# What can i do to increase sales



## lawnmowertech37

What can i do to increase sales ? on the website


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## lone wolf

hire expert help and have your add come up under different searches and try to be ahead off everyone else cost money though.


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## John Paul Sanborn

I go to Bailey's because I can get the parts cheap and if the guy on the phone can't answer my questions, they will have a tech on the phone in minutes.


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## lone wolf

lawnmowertech37 said:


> looks like i will have to go cheaper than i already am



cheaper wont work for you you dont do the volume baileys does try to think of some service you can offer that would be in demand by the masses.


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## lone wolf

lone wolf said:


> cheaper wont work for you you dont do the volume baileys does try to think of some service you can offer that would be in demand by the masses.


do you have live people answering the phone to help?


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## lawnmowertech37

lone wolf said:


> do you have live people answering the phone to help?



i do the whole show by myself i package boxes i order parts i ship the parts i answer the phones i search for hard to find parts i do everything not to mention if i will ever get repair work only problem there is my location is in the country and not in town so people dont like driving 25 miles to get to me 

thats why the snapper dealer in town gets all the repair work 

outragious in labor prices but people rather go to him than drive 23 miles 

but just wait he will have competition once the bankrupcy is finalized 

and the other online stores will have competition also cause im going to pay the search engines so much each month to put me on top of the list 


i dont sell stens products i sell oem and oregon my oregon prices are lower than others cause i try to be nice to consumers

Chainsaw minor Tune Ups $ 15.00 flat rate Lawnmower push mowers $ 29.95 includes oil change and blade sharpening 

Riders $ 69.95 includes servicing the deck and make sure everything is operational order 

those are the prices i am going to post on my board when i move into a new building come february or march

i just got to get thru this slump im in currently to get the ball rolling


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## lone wolf

lawnmowertech37 said:


> i do the whole show by myself i package boxes i order parts i ship the parts i answer the phones i search for hard to find parts i do everything



bigger add more easy to find is the best way to make money they dont know your there is the prob


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## lawnmowertech37

lone wolf said:


> bigger add more easy to find is the best way to make money they dont know your there is the prob




8 orders since monday and under 200.00 for the whole week and half of that goes to the distributors 

so do you see what im worried about 
? which is causing my heart to skip beats


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## lone wolf

lawnmowertech37 said:


> i wonder how much baileys has done since monday i know i only have had
> 
> 8 orders since monday and under 200.00 for the whole week and half of that goes to the distributors
> 
> so do you see what im worried about
> ? which is causing my heart to skip beats



can you sell firewood the time is here for that you can ma ke enough money to pay the bills in winter .


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## lone wolf

lone wolf said:


> can you sell firewood the time is here for that you can ma ke enough money to pay the bills in winter .



as far as the heart goes lay off coffee chocolate fats salt do you sell saws


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## lawnmowertech37

lone wolf said:


> can you sell firewood the time is here for that you can ma ke enough money to pay the bills in winter .



i wish this past april would repeat itself


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## lawnmowertech37

lone wolf said:


> as far as the heart goes lay off coffee chocolate fats salt do you sell saws



all i have are parts saws currently i dont drink coffee


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## Biker Dude

The most glaring problem I can see with your site is that the parts are identified by part number instead of model fitment. People are lazy and most don't know the part number for the part they are looking for. They would rather do a generic search for "MS 290" than a part number search for a clutch drum. Admittedly I haven't seen your site lately but last time I was there looking through McCulloch parts there were very few references to what saw the part fit. A better search system on your site would do wonders, IMHO.


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## lone wolf

lawnmowertech37 said:


> all i have are parts saws currently i dont drink coffee



firewood no go for you it brings good money ill but ms 200t parts saws from you if you got any


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## swift4me

*my thoughts*

I've owned small retail businesses and struggled with the website deal as well.

Honestly, your website is not very interesting and takes alot of mental energy to get around. I know you have a wide variety of parts, but if you look at other websites, I think you'll see they are bolder, with bigger print and images and a bit easier to use. You have to KEEP people on your site.

As for selling, I always found that if you could get someone on the phone, your chances of actually SELLING SOMETHING were much higher if you could prove to them that you had the expertise AND the merchandise. People are less willing to wait for anything these days, and I'm guessing when somebody needs a part for a saw, the NEED it or at least think they can't wait. You could emphasise your toll free # and at least get them on the phone.

Your prices on work seem inexpensive to me, but I never lived in your part of the country. I know in California, your prices are less than half of what the average service shop would charge.

Good luck to you.

Pete


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## STIHLTHEDEERE

Quite spending your time whining on a.s. And go to work!!!


