(First published by The Swim Journal, July 1992) HOW TO GET FULL TICKET By Edwin Richard Rigsbee Perplexes many a retailer is "How to get full ticket for swimwear year-round?" This is especially a challenge for those of you who live with catagory busters like Ross, Marshalls and TJ Max in your community. Then there's the Targets and Wal-Marts who just give their swimwear away as lost leaders to get the customers in the door. Remember, these retailers are downscale marketers. You cannot beat them on price! Don't even! You can get your profitable piece of the pie through another method. POSITIONING FOR SUCCESS Now that we have the obvious but too often overlooked out on the table, we can do something constructive. To get full ticket, you must be perceived as swimwear experts, even better, as swimwear consultants. Your customers will pay you to solve their problems, something the discounters cannot do for them. The key is in understanding the real need. If the real need is a bit of cloth to cover her private parts, Ms. Customer can purchase this just about anywhere. What is generally the real need? Ask yourself this question of your customers. I'll bet your answer is something like this: "To flatter the body with a fashionable garment, resulting in increased self-esteem and/or attention." Now I ask you, who can do this better than you? If you answer with anything other than "NOBODY," I suggest you look into career counseling. STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS UNIQUENESS OF SWIMWEAR: Please don't expect to get full ticket if you offer the "same ol' same ol'." When you offer what every other shop in town offers, you become like a commodity. Acommodity like rice, flower, toothpaste and the like. For commodities, people go to the Price Clubs and other warehouse discounters because price is the only need. Read publications like the one you're now reading, work the trade shows and watch the foreign trends. Do this to ferret out the new and exciting suppliers. KNOW YOUR COMPETITION: This is a given in business and yet is worth repeating. How in the world can you offer unique swimwear unless you know every piece in every shop in town. Yes, sometimes there will be duplication with other shops, but make it by design and not chance. SERVICE: This is a well-worn horse to ride, but ride it well. So much of what I see today passed off as service is nothing more than "Table Stakes," the minimum to just be in the game. Be sure you are "in service" to your customer the minute they walk in the door. They have earned the right to your respect simply by the act of walking in your front door! BE A SWIMWEAR CONSULTANT: This, as I mentioned earlier is the key. See yourself as a problem solver and a need fulfiller. Ask plenty of questions and listen to the customers concerns - they'll tell you how to sell them what they need. Create the perception that you are the definitive swimwear expert in your community. Do this through regular public presentations and articles in local publications. Educate your customers in flattering cuts, patterns, fabrics and colors. You might be saying to yourself, "I've done that then, they went somewhere else and bought something similar for less." Well, you might not be great at selling, especially in confirming the sale. Another way to overcome what is called "The Hooker Syndrome value is diminished after service is rendered," is to charge a consultation fee. The public seems to want advice for nothing. Have you ever asked a doctor a medical question or a lawyer a legal question at a party ? Then found yourself upset because they just offered a brief answer? As a business consultant, I face this problem daily. Frequent, I get calls like "Just a quick question" or "I'd like to pick your brain." This is intellectual theft if I or you allow it to take place. In suggesting you charge a fee, it's simply a ploy to encourage your customer to buy from "The Expert" after having been educated. Explain to customers your fee (maybe $25), which will be deducted from the purchase price along with what service you will provide for this fee. I explain to clients that this is how I earn my living and draw a parallel to my audio and video learning systems. Politely and with conviction, you might say, "You wouldn't expect me to give you these products without charge, would you?" When they say, "Well, no I wouldn't." Tell them that your intellectual product, consulting, is no different. Take my method and adapt it to your situation and you'll find yourself selling much more at full ticket. PREMIUM OFFERS: In PARTNERSHIP SELLING I suggested the premium offer close as a preferred closing technique. Try it this way. Contact your current suppliers and ask about closeouts. If you buy right, you can offer a special selection second suit at 50% or even 75% off list- price when purchasing the first suit at full-list. You should make a small profit from the closeouts. Do this as store policy and advertise or play "let's make a deal." You could instead, use your older stock as the premium offer goods and eliminate the need to go on sale. Be prepared though to use closeouts for size and style fulfillment. The ideas I've shared with you in this article might not completely eliminate the need for off- price selling. I do guarantee though, if you act on all of the suggestions, you'll substantially decrease the need for discounting. Remember this, if you want full list-price, you must not become down-scale marketer. Stop thinking blue light specials and start thinking service/value. ########################### Edwin Richard Rigsbee is the author of The Art of Partnering, published by Kendall/Hunt Publishing (800) 228-0810. Rigsbee is President and Founder of Rigsbee Enterprises, Inc. (REI) located in Westlake Village, CA. REI is a strategic management and marketing consulting firm specializing problem detection and solutions, customized training programs, and keynote presentations. Rigsbee can be reached by Tel: (805) 371-4636/0(700) RIGSBEE, Fax: (805) 371-4631, Mail: P.O. Box 6425-PC, Westlake Village, CA 91359, or Email: EdRigsbee@aol.com and 102151,61@compuserve.com. You may visit Rigsbee's internet web site at: http://speakers.com/rigsbee.html.