Hello again;
This week I received the good news that I had sold the MEC seven car bumper cars I had listed on my site. It was sold by a family entertainment center in Chester New York to another such company in Long Island, New york. And while all sales are satisfying to me personally, professionally, and financially; this one is especially sweet because it happened so quickly. From the time I added the ride to the site to the day of its removal from its previous home took only 17 days. The sale materialized so quickly that I didn’t even get the chance to include it in my weekly email newsletter. I received it on a thursday, added it to the site the afternoon, and shared it on my social media pages that night. I generally send out my weekly emails on Tuesday or Wednesday, and I have guaranteed my subscribers that I will never send out more than one email a week. So, on Monday I get a call from the buyer. He asked to speak with the owners to verify some of the details in the listing. I forwarded his contact details to the owner and they spoke the same day. They agreed for the buyer to come see the unit in person that week. The owner said that they had such a strong feeling about him that they asked me not to include it in my emails the following week. The buyer went and saw it in person, and he made a verbal agreement to pick it up on the 25th of February. He arrived as promised, the unit was removed and loaded; and by now may have already been reinstalled in its new home. Now, let’s look at two of the things that lead to such a quick sale for my client.
First, the buyer was in the market for a small to medium bumper cars that he could install in his f e c, family entertainment center. While I didn’t know this, he told me he had been researching the rides for a while and had been actively looking for a few weeks. So, I had a company wanting to sell a bumper cars and a gentleman wanting to buy one; but that wasn’t enough. In order for this to happen he had to see the ride. And that brings me to the value of social media specifically my online network.
Ever since I started with the website and maybe even before I had one I understood the value of networking. When my family still owned its small children’s carnival we went to fair association meetings and sometimes visited other show owners. Sometimes they would send us bookings they couldn’t handle. So, I knew that selling equipment would also call for as large a network as possible. And since I lacked the funds to travel I have been concentrating on social networking. I have joined several sites including Facebook, linked in, merchant circle, referral key, google plus, twitter, etc. I am always inviting new people to join me on these sites. I have targeted companies that operate carnivals, fun fairs, circuses, amusement parks, family entertainment centers, party rental fleets, zoos and aquariums, pumpkin patches and corn mazes, and food and game concessions. I have joined groups on the varying sites devoted to the amusement industry, and I comment on them frequently. And whenever I get a new listing, the first thing i do is create a post for these sites. It was from one such post in a group for f e c owners on linked in that the buyer saw the bumper cars were for sale. Now, I know all these networks take time. But when you have a limited budget like a lot of small business owners do when they are just starting out, social media is a God send. All it takes is effort. And I honestly believe every time I add a new connection on one of these sites that it could be the one that leads to the next big sale. Or better yet it could lead to me meeting that one person who will help me take my business to where I ultimately want it to go. Since I am pushing social media, I would encourage you to connect with me on any of these sites. I will put the links to my profile pages at the bottom of this post. I look forward to hearing from you. I’m always here to answer questions, encourage others, and of course continue to find new homes for amusement, concessions, and confection equipment. Feel free to call or email any time. I hope to hear from you soon. Thanks and take care out there, Max
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