'll need to repeat your ads in order to get your point across. Have a clear and simple message, and say it in the same medium again and again.

Tell your sales staffabout the window ads under way, and prepare them to provide the services, products and overall attitudes that your ads are promoting. Clients trust you when you follow through on your promises. and that often leads to sales. But remember: advertising is a lure. It can bring people into your store, but only you can close a sale.

Finally, test the results of your ad campaign. Put the same ad in several local papers, for example, and use a coded coupon to see which paper generates the best results. (Results are usually measured in terms of increased traflic or sales.) Put a special ofler on a radio station. and check the response, Ask your customers whether they've seen your window ads.