Buyer’s Remorse

We’re in Las Vegas this week taking what I think is a well deservedNew Shoes vacation. The casinos were getting the better of us, so what better place to go shopping than in Vegas. I had no plans to post an article this week but thought some of you may enjoy this story.

Please note this article was written as a daily journal entry while I was sitting on a bench in an Outlet Mall watching people as my wife shopped. I’m a better watcher than shopper.

We are at the Outlet Mall and I’m setting on a bench watching people while Anita shops. This is back to school week so not many kids running around but the mall still seems busy. It appears that 40% to 60% off is common in most stores today. This may be the normal discount for an outlet mall but sales seem brisk.

I don’t know what the Timberland store sells but a lot of their sacks are being carried through the mall. This reminds me of my Aunt who likes to go around with her Neiman Marcus sack so everyone knows she has shopped there. Maybe a Timberland sack has some sort of status associated with it that I don’t know about.

So, I just bought a pair of shoes that I really didn’t need but the price was right. The funny thing I wondered how the store could or would sell a pair of shoes so cheap. I bought the shoes for 75% off and feel I got a great deal.

If I had bought the shoes last week for 40% off I probably would feel the same way (what a deal). But if I come back tomorrow and the shoes are 90% off I may not think it was so great.

As I continue to wait, I’m thinking if I had really thought before buying the shoes and got more information, I might have realized the reason for the heavy discount was because no one liked these shoes. Hell, I’m not sure I like the shoes either but what a great price.

So, 75% off for a pair of shoes that nobody wants is probably not a great but a fair price for today.

Do you sense a little buyer’s remorse sneaking in?

As I still continue to wait, I think if this is only a fair price for a pair of shoes that nobody wants and I really don’t like maybe I should just take them back.

Nope, no can do! I just remembered the sign in the window said “All Sales Final” “NO RETURNS”.

What a Sale?

Maybe, I need to run down and get one of those Timberland sacks to carry my 75% off pair of shoes, which I don’t really like and nobody else wants back to the hotel in.

I wouldn’t want anyone to think I was cheap.

I would like to like to have a good moral to this story or some great insight to how they used their sales and marketing skills to get me to buy these shoes. But I think it is as simple as:

If you have something on your shelves that nobody wants just mark it down enough and someone (me) will come along and buy it. I should have known better.

You never know the thoughts that pop into your mind as you sit in a crowed outlet mall watching shoppers while on vacation!

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you would like, please leave a comment below or you can email me at feedback@wewaonthenet.com.

You can also follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WE_Ward.

Next week back to work!

Now let’s get out there and over-deliver!

September Tip of the Month – Google Alerts

In last month’s tip, I discussed using Google Search to help learn more about your customers.Sales Tips

This month, I would like to help you automate the search process once you have identified industries and customers you are interested in following.

Google Alerts

Google Alerts is an application that will email you when Google finds results that match your search terms in the future.

From the Google Alerts web page, people use alerts to:

  • find out what is being said about their company or product
  • monitor developing news
  • keep up with a competitor or industry
  • find our what’s being said about themselves

So to get started, go to Google Alerts and enter the term or phrase you want to monitor in the search query. The more specific you can be the better. You may need to experiment with the search terms to get the results you are wanting.

Once the alert or alerts are set up you will receive an email when Google finds results from your query.

I would suggest setting up queries for customers and industries you are directly involved with.

You may want to include a search with your company name.

You should also setup a search with “your” name so you will know if you are mentioned in any web articles or in the social media such as Facebook and Twitter.

There have been some discussions that Google may be discontinuing Google Alerts in the future but for now it still works.

Thank you for taking time to read this post. If you would like, please leave a comment below or you can email me at feedback@wewaonthenet.com.

You can also follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WE_Ward.

Now let’s get out there and over-deliver!