Enjoy Visiting Garage Sales

One of my all-time favorite ways to spend a Saturday morning is to visit garage sales, probably because I have so many great memories of going to garage sales with my mother and my grandmother. I remember waking up early and eating my breakfast as quickly as I could so that we could get out and explore the many garage sales that were held around our town during the spring and summer.

Now that I have become an interior designer, I love visiting garage sales even more. I know, it might sound like a strange place to pick up items for customers, but I have found some of the best and most unique pieces for many of my homes at garage sales. The things that some people find useless are a treasure to others.

If you are about to head out to garage sales, it is a great idea to make a list of the items you are looking for before you head out to shop. Having a list will help you to focus your searching and will make for a more enjoyable time. It is too easy to wind up with a car full of things you do not need after a day of going to garage sales. So prepare ahead and come up with the few things that you need and even think about a budget for those items.

Another great thing about heading out for garage sales is that you can do it with friends. I love spending a Saturday morning with my closest friends and their daughters. We grab muffins and coffee and then enjoy an entire day of garage sales together. So gather other friends that want to purchase great things for their homes and go! The wonders of garage sales await you.

If you are feeling like you have a little too much clutter in your own home, consider putting on a garage sale. There is no better way to simplify your life than to get rid of unnecessary stuff. Once a year I make every member of my family go through all of their belongings to see what they do and do not need. We then throw a weekend long garage sale to sell our items. My children are in the habit of living simply and having yearly garage sales has been a great way for us to work together on something as a family and to bond together.

So whether you are headed out to purchase new things at garage sales or if you are ready to throw one of your own, be encouraged that garage sales are great. They are one of the best ways to reuse great things.

10 Low-Cost Sales Boosters You Don't Want To Overlook

You don't have to spend a fortune to boost your sales! Take a look at these 10 quick and easy ways to send your profits to the moon without digging into you advertising budget.

1. Test and Evaluate
Have you ever wondered just how much of your advertising budget should go toward experimenting with the latest marketing strategies? Marketing gurus say... spend 20 percent looking for new and improved marketing methods, while the remaining 80 percent uses the "tried and true" marketing strategies to keep the profits flowing.

2. Capture Attention on your Website
Use headlines that leap out and grab the reader's attention to moment they open your Web page. Hey, they're just like you... if their attention isn't caught immediately, they 're ready to surf on the more exciting things!

3. Use the Best-Kept Marketing Secret - Postcards
Postcards are quick and easy to read, not to mention the fact that you can shave off a great deal of wasted advertising expenses by targeting your market. Hey, they're cheap and convenient for you, and they get read more than other types of advertising materials... a winner all the way around!

4. Let Customers Sell You
Some things sound better coming from someone else. Yes, it's hard to brag your business up as effectively as a satisfied customer. Testimonials are evidence that you deliver what you promise. Paste them across ads, your Website, and any other sales copy you happen to distribute.

5. Just Ask
Great salesmen take the time to listen to the questions the customer has, identify their wants and needs, then ask for the sale. That's right, they're not afraid to just ask them to buy! Sometimes customers just need that little bit of pressure to cement the deal.

6. Raise the Value
Sometime value is only in they eyes of the beholder. You can raise the perceived value of your products by pointing out benefits that consumers may have overlooked. While you're at it, raise the price. Yeah, we all know that more valuable items have higher price tags! Don't be surprised if your profits skyrocket.

7. Make it Easy to Decide
Have you ever had a hard time deciding what to buy? Uh-huh, you don't always come to a conclusion immediately. Every time a customer walks out of the store without making a decision, you take a big chance on losing the sale. Keep the options to a minimum to maximize the sales numbers.

8. Break it Down
Got a big ticket item? Break the price into bite sizes for more appeal. Yeah, 90 cents a day sounds much cheaper than $325!

9. Create Bonuses
An unexpected bonus with a purchase makes it seem like you got a lot more for your money. Keep customers smiling when they walk away from the cash register, and they'll keep coming back for more.

10. Handle Customer Complaints With a Little TLC
Don't waste time getting to the bottom of the problem. Customers want to feel they are being heard, or they wouldn't take the time to complain to you. Are you afraid that you'll be losing profit, if you have to bend too far backwards to accommodate them? Think of it this way... an unhappy customer you turn into a happy customer will become a loyal customer. Yeah, it'll pay in the long run.