Dear Cathy,

I own a bicycle shop in a suburb of Orlando. How do I use the Internet to get more business? I am not permitted by my vendors to sell over the Internet.

Ralph Bicycles, USA

Dear Ralph,
Here are a few suggestions:

1. Use the net to reach out to past customers. Start collecting your customer's email addresses. Notify them of a sale or send a greeting for a birthday. Bicycles make great birthday presents.

2. Build a web site to show off new styles of bicycles in your store. Advertise your site on other larger local web sites such as the Orlando Sentinels or the network television sites. Use the Internet to advertise.

3. Get customer feedback. After you sell a bicycle and collect the email address of your customer, send them a link to an online questionnaire. Find out how their experience in your store was, if they are enjoying their bicycle, if they plan to buy another one in the near future.

4. Run a contest. Go to your local elementary school. Tell the PTA that you would like to raise money for new computers for the school. Put together a raffle, make it fun. Let the children and their parents go to your web page and answer trivia questions. Collect the students home addresses and email addresses. Donate the bike to the school (tax write off) and publicize the contest in the school newsletter.

5. Communicate with your vendors. Most companies are set up to take purchase orders over the Internet. This will save you time and needless paperwork if you find out if you can order your merchandise over the Internet.

6. Accessories! If people don't know about little do-dads that accessorize a bicycle these days, how will they know to buy them? Set up a form on your web site and a postcard in your store where your customers can sign up to receive a newsletter. Once per month to let your customers know what local bike rallies are happening and you can send them specials each month. You might even get your vendors to pay for an ad in the newsletter.

I hope that these suggestions give you some ideas!

This Month's Topics:
General Business
Advertising and Promotion
Selling Your Products
Education vs Experience
Web Site Development