CERN Financial Framework A brief Overview of the most common Items.
4 IDEAS TO MARKET THE MOST COMMON ITEMS IN YOUR … · 2020-02-28 · 4 IDEAS TO MARKET THE MOST...
1
INSPIRE SHOPPERS 168 Industry Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15275 • 412.809.0660 • [email protected] www.assetworks.com/surplus BE A ONE STOP SURPLUS SHOP GET SOCIAL GET ORGANIZED ABOUT CONSTRUCTION JUNCTION The Community Outreach Program at Construction Junction is run by Terry Wiles, pictured above. “Our store can certainly be a daunting experience, even if it’s not your first time. A lot of people might be content to just come in and have a look around. But we know other people may have something specific in mind. We try to make that experience work for everyone.” Zach Braden, MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST As exciting as it can be to shop in a surplus warehouse, sometimes it can feel difficult to navigate. To avoid overwhelming shoppers, be sure to organize items in your warehouse in a thoughtful way. Placing available items strategically may help to encourage a sale. At Construction Junction, the location of every item is carefully considered. Countertops are placed near kitchen cabinets, doors are organized by type, toilets are next to sinks, and all building materials (like lumber, trim, and sheet goods) are stored together. PROMOTING SURPLUS 4 IDEAS TO MARKET THE MOST COMMON ITEMS IN YOUR WAREHOUSE As a Surplus Manager, you’ve likely developed an eye for seeing the value in used property- from chairs and desks to computers, heavy equipment and more. The hard part is often encouraging potential buyers to adopt the same “Trash-to-Treasure” mentality. As a result, you may have a hard time selling certain items without resorting to price-dropping or lotting for auction sale. To relieve some of the stress involved in the promotion of common items that may be collecting dust in your own inventory, we paid a visit to Construction Junction, a surplus warehouse located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Construction Junction (CJ) is a 30,000 sq. ft. non-profit surplus construction materials warehouse, where you’ll find everything... including the kitchen sink. When it comes to reselling used items, CJ has a breadth of experience, and endless ideas and creative ways to inspire their buyers. Even better, they gave us permission to share some of their tips, tricks and ideas with you. We promise that we could never pick a favorite surplus warehouse, but we think you’re going to agree that Construction Junction is pretty cool! (1999-2017) Items come from donations from homeowners, contractors, and businesses. Easy-to-manage items are dropped off, while free pick-up is offered for large items Established by the Pennsylvania Resources Council in 1999, CJ became Pennsylvania’s first nonprofit used & surplus building material retailer Inventory changes hourly, and includes items like appliances, cabinets, countertops, decor, home, office, and commercial furnishings, and more Simply providing potential buyers with gently-used items isn’t always enough to make a sale. It’s especially hard to do with items that seem to perpetually make up the majority of your inventory. To help move common items out of your warehouse, take it a step farther by providing shoppers with inspiration and ideas for ways to repurpose available items. How is your organization promoting the sale of items in your surplus warehouse? Send your suggestions, ideas, tips, and pictures to [email protected]. The Showcase Gallery at Construction Junction is used to give shoppers ideas for repurposing and arranging new, unique items. REPURPOSING COMMON SURPLUS ITEMS CHAIRS | Office chairs can be reupholstered for use in home, while wooden chairs can be repainted for use as garden benches, shelves, and more DESKS | With a little love (and maybe some paint), a desk can be repurposed as a kitchen island, bar cart, or even a baby chang- ing station FILING CABINETS | A freshened up filing cabinet can be used for garage storage, as an outdoor planter, or as a bedside or living room table All of the items sitting in your warehouse are waiting for a home, and if they’re in good, working condition, they likely won’t have to wait for too long. Others, however, might require some extra parts and pieces to look “pretty”, or simply to function properly. To help move your inventory, why not provide shoppers with necessary tools and hardware, too? For an additional charge, CJ provides shoppers with miscellaneous hardware (screws, nails, etc.) that may be needed to