Wireless Accessories in 2010

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Now that we are so mature in the wireless industry when it comes to handsets, a major focus from manufacturers has included accessories.   Any dealer store out there (hopefully) understands the importance of accessories to our customers and how to increase our GP per transaction.  If we offer accessories to our customers each time we can increase our revenue and offer value.  Here are some tips to help you sell accessories in the new year :



1. Make sure you have QUALITY products.  Don't order the junk. This is a no-brainer.  A lot of retailers will purchase the cheapest units they can find.  Usually these fall in the $0.50 to $1.00 range.  The problem with these is they are usually JUNK.  When you sell your customers junk, they will not come back to buy more junk from you.  Purchase better quality and make sure the accessories have a good warranty.  OEM seems to be the best.  I have had a lot of people say "My margins are not good enough if I purchase the OEM accessories.  Lets do some math:   you buy a car charger for $1.00 and sell it for $19.99.  You make a gross profit of $18.99.  Now lets switch to my way..... you purchase an OEM car charger for $6.00 , but you sell it for $27.99.  $29.99 is the price you will see many corporately owned stores selling the staple accessories for.  Your Gross profit is $21.99.  Now thats only a $3 difference but how many of the cheap units do you have coming back?  If they bring it back, you make ZERO .How much better is the customer experience?  Don't always go the cheapest route.

2.  Throw in some new flavor.  There are always new "toys" for your phone coming out.  How about the touchstone that launched along-side the Pre?  Wireless charging is pretty cool and people will spend the money if you show them the product.  How about alternative charging ?  Duracell made a splash this year with their external charging solutions.  Another favorite company of mine , ZAGG, has a charging solution called ZAGGsparq that can charge multiple devices. Make sure you have some new accessories in stock and  get customer feedback.  CHRIS's ADVICE: What a great reason to perform a "call-back" to your customers.  Use feedback to determine ordering levels. Call-backs make sure that your customers are happy with their purchase and keep them coming back to you for advice.  You need to "own" the customer and this is a great way to keep in touch.  Make a call after 3 days to make sure your customers are doing well. Make another at 30 days after the customer receives their first bill.  No matter how much we explain, this is normally a shocker due to all of the pro-rations and activation fees.  Make sure they understand their bill).

3.  Order wisely.  Don't over order until you know the public response through testing.  If a new product comes out, dont order 100 of them for your store.  Usually you will be left with 90 of them in your inventory room at the end of the year.  Next thing you know you're selling them in a bargain bin. Accessories do not stay HOT for long...... phone models change quickly and trends change even quicker.

4.  Don't give it away every time.  I watched so many salespeople make the mistake..... Buy this phone today and I will throw in this car charger for free.  Now I'm not knocking this practice completely.  Instead of discounting a phone $20, its much less to spend $6 to show a $20 value.  What I am saying here is don't just give it away EVERY TIME.  We are all creatures of habit....don't make this an EVERY TIME thing.  I have seen reps use it EVERY SINGLE TIME to close a deal.  You don't need to do this every time.  Talk about value and benefits FIRST!  Theres a need for these add-ons since we are not selling "junk" anymore after reading this article....right?

5. Bluetooth is in, but have the right ones. Don't have 30 SKU's of Bluetooth.  You will always have about 5 that sell well.  Have 2 low-range ($30-$50), 2 mid-range ($50-75), and one solid high-end device ($75+).  Do you want some quick life here? Give a different Bluetooth to each of your sales reps and have them wear it while on the sales floor.   We can sell based on experience much better than what some power point said about the product.  Its s small investment that will pay off fast.

These are some basics that I promise will bring you an increase quickly.  If a sales rep does not mention the accessories that go with a handset EVERY SINGLE TIME(I don't care if someone comes in to pay a bill or ask about their voice mail), call them out on it.  Hit the issue right between the eyes and let them know your paying attention.  Just the simple task of asking "Would you like to see the accessories that go with your phone"? will increase your take rate.  Honestly thats even a lame way of bringing it up.  Try something like this " The new HTC hero works really well with the new Motorola   HX1 headset, my customers love it.  Lets take a look."  This is a non-obtrusive way of bringing accessories into their world at the point of sale.

Join the discussion and let us know some Accessory best practices you use in your stores......

CS