Clint Maxwell, an Independent out of Texas, has found that sometimes a product sells better if it has been off the truck for a while. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder," he says.
An example is pry bars. Pry bars sold well when he first put them on the truck, then fizzled. After a two-week absence, some customers began asking for them.
Package deals also drive sales. Maxwell says it takes time to learn what tools to pair together as a package deal. The goal is to allow a customer to buy an item at a lower price by buying it as part of a package.
Sometimes he finds it helps not to put prices on packages. This causes a customer to ask about the price, which can lead to a sale, whether or not the tool in question gets purchased.
Maxwell uses Facebook to get the word out to customers about his promotions. He runs drawings for customers to win free tools periodically. He has found this a great way to market new tools. "The next thing you know, you're selling three or four (new tools) in a shop," he says.
During holidays, he carries a lot of toys for customers' kids. This past Christmas, remote control helicopters, tanks and stun guns were popular. Pink-colored gifts were popular on Valentine’s Day.
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