New Service from winonhold!

Do you have a showroom? You may want to check out our newest service at the Vendor Showcase next month.

COMMERCIAL SCENT MARKETING SERVICE

You already know the way your store smells has a huge impact on the way customers feel about your business. You may even be doing something intentional already to make sure it smells good in your showroom. But the question is: are you using the best, most efficient commercial scenting system?

Our All-Inclusive Commercial Scent Marketing Service allows you to keep your showroom smelling great all the time, and we make it super easy.

Why? Because smell matters.

In fact, 75% of emotions are generated by smell. With all the other senses, you think before you respond but with scent your brain responds before you think.

That means your customers form immediate opinions and emotional responses based on smell, and we know that when it comes to selling kitchen and bath products, a lot of the time it comes down to how people feel about the space you are going to help them create.

So, if you aren’t yet intentionally doing something to control the way your showroom smells – you should. It makes a huge impact.

If you have already put some effort into scenting your space, let us do it for you! It’s the best way, and if you don’t believe me – I want to show you.

I will ship the whole system to you to try absolutely free. I wont even ask for payment information or an agreement - or anything - until you decide you want me to do it.

It is risky but I’ll take the risk because I know you will love it.

So, how’s it work?

Our commercial scenting system is based on an all-inclusive model. We provide a cold diffusion system designed for commercial use. We program this to work on your schedule so you or other employees don’t have to worry about turning it on or off. It will come on a few minutes before you open so the place smells great from the minute your customers start walking through the door.

Then, we monitor it and send refills automatically, so you don’t have think about it, you never run out, and it always smells amazing.

We also provide continuous support just in case anything ever happens.

I would love to send you a system to try out FREE. It will help you not only elevate your showroom but also make your job easier.

Stop by our booth at the vendor showcase if you’re interested. Or, if you know you’d like to try it out, reach out to me now and I’ll get the system out to you to try out FREE in your store.

Some parting thoughts:

“Sensory Marketing Institute carried out a research on customer behavior in New York. The research showed that the time customers spent in stores increased by 25-40% after adding a citrus scent.”

“Smell and Taste Institute carried out a research from Nike stores: according to this study, 84% of customers were more likely to buy sneakers in a scented store. They were even willing to pay 10€ more for the same pair of shoes”

“International Journal of Marketing Studies survey of 400 customers after shopping in a Nike store reported that a “pleasant ambient scent” improved their opinion not only of the store and its products, but the chances they would shop there again.”

“a German study reported that when the smell of newly mown grass was diffused throughout different areas of a large home improvement store, shoppers were drawn to the scented areas and considered employees more knowledgeable than those working in the store’s unscented sectors.”

“According to a study from the International Journal of Marketing: the amount of money spent in Gaming Houses increased 45% when they added scent to their stores.”

“74% of consumers are drawn into a store because of smell”

“With all other senses, you think before you respond but with scent your brain responds before you think”

“Scent is our most primitive sense, It’s the closest thing to the emotional brain. It penetrates you. You love it, and you want to be part of it.” – Isabelle Ramsey-Brackstone

“Nothing is more memorable than a smell”

From the President’s Desk

It is hard to believe the Strategic Planning Meetings and Vendor Showcase is just around the corner in March!  

As a Preferred Vendor who’s been serving Winsupply for more than a quarter of a century, we could not be more excited about seeing old friends, and meeting new ones during the Vendor Showcase, and the one-on-one meetings.

Of course, we always really enjoy seeing so many of our Customers receive awards at the Annual Awards Gala!   I always leave that event truly inspired by the “American spirit of entrepreneurialism” as I see so many people who have been able to achieve the American Dream through the incredible business vehicle WinSupply has supplied!  

Whether you are a current customer (more than 419 of you!) or you’d like to become a customer during the Vendor Show, we hope you’ll stop by our booth (#360), enter our $CASH$ drawing, and let us know how we’re doing.

And this year, the first 250 customers – old or new -  who stop by will get a very sharp Winonhold Stainless Steel Tumbler,  and for perhaps the last time, we’re giving away up to $2000 Cash in $100 discounts to new signups!  Also,  we have a brand new Scent Marketing Service, which is designed to really help  you transform the environment in your showroom!  We’ll tell you how you can try it out in your showroom, (or at your counter), for FREE.

Finally,  as I’m preparing for the meeting, I just saw on the Show web-site this quote:  “ We want the golden rule (emphasis mine)  to reign as we work together in a spirit of business partnership . . .  “

You know . . .  honestly,  I couldn’t have said it better myself!  

I look forward to seeing YOU there!