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## lawnmowertech37

swift4me said:


> I've owned small retail businesses and struggled with the website deal as well.
> 
> Honestly, your website is not very interesting and takes alot of mental energy to get around. I know you have a wide variety of parts, but if you look at other websites, I think you'll see they are bolder, with bigger print and images and a bit easier to use. You have to KEEP people on your site.
> 
> As for selling, I always found that if you could get someone on the phone, your chances of actually SELLING SOMETHING were much higher if you could prove to them that you had the expertise AND the merchandise. People are less willing to wait for anything these days, and I'm guessing when somebody needs a part for a saw, the NEED it or at least think they can't wait. You could emphasise your toll free # and at least get them on the phone.
> 
> Your prices on work seem inexpensive to me, but I never lived in your part of the country. I know in California, your prices are less than half of what the average service shop would charge.
> 
> Good luck to you.
> 
> Pete


i actually got a designer working on a new site theme and i kind of like what it will be looking like i will also have them make up the words i actually changed the font size to a little bigger font size to where its easier to read the main page but i cannot load the other site till i get this bankruptcy done cause the new url is a unique url easy to remember and plus search engines will love that url 

for keywords purposes 
unless someone out there is good at grammer i know im not lol


i think someone needs a time out
i was told not to pay people that have a attitude on here any mind and im not


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## spacemule

Open an ebay store.
Have someone proofread your advertisements for grammar--people like to see proper punctuation and spelling in advertisements. Grammar is a direct reflection on you.
No matter how you feel, display a positive and helpful attitude in any dealings with customers. Negativity, like poor grammar, gives an impression of incompetence, and in the least, it makes customers uncomfortable.
Set a goal that you will respond to any communication with customers within 24 hours. Check phone and email at least twice daily. Communicate with customers the status of their order. Notify them when you receive the order, and when you ship the order, which should be no later than 2 days after getting the order. Provide tracking information in this communication.

Except for the ebay store, these are the bare bones of good customer service, and should not be seen as optional.


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## jburlingham

Calvin,

I certainly hope that you pull out of this low point and do great, as far as improving your internet sales, and please take this as constructive criticism as that's what it is, 

1. Website is hard to search, you need a whole new layout. 
2. Make it clear on the site that you can do special order / hard to find etc.
3. Pictures sell.
4. Search engines are your friend in this
5. like others said find a gimmick you can offer, people respond to special services.

Probably the biggest thing Ive seen is that your webpage is hard to navigate.

Best to you,
Jeremy


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## lone wolf

I think the ebay site is going to help as much or more than anything really sounds well thought out ,good one spacemule


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## logging22

Is this a bad time to beg for rep???


Les:help:


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## spacemule

Here's a screen shot I took of your home page, and a quick rework I did in word. Which is easier and more friendly to read?

Feel free to use my suggestions:


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## lawnmowertech37

spacemule said:


> Here's a screen shot I took of your home page, and a quick rework I did in word. Which is easier and more friendly to read?
> 
> Feel free to use my suggestions:



i do see what you are saying now it looks crumbled question how did you do that box is there a certain tabs to use to create a table like that ? 

i need to know what pizels that was as far as width and height so i can create that table im actually editing the homepage to look like that hope it works and i have you to thank 
for it 

calvin


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## spacemule

lawnmowertech37 said:


> i do see what you are saying now it looks crumbled question how did you do that box is there a certain tabs to use to create a table like that ?
> 
> i need to know what pizels that was as far as width and height so i can create that table im actually editing the homepage to look like that hope it works and i have you to thank
> for it
> 
> calvin



Depends on what software you are using. That's word--not a webpage building software. About anything will have borders and different tables you can use--you just have to play with it. 

If you keep the words to a minimum, it makes it easier to read. Also, use color and borders to help separate the sections and emphasize the parts you want. 
Putting the "free shipping" part in red and making it a large font makes it one of the first things noticed, whereas being buried at the bottom of a page of uniform text will cause most people to miss it. 

You have to remember that a lot of people are looking at multiple sites and coming from a search page. They'll look for about 10 seconds at your page, and if it is not laid out well they'll move on. They're not going to take time to sort through the information--it has to be clear and readily available, with the main points emphasized. You're always in a competition for people's attention with advertising.


