July Dealer Blog – Win the Print Game: Be inspired to make change happen during rental season – Part 1

Greetings!

I have to admit; I love print music! As a musician, performer, and teacher I still need a tangible piece of paper in front of me. I’m not saying I don’t use technology as part of my job, but that piece of paper, and yes, a pencil, is still very important to me. We all know the landscape of the print industry has drastically changed over the past 100 years and even more so in the past 15 years. The cool thing is that print is still very much an important tool for all of us to use. So, let’s help each other sell more of it!

I believe the best time of the year to sell is during rental season. Besides lessons, a successful rental season means an entire year of profitability for your business.

Here are some general items to keep in mind for print sales:

•     Have a goal! How many method books would you like to sell? How much Band Music do you want to market? Having a clear goal for your print sales during back to school will not only help you sell more but will also help you buy smarter.

•     Don’t keep those goals to yourself—share them with your team members! Every person on your staff plays an important role in your company. Create a culture of accountability for your staff by taking those overall goals and giving each employee a specific number to reach depending on how many hours they work.
•     Keep track of your goals throughout the season. Make changes where needed to adjust for things that may be out of your control; such as a lost program, change of method book, change of teacher, etc.

Increasing Print Music Sales During Rental Season

•    Rental Season takes practice. Work with your team throughout the summer on selling not only rentals but also the add-on sales items. During this training, work on verbiage and execution. Practice out loud and role-play as a team. Clear and confident communications will help you close a sale.
•     Never let a rental customer leave with only the rental! This core transaction during rental season is an easy way to upsell anywhere between $30-$75 of added merchandise.
•     Every rental that leaves the store should be accompanied with a method book. Polling the teachers before schools dismiss for the summer as to what method book they plan on using in the fall is a great start, but it doesn’t end there. Those choices will change over the summer and even into the first few weeks of school. Follow up with the teachers throughout the year for these changes. Keep a list by school/program at the register and train your staff to ask each parent getting a rental which school their child will be attending so they can also sell the preferred method book…and maybe some accessories too!
•     Ask families with more than one child that plays an instrument if they would be interested in any of the numerous duet books on the market. It’s more fun to play when you are playing with others.

Increasing Print Music Sales for Back to School 

•     Request to have a presence at your local school’s in-service day. This day is often overlooked and does require some time, but what better time of year is there to have all the music teachers in one room than fresh off summer break? It doesn’t have to be a full day either, contact your local music supervisor, introducing yourself as a local business, and inquire about setting up a small display on the mornings of these in-services. Offer to supply some coffee and breakfast items for the teachers during their meetings, a little extra effort can go a long way to endearing yourself and your business to a captive audience.
•     Back to school goodie bags for educators: personally, I love this idea and it always goes over great. Spend some time with your staff creating back to school goodie bags for all your educators to be delivered to each classroom the week before school starts. Teachers love it!

Here are some ideas for goodie bags:

o  Folders (if you can, have your store information imprinted on them)

o  Rental flyers for your store

o  Pencils, bracelets, erasers, coffee mugs (anything you could possibly put your store information on)

o  Something sweet and fun! Gum, Hershey Kisses, Starburst etc.

o  Partner with another local business and be inspired to help each other. Maybe it’s a coffee shop or local food establishment that would be willing to offer a teacher special on an item.

o  Information about the publishers you offer in your store. Inspire the teachers to shop locally and remind them about print offerings at your store.

o  A list of private teachers from your store. Include bios, pictures, and what they teach.

o  Calendar of events for your store. Host a teacher only evening once school is in session inviting directors to tour your store and meet the staff.

o  Don’t forget the Elementary school teachers…they need recorders, books, and supplies too!

I hope this gives you some things to think about as you prepare for the back to school season.