Winonhold.com has a New Customer Service Manager – Stephen Borthwick.

Many of you have probably already met and spoken with me as I make the rounds to ensure your On Hold Messaging is the best it can be – if you haven’t heard from me yet, you may want to consider updating your messages! I’ll be happy to answer all your questions and have been hard at work keeping our turn-around time super fast (our average for 2019 was 8 hours precisely).

I have also been working to keep our script library fresh and reflective of your current stock of products and services. Here’s where I need your help the most – nobody knows your showroom, warehouse, or counter stocks like you do! I’d love the chance to write about a new vendor, so take a look at our script library! If you don’t see one of your vendors or product lines, use the Request Script function to let me know, and I’ll get right to work expanding our catalogue.

If you have any questions ahead of the Show this March, now is a great time to reach out and ask them! I’ll be happy to help you craft a fresh message or troubleshoot any issues you may be having. When was the last time you called your own phones to see what your customers experience? If it’s been a while, send me an email or give me a call and I’ll do it for you – and I can give some recommendations to improve your messaging and turn it into a better tool to move product out your door!

Read This if You Have a Showroom...

We've released a new product, and it smells amazing!

Scent marketing is now available at winonhold.com!

Chances are, you've been bitten by the scent marketing bug without even realizing it. Companies from myriad industries use the power of smell to get you to buy something or add to your experience so much so that you won't soon forget it.

Here are a few popular companies known using scent marketing to grow their business:

And now, you can put the power of scent marketing to work in your showroom, winonhold.com-style.

So how does it work? It gets pretty scientific.

Our brains have five senses. And with most forms of advertising and marketing we process what we are hearing or seeing with the interpretive part of our brain, such as with radio, on hold marketing, websites, print and television. But our sense of smell is not processed.

Our sense of smell is directly connected to our limbic system, which is the center for our emotions and memories.

You've probably experienced this. Try to imagine the last time you walked into a business and it didn’t smell good (or it smelled downright terrible). You probably squenched up your nose and in an instant you reacted with a negative thought or emotion. That horrible reaction was your first impression, and I’m sure you know the power of a first impression.

Plus, because your emotional and memory center are linked in your brain, that negative emotion and that first impression will continue to be associated with that place.

And that's why we've decided to start offering scent marketing to our suite of marketing services. We have the ability and the know-how to help you get the most from it. And, we believe it will help you grow your company.

By intentionally creating a positive experience in your showroom, we believe you can tap into the power of your customers' senses and creating a long-lasting impression that keeps them coming back, perhaps with their friends.

Plus, it's super inexpensive.

Right now, we want to offer you a seven-day demo to try it out for FREE. Just give us a call at 888.465.3661, or click the button below to get started.

The One Thing to Do Before You Make Your 2018 New Year's Resolution

Another year has almost gone, and now's the time when many of your clients or colleagues may be asking about your business resolutions for 2018.

But let's focus on the elephant in the room first: how'd you do on your resolutions for 2017?

 At the beginning of the year, we're focused and ready to do things better. But how often do we pause to think about those resolutions 365 days later?

 I'm usually guilty of this, but this year was different. I kept it simple: write 500,000 words and break ground on my own business blog.

 With fewer than 30 days to go in 2017, I reflected on my two small-but-sturdy goals, and realized why I achieved them both:

 I started with my end goals in mind, then built my strategy around them.

Just like my two resolutions for this year, your business goals don’t just happen by accident. Even if you think you’re doing logical things to progress toward your goals, you’ll never get there without a well-laid plan.

 Think about why you’re creating certain goals, what you’ll get from them, and all the little steps from start to the finish line that will lead you to the winner’s circle.

 For example, my goals were all about getting bylines and published content to build my writing portfolio. Ultimately, these goals will attract more clients for my writing business.

Some companies make marketing look stupid simple. It seems like everything they do chalks up another win. But there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes, a lot of research, experimentation, and trial and error we never have the benefit of seeing - and it all starts with strategy!

 Truthfully, this is often the hardest part of marketing, which is why many folks skip it altogether. If this sounds like you, this might be why some of your marketing has never given you a positive ROI.

 I’ll leave you with this: If you realized you still haven’t achieved this year’s “resolutions,” that’s okay. A new year is all about growth and learning things you didn’t know last year. It’s never too soon – or too late – to start.

 To Your Success.

Are you paying too much to place your callers on hold?

By Johnny Gailer

What's the true cost of waiting? 

I've often wondered what would happen if doctors were forced to pay customers for their time. I cannot count how many times I've shown up to an appointment on time or even a few minutes early only to be asked to take a seat in the waiting room and told they’ll call my name when the doctor is able to see me.  

