BOOK US

With over 25 years of frontline experience Tom Shay is America's leading small business management expert. He's a "Must Have" for your next event.

The article for May is "They went that a
way". It is a story about an often overlooked
aspect of customer service:

They went that a way

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We also want to remind you of a neat book
that you should consider reading in your continued
efforts to improve yourself and your business.
"Stop talking, start doing retail branding" by
John Torella. If you have already read this book,
take a look at the current list of suggestions on
our website.

Book Referral List

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Each month we share with you a promotional idea
that a successful merchant has shared with us.
Try a "Dutch Auction" to get ride of old merchandise.
Take the items you want to get rid of, clean
them up, and put a new full price sticker on
each of the items. Place all of the items on
a table in a prominent place in your business.

If you did this sale this month, the sign would
read something like this:

10% off all items on this table. Any merchandise
left on the table as of May 9 will be 20% off.
Any merchandise left on this table as of May 16
will be 30% and merchandise remaining as of May
23 will be 40% off.

This promotion can really clear out any old
merchandise you have.

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We also have a sales tip that will work for many
of the items you sell. When the sale has been
made, ask the customer, "Is one enough, or
would two be better?"

There are many items you sell that this subtle
suggestion/question will push the customer to
say, "I will take two".

When you have your next staff meeting, suggest
that everyone try this on as many of their
sales as applicable. You will likely see a
success rate of 10% to 15% and that represents
a lot of sales increases.

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Got a question? Click on the link and
send us your question or comment.

The upper left corner of this page has a link for subscribing to the newsletter.

If you want to call or fax us, here are our
numbers:

The phone is 727-823-7205
The fax is 727-898-3179

Thanks for your time. See you in June.

Tom Shay

 

PROFITS PLUS, FOUNDER OF...

 

©1998-2026 Profits Plus Solutions, Inc.
Tom Shay
PO Box 128
Dardanelle, AR 72834

(727)823-7205

SEPTEMBER 2026
Have the Small Business Advisories and News sent to your inbox. Subscribe HERE

Small Business

AdvisoriES


Our September advisory is titled, "What do you sell?" My favorite example of someone getting it wrong has an email that starts with, "Sallysellsinsurance@."

 

Yes, that may be the product that Sally sells, but what she is really selling is peace of mind in knowing that if something happens, you are not going to pay the entire cost of the loss.

 

This is but one example. Our September advisory - What do you sell?

Small Business

NewS

Top Story

Yes, selling does include translating features into benefits. But it does not stop there. What if the benefit is not relevant to the customer? Then, there might not be a sale. This is where advantage comes into consideration, and that is our top story of the month.

Article of the Month

When you think about a customer who makes a point to talk to you and your staff, have you ever thought about getting them to talk about your business with their friends? The September Article of the Month shares an idea.


Book of the Month

The Art of the Exit is our suggested book of the month. The author, Jackb Orosz, discusses ways of getting out of your business whether it is retiring or just time to move onto something else.

All this plus the Internet Tool for Your Business and a staff incentive idea for your business.

BOOK US

With over 25 years of frontline experience Tom Shay is America's leading Small Business Management Expert. He's a "Must Have" for your next event.

Small Business

Advisories

Our September advisory is titled, "What do you sell?" My favorite example of someone getting it wrong has an email that starts with, "Sallysellsinsurance@."

 

Yes, that may be the product that Sally sells, but what she is really selling is peace of mind in knowing that if something happens, you are not going to pay the entire cost of the loss.

 

This is but one example. Our September advisory - What do you sell?

Small Business

News

 

Top Story

Yes, selling does include translating features into benefits. But it does not stop there. What if the benefit is not relevant to the customer? Then, there might not be a sale. This is where advantage comes into consideration, and that is our top story of the month.


Article of the Month

When you think about a customer who makes a point to talk to you and your staff, have you ever thought about getting them to talk about your business with their friends? The September Article of the Month shares an idea.


Book of the Month

The Art of the Exit is our suggested book of the month. The author, Jackb Orosz, discusses ways of getting out of your business whether it is retiring or just time to move onto something else.

 

All this plus the Internet Tool for Your Business and a staff incentive idea for your business.