DIVE Podcast – Episode 63 Notes

Episode Title: Making Promotions Work - Your Guide to Marketing Success

Host: Mike Hernandez

Episode Description: In this action-packed episode of Dive, host Mike Hernandez explores how convenience store sales associates can transform store promotions from simple discounts into powerful sales opportunities. Learn how your active engagement with marketing initiatives can double their effectiveness and discover practical strategies to help customers find value beyond just saving money.

Key Topics Covered:

• Understanding effective promotional strategies and timing
• Implementing displays and signage that capture customer attention
• Measuring the success of promotions beyond just sales numbers
• Optimizing promotions in real-time based on customer feedback
• Communicating promotional value that resonates with different customer needs

Episode Highlights:

• How Store 247 doubled morning sales through a simple cross-promotion of coffee and breakfast sandwiches
• The "eye-flow zones" technique that helped Store 185 triple promotional sales
• The importance of understanding different customer needs during different dayparts
• How properly executed promotions typically increase store traffic by 30% and transaction size by 25%
• The "15-minute check" method for maintaining promotional displays throughout the day

Actionable Takeaways:

1. Walk promotional displays at the start of your shift to ensure they're fully stocked and properly signed
2. Listen for customer feedback about promotions and share insights with teammates
3. Focus on offering solutions, not just savings, when discussing promotions with customers
4. Look for cross-merchandising opportunities that create "complete meal solutions"
5. Track which products sell fastest and at what times to better understand customer patterns

Associate Challenge Question: How would you create an effective cross-merchandising strategy for an energy drink promotion that isn't meeting sales targets despite prominent placement?

Listen to this episode to develop the skills that will help you maximize every promotional opportunity, increase your sales performance, and create better solutions for your customers.