Last time, I waited at a doctor's office for two hours beyond my scheduled appointment time and I daydreamed a bit about sending a bill for the time I spent waiting with hopes it might offset the huge bill I was surely going to receive after having my time wasted.  

Imagine, if you were able to bill your doctor for all the time you spent waiting. How much money would you receive? 

But after this thought I started thinking about how often people end up waiting when doing business with almost everyone.  

“More than 70% of business calls are placed on hold. ”

— AT&T

And you do pay for it. That same study shows that 60% of the callers placed on hold hang up. And 30% of those that hang up never call back. 

So as a business owner or marketer, you do pay for making your callers wait. Either by losing business, customers who decide to buy somewhere else, or by investing in something that will reduce the pain of making callers wait like an extra employee to answer the phones.

Or, you could invest in something much less expensive like On Hold Marketing Messages. 

A Study done by North American Telecom reports that

• Callers with silence on hold will abandon their calls in less than one minute.
• 90% hang up within forty seconds.
• Callers with silence on hold will stay on the line thirty seconds longer than with silence.
• Callers with information on hold will stay on the line for up to 3 minutes longer.  

Now I'm not suggesting using on hold messages as a crutch for bad service, but rather as an insurance policy for the occasion someone does have to wait. Except, unlike insurance, you'll probably cash in on it often, maybe even every day or every hour, and it's super inexpensive. Plus customers love it. 

“Over 85% of callers prefer on hold messages over silence.”

— Cellular Marketing Magazine 

Also, On Hold Messages, when used correctly, allow you to use the time your customers wait as a revenue stream.  

When you have a caller that waits on hold, you have a captive audience. So you can make sure to remind them about all the ways you can help him. Because callers at this stage in the customer journey are very susceptible to subtle sales messages 

“Providing Information on hold results in a 40% increase in retention of callers on hold . . . a 15% increase in inquiries . . . a 12% direct increase in requests for products and services mentioned on hold.”

— US West Communications Study 

Either way, you're going to pay for the time you make your customers wait on hold. The question is, Which is less expensive: a few lost customers, a new employee, missed sales opportunities, or On Hold Marketing?  

The answer, of course, is On Hold Marketing. It costs less than a cup of coffee a day.  

“1 in 5 respondents made a purchase or a decision based on information they heard. ”

— Telemarketing Magazine 

Not only is on hold marketing cheaper than the alternative, you get the added benefit of actually adding value to the time your callers wait by letting them know of other ways you need help, which could mean additional sales for you. 

A Brief Guide on How to Achieve Your On Hold Marketing Objectives

Infographic created by Johnny Gailer

Are You an Elephant or a Zebra?

Photo Credits Megan and Amit

A Business Lesson from the Animal Kingdom

By Alli Hill

An elephant and a zebra stand by side in the same field eating the same type of grass:  which one has more of a competitive advantage?

If you said "elephant," you probably didn't think outside the box much.  Sure, the elephant owns the obvious advantage over the zebra in terms of size, but the zebra clearly dominates the elephant on speed (elephants max out at 15 mph, while a zebra can reach 40 mph).

If every species could run the same speed, grow to the same height, or roar at the same volume, the food chain would look a lot different than it does.  Who would feast, and who would famish?

Size, speed, appearance, and loudness set the stage for survival:  the cheetah's speed and agility trumps the competition.  A gorilla can fend off potential competition through brute communication.  The zebra's stripes make it distinguishable from other animals, plus it can outrun some of its larger co-habitators.

But even though the elephant will never achieve the top speed of the zebra, nor will the zebra ever acquire the height and heft of the elephant, they each recognize their ace-in-the-hole and know how to play it.

So what trump cards does your business hold?

You might resemble the elephant, with the largest store in your area, the most employees to serve your customers, or the biggest product line in your market.  You might emulate the cheetah, who provides faster counter and delivery service than any other supplier in a 50-mile radius, guaranteed.  Or you might look like the zebra, who has done so well at branding no one could possible mistake your business for any other.

Identify what your business does well, and make sure you talk about it.   Remind your customers on-hold why they chose to do business with you, and why they should continue.  Build every ounce of your marketing around those competitive advantages, and communicate them in all your actions.

And don't forget to take a look at your weaknesses and see if you can turn them around to your advantage.  For example, don't look at putting customers on hold as bad-for-business.  Instead, utilize valuable hold time to talk about your business, your products, your services, and watch your customer relationships grow stronger.

Remember, it usually takes around 14 impressions to make an idea stick, so keep going, stay patient and remain consistent - word will travel.