You can’t rely on brand advertising to do the selling alone. Brands’ product stories need to be translated into words you can use in your shop, so you can exploit the hype but also display expertise. Three categories of information are required about each new product:
1. Key benefits
2. Innovation that delivers benefits
3. Golfers who will derive maximum value from the benefits
Attention to detail is also vital: just providing an aside on how strong the ‘composite threads’ are in Callaway RAZR drivers adds value to the product and reduces the impact of price when trying to convert a sale.
To learn more about why a green-grass golf professional needs to be the leader in the pro shop click on www.retailtribe.com/thedifference.
Selling before stocking
As soon as a supplier’s publicity embargo has passed, start to communicate with your golfers. Let them know what you are due to stock and when. Don’t allow mass-market retailers to get ahead with product availability and communications. If a supplier is providing product to mass-market retailers before you, they simply should not be in your shop.
Don’t forget your key advantages over big-box superstores:
• For any new product, provide a personal update to 5–10 customers who love that brand, like to be early adopters of new innovations, and would benefit from its technology. They will appreciate the service.
• Via email or social networking, notify all customers of your ‘launch’ and your expert product assessment.
• Offer added value: if you usually charge for launch monitor fittings, offer it free to customers interested in assessing the new product’s benefits.
To see some case studies go to the link below. There you will find a simple email made by a South African professional launching the TaylorMade R11. The result was that he sold out even before the new drivers had arrived in store. Now that’s the right launch angle!
www.retailtribe.com/productlaunch
