Out On The Town
I got my butt into a few stores today and talked with Store Managers about selling their overstocked items. It went well. My goal wasn’t to purchase today but to get my face out into the public and make friends, which I did.
The first place I went was a large tool and automotive store with all kinds of different products for sale. It was a nice day here in South Bend and in front of the store there were many items being sold at a clearance price. I probably looked like a Sales Rep as I was dressed up pretty good and was snooping around for quite awhile outside.
There must have been 50 different product lines outside including portable hammocks, Paint Guns, small 2 burner stoves, die cast model engines and lots of other items ranging in value from $2.99 to $59.99. Most of these items were marked down at least 20 percent and the majority were marked down 50 percent or more.
It’s interesting how you need to get out and “do something” before ideas start to flow again. “Activity” is a great “fog killer”. Ideas were bouncing around my brian as I moved through each one of the stores.
One idea that crossed my mind was to make a routine of hunting for products on clearance each week at local retailers. I would imagine that retailers have to move seasonal items and I might be able to find quite a few items this way. My goal will be to help local retailers move items I’ve already reseached will sell on eBay. If I don’t help them they won’t help me. That’s “sales 101″.
Our local JC Penny had a huge sign out front noting they have the largest “licensed Notre Dame” selection of products in the area. Notre Dame stuff sells pretty good around football season all across the country.
I hate shopping but I have to do it now so I better start liking it.
After snooping for awhile in front of the tool and automotive store I went and got my Sales Rep’s notebook and started jotting down prices and descriptions of the clearance items so I could go home and do some research on Terapeak.
I must have spent almost an hour at this one location and filled two pages of notes.
I went inside and talked with the Store Manager and let him know I might be able to help him move some of his overstocked items and to keep me in mind when he gets stuck. I also asked if it would be OK if I came inside the store once and awhile with my notebook to mark down some product prices and descriptions so I could check them out on eBay. He said no problem and wished me well.
We talked quite a bit. When I gave him my business card I told him I was buying and selling on eBay. He had no problem with that and asked me quite a few questions about how I was doing.
In total I went to 5 stores and talked with 3 Store Managers. At each store I shopped extensively and jotted down prices and product descriptions for research on Terapeak. Each store I went too gave me new ideas and a new way of looking at what I’m doing.
Another first in “my ebay adventure”.
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