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## lawnmowertech37

spacemule said:


> Depends on what software you are using. That's word--not a webpage building software. About anything will have borders and different tables you can use--you just have to play with it.
> 
> If you keep the words to a minimum, it makes it easier to read. Also, use color and borders to help separate the sections and emphasize the parts you want.
> Putting the "free shipping" part in red and making it a large font makes it one of the first things noticed, whereas being buried at the bottom of a page of uniform text will cause most people to miss it.
> 
> You have to remember that a lot of people are looking at multiple sites and coming from a search page. They'll look for about 10 seconds at your page, and if it is not laid out well they'll move on. They're not going to take time to sort through the information--it has to be clear and readily available, with the main points emphasized. You're always in a competition for people's attention with advertising.



try it let me know if it needs any adjustment


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## jburlingham

spacemule said:


> Here's a screen shot I took of your home page, and a quick rework I did in word. Which is easier and more friendly to read?
> 
> Feel free to use my suggestions:



The rewrite is much easier to follow, space I think you missed your calling, should be a website designer!!

Calvin, also dont forget to do something to set the "let us find it for you" apart as well, I think that is one of the things that will grab people if they see it.


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## lawnmowertech37

i like playing with the program i use in the back end of the site be something someone was browsing that homepage and wadda changes right in front of them that would be something just added a extra eye catcher down at the bottom left you will see my secure site label which tells people that the site is secure website 

that alone may increase popularity 

i will give this a try i think its much easier to read actually i think the search engines will like it as well 

i made if you searching for hard to find part we have sources to try and locate the part call us for details i made that big bold red


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## jburlingham

A few minutes of playing on the computer and a huge improvement, this should defiantly make it more user friendly.


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## swift4me

*you got some good help*

I agree with the other posters. Forget about Bailey's. In my hunting and fishing stores, I'd go crazy thinking about Cabela's and the discount internet dealers, but you have to offer what they can't.

I'd say, let someone do your website for you. There are lots of unemployed people around who used to do that for a living. Spend your time doing what you are good at.

DEINITELY fix the syntax and grammar on your site.

As for your repair work, if you have customers in town that you know, but they don't want to drive out to you.... have sceduled days when you go to town and pick up stuff and deliver it at the end of the week. It is better than sitting in front of the computer waiting for orders. You can have your 800 number routed to your cellphone so you won't miss a call if you're on the road.

Just thinking.

Good luck.

Pete


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## lawnmowertech37

swift4me said:


> I agree with the other posters. Forget about Bailey's. In my hunting and fishing stores, I'd go crazy thinking about Cabela's and the discount internet dealers, but you have to offer what they can't.
> 
> I'd say, let someone do your website for you. There are lots of unemployed people around who used to do that for a living. Spend your time doing what you are good at.
> 
> DEINITELY fix the syntax and grammar on your site.
> 
> As for your repair work, if you have customers in town that you know, but they don't want to drive out to you.... have sceduled days when you go to town and pick up stuff and deliver it at the end of the week. It is better than sitting in front of the computer waiting for orders. You can have your 800 number routed to your cellphone so you won't miss a call if you're on the road.
> 
> Just thinking.
> 
> Good luck.
> 
> Pete



takes money to do this stuff and its just that i dont have right now just like it takes 60.00-100.00 to get my medicines i need for my blood pressure and heart condition and dont even have that right now cause no orders have came in in over a week 

what do i do ?


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## Buckettruckbabe

What kind of website traffic are you getting (unique visitors)? Hopefully you are reviewing your analytics and know what is driving people to your website. (keywords)

I'd recommend getting your company listed in industry specific directories. (free listings) Make sure they aren't link farms.

Also, list your business utilizing the multiple free online-classifieds that are available. Several allow you to post a link to your website. We've used this to get the word out in addition to some specific advertising. Our web traffic has tripled in a year. 

Make sure you are optimizing your website for the keywords that drive your traffic. 

Best of luck!


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## Walt41

Put a bid out on E-lance to redo your site, there are some real pros out there that work super cheap, Money goes in escrow and is not paid until you are satisfied. I have used them for two of my non-profits and they were outstanding and fast. That frees you up to work on answering the phone and shipping orders..


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## Buckettruckbabe

I should also add that Google is now taking cues from Local, Universal and personal search. It is also taking cues from social media, so fire up your Facebook Fan Page, get a Twitter account going, Utilize YouTube, Flickr and Linkedin.

Brand your company, drive traffic to your website and get listed.

Seriously (this is a good site to check if you have your website well positioned locally)

http://www.getlisted.org


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## treeoptimizer

Have you used Google's Merchant Center?

You can send your product feeds to them and customers can find you when they use the Google product search.

Here's some info to read on the topic:
http://googlemerchantblog.blogspot.com/

Just a thought.


