Sales Tip: Bring on the merch

One way to make some noise in your market is merch.

I’ve been in the hand tool business since 1977 and absolutely nothing sells tools better than hats and t-shirts. I just checked and you can get ok quality logo’d shirts for less than $5.00 and hats about the same.

Giving away a $5.00 hat on a $200 sale will get you a lot more business than a 10 percent discount and cost you a lot less. A $200 sale at 40 percent gross margin sale will net you $80. Subtract the five dollars for the hat and it’s still $75 in your pocket. Compared to a $200 sale at a 10 percent discount, where the price goes down to $180 minus the $120 cost, and you end up with $60 in your pocket.