1000 Business Lessons Every Businessman Must Know

Chapter 26 Promotion Decision: It is an important part of marketing activities (3)
As for these types of discount sales methods, it is difficult to say which one is more effective. Enterprises and operators can choose the best according to their own conditions.

210. The key to buy gift promotion lies in the choice of gifts
In the promotion, the choice of gifts has a lot of knowledge. It is not that a company chooses something from the market casually or as a matter of course, and then puts it together with the main company's products to become an ideal gift and promote the sales of the company's products. .Improper selection of gifts will only make the company waste money and effort in vain.

In the selection of gifts, some other details that need attention:

(1) The value and price of the gift cannot be higher than that of the main product;
(2) The size of the gift should be smaller than the main product as far as possible, so as not to overwhelm the host;
(3) Gifts should be individualized as much as possible, and be different from other companies’ gifts. Sometimes the same gifts as other companies can’t play a promotional role, but because consumers already have similar items at home, they won’t change the company’s products. purchase plan;

(4) Gifts also need to pay attention to quality. Some companies think that gifts are free gifts, so they use inferior products to fool consumers, and in the end they ruin their own brands.

There is a manufacturer that sells travel bags, and it comes with an umbrella as a gift. As a result, some users broke the umbrella ribs when they used it for the first time. At that time, it was raining heavily on the street, and they were in a mess. They swore they would never buy this company again. When a friend is planning to buy a travel bag, he sincerely warns him not to buy the product of this company.

To treat consumers as idiots is to harm others and oneself in the end; the value of gifts can be exaggerated moderately to increase the appeal to consumers, but it cannot be exaggerated infinitely so as to make consumers feel cheated.

According to the survey, the following factors play different roles in the process of affecting consumers' feelings about gifts and then affecting consumers' purchase of commodities.

How much consumers value 'promotional' giveaways

Practicality - 98.3%
Good quality - 71.8%
Attractive - 61.5%
Elegant and beautiful - 59.8%
Ease of use - 45.4%
Uniqueness - 43.7%
Durability - 28.2%
211. Weigh the pros and cons of cash return
Cash rebate, also known as cash rebate, means that after consumers purchase a certain amount of products from merchants or enterprises, they can conditionally or unconditionally get part or all of the purchase amount refunded by merchants or enterprises. The purpose of course is to stimulate consumers to shop more. Spend more.

This kind of promotion method is somewhat similar to discount promotion. From the perspective of effect, because this kind of promotion method is relatively new in the short term, it stimulates consumers strongly and the promotion effect is obvious. However, in the long run, because consumers want to enjoy the benefits of enterprises or businesses Cash rebates must meet certain conditions. Even if the conditions are met, most of the rebates do not occur at the time of consumer consumption. The procedures are relatively cumbersome and not as attractive as direct discount promotions, but the effect is stronger than rebate promotions.

Relatively speaking, the promotion method of cash rebate has less negative impact on the enterprise, because the rebate usually occurs after the consumer purchases the product, and it is not easy to form such a brand in the minds of consumers. A reliable impression has little impact on the corporate brand; secondly, the cost is low, and the wool comes from the sheep, relatively speaking, the cost is much lower than discount promotions and gift promotions; third, it is easy to control.

The downside is that promotional effects are poor, far less attractive to consumers than direct discounts. According to estimates, except for some large-scale and expensive commodities, if the cash rebate of the enterprise cannot reach more than 20% of the consumer's shopping amount, It is almost unattractive to consumers. For some low-value small commodities, companies even need to double the return to consumers to attract consumers. For these companies, the promotion method of cash back is not suitable. .

The cash back methods are:

(1) Cash back for the purchase of a single product;
(2) If you buy the same product multiple times or buy a certain amount of similar products, you can get cash back;

(3) If you purchase a series of products from the same manufacturer or purchase several products from the same manufacturer at the same time, you can get cash back if you reach a certain amount;

(4) Joint cash rebate, that is, several manufacturers join forces, and consumers must meet the conditions of these manufacturers at the same time before they can get cash rebate;
(5) Lucky cash return, such as lottery return;
(6) Combined multi-cash rebate, such as combining several cash rebate methods together;

(7) Hierarchical cash rebate, that is, as the purchase quantity increases, the cash rebate amount also increases.

212. How to send out voucher discounts

In voucher preferential marketing, a big problem encountered by enterprises or merchants is how to deliver coupons or vouchers?Through which channel to deliver?This question has left many companies scratching their heads.To sum up, there are several common channels for the distribution of preferential vouchers:
1. Direct delivery

Personnel delivery outside the Zhongguancun electronic market is a direct delivery.

2. Store delivery

This is the most commonly used by small businesses and small merchants, such as mailing, door-to-door delivery, retail store entrusted delivery, etc. Its advantage is that it can be delivered directly to the target consumer group, with a high arrival rate and reduced waste.

3. Distribution through the media
There are also several types of distribution through the media. One is to directly print the discount voucher on the newspaper and deliver it to consumers in the form of an advertisement. Consumers can cut it out and use it. Printed, sandwiched in the newspaper by the newspaper distribution unit or other means, and delivered to consumers together with the newspaper, its advantage is wide coverage, and the disadvantage is low efficiency and high cost.