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## fireemt799

Dont know how much work it would be to do this on your site but i would suggest putting on someway of selecting the saw or mower or whatever im looking for parts to and then let it show me what you have available that will fit that model i may only be looking for one part but if i see you got several things i could use available id be more inclined to order all of it at once just an idea


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## DangerTree

I`ll tell you what you don`t do. I bought 30 grand wort of tools from a dealership and parts etc. One day I needed a bolt for my Husky Zero turn mower and the cheap bast... sent me a bill for it. I no longer take my bidness there and I don`t recommended them. Cheap buggers! I hate being nickeled and dimed.


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## lxt

DangerTree said:


> I`ll tell you what you don`t do. I bought 30 grand wort of tools from a dealership and parts etc. One day I needed a bolt for my Husky Zero turn mower and the cheap bast... sent me a bill for it. I no longer take my bidness there and I don`t recommended them. Cheap buggers! I hate being nickeled and dimed.





I know....that is a kick in the twins, you spend thousands of dollars at a dealership, become an aquaintance & joke, laugh, have coffee, etc... then you need a $1 - $2 dollar bolt, nut, screw, etc... YOU`RE GONNA CHARGE ME???? I asked, could you just put that on my next purchase, prolly next week?........................Sorry!!! you gotta pay NOW!!!

I dealt with this dealership for years & in my busy season was in there 1-2 times a week!! NOW.......I dont give my biz to just one service, I spread it around & Ill let whoever know: I can get that at a better price at so n so`s!! SORRY!!!! boy they hate that!!

You`re in a rough biz my friend, My Father did that for years & he had the ins & outs of it, he was a foreman in a multi employer union....so he did work for all the major line companies.....he`d work the 8-4:30 shift come home n run the shop till 9pm or later..........he got out of it about 10 years ago, WHY? too many shops popping up, box stores selling name brands, etc.. your homelite, poulan, saw parts/sales is not gonna keep you!!!! 

most guys I know in your line of work have other jobs they do!!! only a dealership that caters to a wide assortment of things makes it full time here & barely at that!!!!!


LXT.................


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## bowtechmadman

Customer service is number one. My one attempt at purchasing a part from you a year or two ago went w/ out a response. Needless to say I don't give second chances at my hard earned money.
Buck up little camper and quite your sniveling, ya might just have to work for your dollars.


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## DangerTree

lxt said:


> I know....that is a kick in the twins, you spend thousands of dollars at a dealership, become an aquaintance & joke, laugh, have coffee, etc... then you need a $1 - $2 dollar bolt, nut, screw, etc... YOU`RE GONNA CHARGE ME???? I asked, could you just put that on my next purchase, prolly next week?........................Sorry!!! you gotta pay NOW!!!
> 
> I dealt with this dealership for years & in my busy season was in there 1-2 times a week!! NOW.......I dont give my biz to just one service, I spread it around & Ill let whoever know: I can get that at a better price at so n so`s!! SORRY!!!! boy they hate that!!
> 
> You`re in a rough biz my friend, My Father did that for years & he had the ins & outs of it, he was a foreman in a multi employer union....so he did work for all the major line companies.....he`d work the 8-4:30 shift come home n run the shop till 9pm or later..........he got out of it about 10 years ago, WHY? too many shops popping up, box stores selling name brands, etc.. your homelite, poulan, saw parts/sales is not gonna keep you!!!!
> 
> most guys I know in your line of work have other jobs they do!!! only a dealership that caters to a wide assortment of things makes it full time here & barely at that!!!!!
> 
> 
> LXT.................


Well the Zero turn is just to do my lawn now and no the bioch of it is they SENT me a bill for 3.50 bolt! it proly cost more to piss me off than it was worth.


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## DangerTree

http://www.arboristsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=158194&stc=1&d=1289928236
Back yard as stated previously


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## ttimpain

*What can i do to increase sales ?*

Marketing is the one Solution To Sales Something.It also Need to Provide Good Advertisement to a particular Item.When Your item will Advertise Then and Then Your's Item Will Be Sold.


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## MNBobcat

I was one of the early pioneers on the Internet. I also created a million dollar web business. You don't need to pay search engines. There are lots of ways to get free advertising, etc. 

Being successful on the Internet is more about thinking outside the box and getting creative. I didn't have the luxury of there being anyone who could tell me how to do things. I had to learn everything on my own and in many cases was the first person to have done some things on the Internet. I made a lot of mistakes, too. But that came with the territory. 

If you decide you want to have someone consult and give you a road map on what to do, as well as help you avoid mistakes and avoid spending money on things that won't benefit you -- let me know. Spending lots of money on search engines is a waste. There are better options.


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## MNBobcat

search24pc said:


> Can any one post a few more info regarding this.



Your spam reported.


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