It's Time To Start Planning Your Cold Weather Sales Strategy

With grilling season in full swing, the nipping winds and frigid temperatures of winter seem far off. But as any 12-year-old enjoying his/her all-too-brief summer break will attest, these hot months will fly by. Soon customers will stop automatically stepping out to the back patio to grill dinner and their attention will turn to indoor comfort food found simmering on the stove.

Which is why now is the ideal time to get a jump on the game and start planning your cold weather sales strategy. Even in regions that receive the worst of winter's wrath, grilling has become a year-round passion. For peo-ple who do cover and store their grill when cold weather approaches, a friendly class or reminder that grilling know-how knows no seasonal bounds can bring them to your website or through your door, eager to soak up the knowledge you have to share.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Push products you can “set and forget.”

From oil-less turkey fryers to smokers and roasters, the best way to enjoy savory grilled foods is when all you have to do is lift the lid for a quick check every few hours. Have a marketing plan in place for getting these products in front of consumers before cold weather hits. Many of these products are outside the comfort zone for a majority of grillers, so offer hands-on instructional classes or a “10 Fun Foods To Cook On a Fryer” downloadable pdf.

Hold In-Store Classes.

The goal is always to get customers in the door, so why not use classes to invite them in? Schedule a series of grill-cleaning and maintenance workshops. Hold a master grilling class focused on one of the “set and forget” product lines you're pushing. Ask a local celebrity chef to step in and demonstrate how to put a glaze on a turkey before putting it in a deep fryer, then have a bird ready to pull out of another fryer to feed to the crowd.

Create (or Curate) Comfort Food Recipes.

There's a reason people who don't even cook pore over cookbooks. Reading about food is an indulgence for the senses. Take advantage of the fact that October to February, customers are craving hearty, warm food. Serve it up to them with great new winter grilling recipes via newsletters and social media. Offer monthly in-store demonstrations of the recipes to tie it all together.

Plan Your Holiday Marketing Now.

The month before Christmas, everyone will be talking about how to grill a turkey. Since you're preparing early, you've got time to find some truly innovative holiday flavors. Bring in products such as flavored wood chips and make sure the recipes rely on an assortment of products such as digital meat thermometers, smoker boxes, two-zone cooking and more.

Encourage Customers To Plan Early.

Do for your customers what I just did for you. This July column is about cold weather planning. Turn the tables and during November and December, send out notices to customers encouraging them to start thinking about a grill for dad for Father's Day. Tie the messaging into an in-store class about “Selecting the Right Grill for Dad” or “What Your Husband (or Wife) Wishes You Knew About Grills.”

Stay Active On Social Media.

When temperatures go down, customers are more likely to browse online than they are to walk through your door. Make sure they find their way to your online store. Start now and branch out into one area of social media that's new to you. Start a Pinterest board. Get on Twitter. Find an employee who likes to write (and is good at it), and fire up a blog. Plan a contest or campaign you can run on Facebook. Not sure how? Contact a local marketing agency or – heck – ask one of your kids for help.

Marketing, as we know, is so often a numbers game. How many eyes are on your product and how many times your message is repeated (so that it sinks in) are key to moving people through the sales funnel toward purchase. Start your cold weather sales planning now and you might just be surprised at how easy it is to keep sales steady, even when temperatures plummet.

Keep Grilling,
Rob