In order to get people to frequent your store or your shop, you may want to have a drawing. Make sure it is a nice drawing.

One thing that we did is we put together a beautiful, beautiful autumn basket. This was during one of our slow seasons and we wanted to generate a little bit of interest in the shop and get more people into the store. We put together a gorgeous autumn basket with a number of products from our shop. We had a fall scented candle, a pumpkin scone mix, a spiced tea mix mixed in with a few other very nice products. To decorate it we got a couple of bright golden sunflowers with a few other orange and orange-red flowers that went with it.

We put the basket together, arranging it so that it looked very appealing. Once everything was in place, we put a nice shrink-wrap cover on it and completed it with a beautiful raffia bow. It was a truly lovely presentation, and everyone who walked by the shop was drawn in because of the sign next to the basket that said, “Free Drawing”. We got a few folks who had never come in before signing up for the drawing and then looking around in surprise saying, “I never knew you were here!”

The difference between this drawing and most other drawings is that we expanded our drawing ticket. We had people sign up for the drawing for the basket. You can have a drawing for whatever it is that you sell. We asked for more information than just their name and phone number.

We wanted to know why people wanted to win the basket, so we asked them what they would do with the basket if they were to win it. This would have no bearing on whether or not they won the basket. It just told us what items inside the basket that they were most interested in.

You could put together a drawing of a bunch of seasonal products that you have in your store, and then try to discover what it is in that drawing that people really want. Why would they like to win that basket. Some people will give the typical response, “I never win anything, so it would be nice to win for once.” But you are going to have a few people who respond by saying, “I saw this Product in the basket and I’d really like to try it.”

This goes along with my premise that you must get to know your customer. Use this opportunity to get a new customer’s name and phone number/email address, but also find out what they are interested in. Use a little bit bigger piece of paper and just ask a question. People don’t have to answer it. But, if you ask the question, a lot of times people will surprise you and give you more information than you ever expected.

Sometimes all you have to do is ask for it.

Then based on that information, garnered from all the entries, you need to create an opportunity for everyone to win. Obviously, only one person is going to win that basket, and when you call them up and say “You’ve won the basket,” that one person is going to be thrilled. But what if you have another 50, 100, or 200 more entries. You can throw those entries away.

However, instead of throwing away gold. Call them up and let them know that they won something. You call them up, or you email them and say, “I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that you didn’t win the basket. However, the good news is that I have a 40% coupon off that scone mix you wanted to try, but it is only good for the next ten days.”

Give them a coupon or a discount on whatever product that particular client/customer indicated they were interested in! They may have wanted to try it for free, but if you give them a 30% or 40% discount on one product, they may come in and order it. This might take a little bit of work, but believe me, it will pay off!

This next step is key!

Make it for a limited time only!

You have to give them whatever incentive that works for your business, but make sure you create a sense of urgency. The thing about drawings like this, the thing about making sure they win and that you actually get some benefit from it is that you give them a reason to come in and you make it as soon as possible. We’re all busy, busy people and unless something is right there in front of us with that sense of immediacy, we’re going to forget about it. Suddenly it’s not going to be as important tomorrow as it was today and you’re going to lose out.

So, when you do a drawing so that everybody wins, just make sure that you give it a sense of immediacy. But, also give it a sense of the feeling that you’re talking one-on-one with that customer, which you really can be.

When you give everyone the opportunity to win, then everybody wins.

K Birmingham