12 EDUCATIONAL TIPS There are roughly 11 million households with RVs in the USA. That’s almost double of what the number was in 2021. Even the most seasoned road warrior can fall victim to some low-hanging branches, but new drivers are far more likely to misjudge the height of their roof. With so many new RVers on the road, it’s no surprise that the RV roof repair category is booming. Despite a decrease in RV sales, RV repair products are flying off of the shelves, and nothing is more appealing to new RV owners than a simple and easy fix. In roofing that means self-adhesive peel-and-stick repair products. Nowadays there are tons of options for peeland-stick solutions for RV repairs, and no matter which one you have in your shop, there are a few simple things that you can do to stand out to your customers. The first thing that you can do is making sure that you fill out the category. Giving customers some options can be a big factor in driving sales. In a pinch a customer may buy whatever you have available, but having exactly what they need will turn a purchase of necessity or an impulse buy into a repeat customer. Color matching is an important thing for RV repairs. Nobody wants a glaring obvious patch that shows up against the color of their camper. For a long time, RVs were almost universally white, so it was pretty simple to make sure your customers could get a matching repair product. But nowadays we’re seeing more and more tan roofs, or even more exotic colors like burgundy. Not to mention black for slide-outs. Now obviously you can’t predict every RV color on the road, but having RV roof repair tapes that match the most popular RV colors makes sense. If shelf space is limited, stocking a clear repair tape is a good alternative. Clear repair tapes typically offer similar weatherproofing and repair properties to other RV repair tapes, but because they’re clear they can match any color of RV roof, awning, cushions, or even skylights and windows. Clear tapes usually don’t come with as strong of a warranty as colored repair tapes, so they likely won’t be the only tape you stock, but they can be a versatile and valuable addition to your repair section. Another important way to fill out your repair tape section is with different product sizes. A small emergency repair can be done with a patch kit, or with a smaller 6 foot or 10foot roll. Longer rolls are available for bigger repairs, and certainly can be merchandised along with the shorter rolls, but don’t miss out on the opportunity to stick some larger rolls of repair tape in your service department. A 75 or 100-foot roll of selfadhesive roof patching will be invaluable to your techs, and charging by the foot for the repair tape that you use on patching up a customer’s camper will yield a higher margin than selling a full roll. Having high-quality products is a great way to bring in customers, but even the best products can gather dust on a shelf if nobody tells your customers about them. And you need to know what a product is and how it works to effectively sell it. You need to know what your customers are looking for and what’s important to them. With self-adhesive roof repair that could be as simple as color or size selection, but it could get a little bit more involved. Do they want a product with a firmer adhesive, something that won’t be as goopy when applied? Do they care if the adhesive is clear or whether it has a color to it that will be visible around the repair? A few conversations with your customers can be invaluable in helping you with your next purchasing decision. And If your distributor, vendor, or rep offers to provide a training session, take them up on it. No matter how dedicated you are, you can’t be an expert on every product in your store. Learning from people who have the time, energy, and interest in knowing everything there is to know about a product is a good way to give you a leg-up on your product knowledge. Your customers and your bottom-line will thank you. Having a knowledgeable sales team will go a long way in building customer trust, driving sales, and gaining repeat business. But your staff can’t be everywhere at once. That’s why it’s important to pay attention to presentation and to packaging. Neat shelves that are easy to access allow customers to find products on their own when you and your staff are unavailable. And attractive packaging, that tells a story and lets the customer know exactly what the product is used for, goes a long way to creating a sale when your store is busy and you can’t help everybody. Good packaging can act as a “silent salesperson” and tell your customers exactly what they need and why. Your presentation and the packaging can work hand-in-hand to draw the customer in to find what they’re looking for, and then to sell them on which product to buy. All before they even saw you or your staff. Nobody is perfect, you can’t be everywhere at once, and some days things can get a little bit crazy. Setting yourself up for success in this way can help to catch the missed sales that would otherwise have fallen through the cracks. There are a lot of RVers out there, which means a lot of potential business. But there’s also a lot of competition, which makes it important to differentiate yourself. Taking some of these simple steps can help make you stand out, bringing in new business and retaining established customers. Broadening your repair category to make sure that you have exactly what your customers need will help keep them coming back the next time. Making sure that you’re knowledgeable, both about what your customers need, and about the products that you’re selling them, will build trust so that they come back to you instead of trusting strangers on the internet. And keeping the presentation of your store easy to navigate will help make sales when you’re not available to help with every last thing. These tools, going the extra mile, will help you make sales and build trust with the customers. Avy Kaplan - Cofair Products, Inc Going the Extra Mile
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