Document e1vNjowq0n1LoVnwErMzXkX3y

TAKE A CLUE FROM PORT ST. JOE Treasure Chest Holds Key to Enriching Sales clever sales promotion, backed by four weeks of advertising, has won NAPA AUTO PARTS/ St. Joe Auto Parts in Port St. Joe, FL (ser viced by NAPA Sylvester) $50 in the Creative Selling "Creative Sales" con test. Here's what happened: for the month of July, the store displayed a plexiglass box containing thirty $10 bills in the lobby. Along with the box or "treasure chest" was a poster explaining that hid den somewhere in the city limits was a key to the chest and that clues to the key's location would appear in the store beginning August 1. Each week in August, the store dis played as many as three clues and ran ads promoting the treasure hunt in a local newspaper. Additionally, the store ran radio spots giving only those clues which had already been posted in the store's lobby. By the end of August, the key was found by a NAPA customer -- glued to the back of a school crossing sign -- and the customer has $300 for his efforts. According to sales manager, Rick Lamberson, "We were amazed at the interest this promotion generated, es pecially among those customers we were accustomed to seeing only occa sionally. They, and our regular cus tomers, were stopping in as often as twice a week to check the clues. "We were careful to place the clue board near several of our impulse buy items, such as Bargain Buys items. And that definitely got us some additional sales." If you have a "Creative Sales" promo tion, send it to NAPA Outlook at 2999 Circle 75 Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30309 It could make you $50 richer! GOOD NEWS FOR NAPA TRADITIONAL CUSTOMERS Service Stations on Rebound In the past year, the Zayre chain has closed 109 of its automotive service centers across the country. One of the major reasons they cited was "the reemergence of strong service at surviv ing gas stations." That leads us to the question of "how much business service stations are get ting from the marketplace?" Well, take a look at the percentage of business ser vice stations are getting. It just might come in handy the next time your out side salesman makes a call. PERCENTAGE OF BUSINESS DONE BY SERVICE STATIONS 50<Vb SELLING RELATED OR SELLING UP One Thing Leads to Another It's true. You're not going to see your profits jump by merely offering a spe cial promotion on one or two items. Selling a few quarts of oil here and a few batteries there just won't do it. But an advertised special can lead to bigger and better things. How? By carefully merchandising related products to gether and by making sure that store employees take every opportunity to "sell up." u . IITER 1050 ' *6- Natural tie-ins to big selling lines can mean plus sales. Filters with oil pur chases, jumper cables with batteries and similar related items mean more bigger dollar volume -- to customers you already have in your store. Using oil as an example, consider that in order to perform an oil change, a do-it-yourself customer is going to need more than just five or six quarts of oil. For instance, the do-it-yourselfer could need an oil filter, an oil filter wrench, an oil absorbent compound or mat, an air filter, grease, a grease gun, a drain pan, gloves, a funnel, a jack stand and a creeper. By merchandising these products to gether, you'll remind the customer about needed items he may have forgot ten. You'll also make his or her shop ping easier by saving him the time it would take to locate items that could be in several locations throughout the lob by. Shopping in your store becomes a quick and easy experience for the con sumer and that is one of the best ways to get a do-it-yourselfer back to your location the next time. As for selling up, say the customer thinks he has everything he needs to complete an oil change. On the counter next to the cash register he puts down quarts of oil, a drain pan and an oil (Continued on page 14)