Spring 2013 Hardlines Strategies

PROMOTIONS

“This event was a good way to get female customers in and increase their interest in what we have,” Schmidt says. She says she also spotlighted a few popular projects that she had posted on the store’s Pinterest site by stocking the store’s endcaps with the necessary materials to do those projects. Schmidt says she plans to build on the momentum of last year’s events. “We learned a lot from the first one,” Schmidt says. “We plan to offer sales and hand out coupons to bring customers back to the store for any products they didn’t purchase on the spot.” Staff at the store also created a survey to find out what their customers would want at the next Ladies’ Night. Salute to Veterans A special event isn’t the only way to say thank you to your customers. The staff at Randall Lumber in Taos, N.M., show their appreciation to their customers who have served in the military with a special discount. But it’s a little different than other discounts out there. Veterans and active service men and women who shop at the store receive a discount in the form of sales tax for a purchase of any size. There are signs in the store advertising the discount—which is a little more than 8 percent—and Paula Randall Ervin, co-owner and general manager, says they do some radio advertising as well. Customers just have to ask for the discount and show an ID proving they’re a veteran or currently active in the military. “We have a few veterans who work for us,” Ervin says, “and we’re a small community and know a lot of people who have served our country, and we thought we’d like to do something to say thank you.” A Great Day for Golf After chatting with a golf pro while playing a round of golf one day, Michael Pelster, secretary-treasurer, of the Ogallala, Neb., location of Kildare Lumber, decided to offer a golf scramble for the company’s

sales team and some customers, including contractors and suppliers. “I threw the event together, not sure what we’d get,” Pelster says. “I ended up with 108 golfers.” That was nearly 10 years ago. Pelster will hold the 10th annual Kildare Classic this September. “Ever since then, we’ve usually gotten 144 golfers—that’s our cutoff number,” he says. The Kildare Classic is an invite-only event that rotates between three local golf courses. It’s held at the end of September, when the weather is still nice but when contractors are ready for a break near the end of their busy season. The event includes plenty of prizes, too, which suppliers donate. A different supplier sponsors each hole. “On the first hole, we see who can hit the longest drive with the club provided, and there are prizes for every hole,” Pelster says. “Some prizes are for bad golfers. Last year, the last-place team got golf lessons. “It’s a fun event,” Pelster says. “How often do you get to meet up with your top customers and do something like this? It’s probably one of our best events.” at a nearby fishing hole and provide lunch and prizes for the biggest catch. • Have a dinner for your con- tractor customers. This event works well around Christmas or in the winter when their schedules might be slower. • If one of your major vendors has a factory nearby, take key cus- tomers there on a field trip. This will increase your customers’ loyalty to your key vendors. • Hold a knife show or knife swap event. It’s a natural fit if you have a niche in knives and will More Ideas that Work • Hold a fishing tournament for your customers. Sponsor a day

draw collectors and enthusiasts from neighboring towns. • If you have a large parking lot, set aside a Saturday for a farm- ers’ market and invite local farmers and gardeners to sell their produce. It’s a good time to promote canning supplies and other cooking and food preservation items. • Invite children to a build-it- yourself workshop day. Show them how to assemble a simple project, like a birdhouse or a planter box. Time the event around Mother’s Day or Father’s Day so the assembled project becomes a gift.

Employees at Builders post project ideas on the store’s Pinterest page, then use endcaps to highlight projects along with the items needed to complete it.

8 Spring 2013 • Hardlines Strategies