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By Janis Jones
"Word of mouth" is the greatest form of advertising. Anyone and everyone
will tell you that. Yet the biggest advertising budget in the world can't
buy it. There are no rate cards or schedules. No advertising rep will call
on you. Despite those limitations, you and your little store can compete
with anybody in getting some great, positive word of mouth advertising to
work for you.
Simply do the unexpected . . .
 Pick up
extra city maps at the chamber of commerce or photocopy your area from the
phone book. When someone comes in for directions, give them a map marking
their route from your place to their destination. Likewise, when someone
calls with questions then asks if you have a number for the other place,
look it up for them. Find out which days your competitor's take consignments
and what their split is so when someone asks you can tell them. "My realtor
told me to call Wear it again, Sam. They know everything."
We've all found
money, a watch or other small valuables in a consignor's jacket or jeans
pockets. Drop her a postcard to see if she wants to come back in for it or
if she meant to consign it or if you may donate to a specific charity. It's
a shame but people are surprised by simple honesty.
Knock yourself
out finding the new address for a consignor who brought clothes in two years
ago and you haven't seen since. Sure you could just pocket the money. You
could set up your contract that if they don't come get their proceeds by a
certain date, it becomes your property. I call it "Captain May I-ing" people
out of their money. Or you could earn their enthusiastic, positive word of
mouth advertising with their new "found" money.
They'll tell that
story every time someone mentions consignment or second-hand or your
competitor. That $17 or so just bought you great word of mouth
advertising. I can tell you from experience that others will repeat the
story about a friend of a friend. It can take on urban legend proportion.
I think of the woman who had never consigned a single item with us. Two
years before her husband had brought us piles of her clothes when she had
decided to divorce him. She never knew what he had done with her clothing,
and we had no idea what he was up to. We dropped her a postcard: "We've
got some good news and some great news. We've missed you and we owe you
some money."
You should have been there when she came into the store to get her money.
People at her place of employment came in for weeks reciting the story as
well. Can't buy word of mouth advertising? By not pocketing her money, we
did. Right now we have $2,300 on the books for items sold in 1999 from
people we haven't seen since. Sure we could keep it. Instead we're sending
our good news/great news postcards out to the last known address inviting
them to come in or to call us with their current address. We'll send five
postcards a week to stretch it out. We like to savor our moments.
So you hit a
dead-end. She's changed her name AND moved. Type up a list with names,
consignment numbers, the year and how much you owe each one. Keep that in a
folder and one day someone will come in saying she consigned here years ago
and went off to college. "Yes, Mary, you're here on this list. We owed you
$56 from items consigned in 1994. Glad to have you back. I'll put that
credit on your new account."
A NARTS
member since 1993, Janis owns Wear it again, Sam, Inc. in Rapid City,
South Dakota. Janis is a frequent speaker at NARTS Annual Conferences
and a dedicated volunteer.
 
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