MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS
By Mike French
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Make It Easy And A Pleasure To Order From You

     One of the reasons people give for leaving a parts provider is frustration in placing an order.  Many companies put up roadblocks that prevent sales.  Answering machines top the aggravation list.  Rude salespeople and being put on hold for excessive periods of time are a couple of other roadblocks to sales.
     A big business success principle is:  Make it as easy as possible for your customers to place an order with you!  Some ways you can improve sales:
     -PHONE:  Your customers should be able to order parts by talking immediately to a real human being.  Many people are accustomed to ordering this way.  It is their preferred way of doing business.  Don't discourage them with "phone systems from Hell".  You know what I mean!  You hate them too!  Let them talk to a real person.
     -FAX:  Even though most businesses now have and use fax machines, it is amazing to me how many companies fail to use them to receive orders.  Fax machines take pressure off both your phone system and your counter sales staff.  Here are some fax ordering tips:
     Tip #1:  Create an easy form for your customer to fill out with as many "check the box" choices as you can.  This form should have a place for customer information such as name, phone numbers, addresses, etc.  There should also be some room for them to describe their parts request.  Make sure you have a place for their fax number, so you can quickly get the information they requested back to them.  There should be a place for you to put product & shipping prices.  You should also have a space for their credit card number in case that is how they are paying.
     Tip #2:  You may want to customize these forms for your best customers with all their personal information already printed on them.  Then when they are ready to order, they will have less blanks to fill.  The easier you make it for your customers, the more likely they will use the fax machine to place their orders.  This can lead to greater accuracy in filling orders and greater efficiency, generally.
     Tip #3:  Put somebody in charge of getting the fax machine orders priced, faxed back to the customer for confirmation if necessary and fulfilled - fast.  This, also, will encourage your customers to use the fax machine more.
     - EMAIL & INTERNET:  The e-commerce way of doing business is here.  You need to be able to use this technology, too.  You should put parts descriptions on line.  There are companies such as Car-Part.com that can help you do this.  This way you can make it easy for your customer to find and oprder their parts from you on line, 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Mike French is the president and founder of Mike French & Company, Inc., the leading producer of direct mail and direct response advertising in the automotive recycling industry.  Mike's consulting services and materials are used by many of the largest and the most progressive recyclers in North America.  His company is known for being a one-stop shop, from marketing concept to bulk mail fulfillment.  You can contact him at 1-800-238-3934, e-mail him at mike@mikefrench.com, fax him: 360-354-3013, or you can visit his Web site at: www.mikefrench.com.