4. Delivery together with the product

This method is more suitable for those products that consumers need to consume repeatedly, and it is conducive to cultivating consumers' loyalty to the brand. It can also be divided into two types, one is coupons that directly discount this product, and the other is coupons for Related products, such as discount coupons for different products of the same company, the latter method is also called cross-package discounts, which is very beneficial for companies to promote new products through old products.

Voucher discounts, this promotion method is especially suitable for attracting repeat customers, that is, they have already enjoyed your products or services, are satisfied with your products or services, and now have price discounts, of course they are more willing to come to your store for consumption , are more willing to use your product.

As for the extent of voucher discounts, it is generally believed that 10% to 30% is appropriate. If it is too low, it is not attractive, and if it is too high, it will be unacceptable for merchants.

213. Free experience should pay attention to the management of the process

Like gift promotions, the biggest difficulty with free experiences is the management of the process.Take samples for free experience, if not managed properly, it may sink in every link of the channel chain, the samples cannot reach the hands of consumers, and all the costs of the enterprise will be wasted.

1. Experiential marketing is best carried out when more than 50% of the product has been marketed

If it is carried out too early, consumers feel that this product or service is good after experience, but they can't find a place to buy this product or service, and their desire to consume will soon be dispelled. You know, consumers' desire is very easy. If it is carried out too late, and consumers are no longer interested in the product after it is fully rolled out, then the effort will be in vain.

2. Avoid disturbing consumers too much when delivering experience samples
When delivering samples at door-to-door, if the consumers are resting, it may make the consumers very unhappy, and naturally they will not leave a good impression on the products. The attitude of "force" consumers to experience their products is also likely to arouse consumers' resentment and should be avoided as much as possible.

3. The sample should be consistent with the product officially sold

It often happens that when the company is making samples, it is meticulous and meticulous, and it is full of materials, but when it comes to the official production of the product, it cuts corners and cuts corners and materials.Consumers are not enough fools. They will soon see these small actions by companies. If you fool consumers, consumers will fool you. At that time, it will be the companies that will suffer. Anyway, consumers can get nothing in experiential marketing. flower.

In addition, when distributing high-value experience samples, the possibility of consumers' competition should be fully considered, and sufficient samples should be prepared and well managed to avoid causing public security problems or causing physical or psychological harm to consumers.

214. Bundled sales are basically a stopgap measure
Bundling is a form of symbiotic marketing in which two or more brands or companies cooperate in a promotional process, thereby amplifying their influence.

Bundled sales are basically an expedient measure. If a company wants to be successful, it must rely on independent development. It is unrealistic to hope to sleep on other people's shoulders all day long.This method is especially suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises that are not strong but whose products can complement each other. For example, a company that produces potato chips and a company that produces beverages are bundled together.

There is a company in Urumqi that produces excellent chili sauce, but because it is not well-known, it is difficult to sell it. According to the characteristics of people in Xinjiang who like to eat roasted naan and spicy food, this company found a store that specializes in roasted naan and sold it in bundles. , and finally achieved relatively good results.

When a product hits the market, it basically depends on the price. If the two parties are bundled together, there will be a relatively large buffer in terms of price. It is very simple. If a family drops [-] cents, it will be [-] cents. , who is more attractive to consumers is self-evident.

215. Lucky draw promotion, use with caution

Sweepstakes promotion means that merchants use generous prizes to attract consumers and lure consumers to shop and consume.Because this kind of activity has the nature of gambling, it is strictly restricted by the state. The relevant policy stipulates that in this kind of activity, the highest prize or bonus should not exceed 5000 yuan each time.

The advantage of the lottery promotion method is that it is widely applicable and the promotion effect is good.

The downside is that the cost is relatively high, especially the cost of promotion and publicity, because if you don’t invest enough in promotion and publicity costs, the people who know it and the number of participants are few, and the lottery will not be able to be carried out. Can not achieve the desired effect of the business.Another difficulty is the choice of prizes. Because of the country's restrictions, the highest prize cannot exceed 5000 yuan each time. It is not easy to find prizes that are enough to tempt consumers within this limited range.In order to increase the attractiveness to consumers, some merchants choose some prizes that exceed the limit, and then hope that the winners can pay a part of the money when receiving the prize, and the merchants will pay a part of the money, so as to offset the highest national prize. Not to mention whether consumers are really interested in this method, it is very dangerous for merchants to play around the corner, and it is best to avoid it.

216. Let members really benefit

Membership club is a very good and efficient way of promotion, especially for enhancing customer loyalty to the brand, and has a special effect.

A key point for a member club to succeed is that the manager should first pay attention to the emotional communication with the members, and the business is second.Do not express utilitarian intentions too hastily, otherwise it will easily arouse the resentment of members.

In terms of business operations, the membership club should be able to enable members to get more benefits from consumption inside the club than outside the club, such as price discounts and convenient shopping.If there are some things that can only be bought in the club, but not outside the club, it can greatly increase the sense of achievement and pride of club members, and increase the centripetal force and cohesion of members to the club.For this reason, some savvy merchants will make some "special offerings" for the members of their clubs from time to time. These "special offerings" are only for club members and not sold externally. This is a very effective means.

Conversely, if members sell these "special offerings" to outsiders, they can obtain better prices, which is equivalent to obtaining additional value from merchants.Some merchants prohibit members from doing so, but it is completely unnecessary. This is a good opportunity to reflect the value of members and make members more loyal to their "organizations".

(End of this chapter)