bring CJ purchases to working condition. “We are happy to provide folks a glimpse of the types of things we have to offer. At the end of the day, even if someone calls in to purchase something they saw [as a Featured Item on the website], we hope that gets more people through the door to check out everything else we have to offer in-person.” Zach Braden, MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST Despite your best efforts, sometimes you might just end up with a surplus of surplus. But don’t panic. Implement these tips from CJ to reboot your Promotion Game. We think it’ll be worth the effort! Featured Items At Construction Junction, donations come in by the truckload on a daily basis. To keep customers up to date on the newest items available for sale, donations are quickly processed using Reuse Retail, a homegrown inventory management solution. Some items are then posted to the “Featured Items” section of the Construction Junction website (right). USE A SHOWCASE GALLERY FEATURE NEW ITEMS PROVIDE HARDWARE Construction Junction also provides things needed to complete DIY projects with items in the warehouse, like paint brushes, antique knobs, and more. The mission of Construction Junction is to support and promote conservation through the reuse of building materials ENCOURAGE SOCIAL SHARING After shopping for materials, Construction Junction encourages customers to share completed DIY and reuse projects via e-mail. Submissions that are particularly neat or unique are featured on the website (left), and the customer is gifted a $25 CJ gift card. GET INVOLVED An easy (and free) way to get the word out about warehouse and inventory updates is through e-mail and social media. While there are plenty of benefits to having a physical warehouse, sometimes you have to break down the walls and meet your customers where they are... which is often the internet. Recycle a few of these tips from Construction Junction to help you flex your social media muscle to en- gage with current and potential customers. The Community Outreach Program at Construction Junction represents the organization at presentations and events, conducts warehouse tours, schedules workshops and classes, and coordinates a volunteer program. If you don’t have the staff or time to implement a Community Outreach Program of your own, start small. If permitted, consider partnering with local reuse organizations and maker spaces to host an event. REWARD LOYAL CUSTOMERS When it comes to engagement, remember that the goal isn’t only to bring in new customers. It’s just as important- if not more- to continue to nurture the relationships you’ve already established. We know that when it comes to surplus sales, a big portion of your business often comes from a small group of people. Let them know how grateful you are by implementing a Customer Loyalty Program. At CJ, loyalty members receive discounts based on the amount of money spent, and also receive e-mail notices about special promotions and events. CREATE A FLOW Buckets filled with door hinges are conveniently placed near a back wall that is lined with doors, which are categorized by type. Wooden legs from chairs, desks, dressers and tables are stored together, organized by color. WASTE DIVERTED FROM LANDFILL 56,231 plumbing fixtures 51,688 cabinets 65,831 doors 2,127 full kitchen sets 107,810 light fixtures ...and more!
Transcript of 4 IDEAS TO MARKET THE MOST COMMON ITEMS IN YOUR … · 2020-02-28 · 4 IDEAS TO MARKET THE MOST...
INSPIRE SHOPPERS
168 Industry Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15275 • 412.809.0660 • [email protected]
www.assetworks.com/surplus
BE A ONE STOP SURPLUS SHOP
GET SOCIAL
GET ORGANIZED
ABOUT CONSTRUCTION JUNCTION
The Community Outreach Program at Construction Junction is run by Terry Wiles, pictured above.
“Our store can certainly be a daunting experience, even if it’s not your first time. A lot of people might be content to just come in and have a look around. But we know other people may have something specific in mind. We try to make that experience work for everyone.”
Zach Braden, MARKETING &COMMUNICATIONSSPECIALIST
As exciting as it can be to shop in a surpluswarehouse, sometimes it can feel difficult tonavigate. To avoid overwhelming shoppers, be sure to organize items in your warehouse in a thoughtful way. Placing available itemsstrategically may help to encourage a sale.
At Construction Junction, the location of every item is carefully considered. Countertops are placed near kitchen cabinets, doors are organized by type, toilets are next to sinks, and all building materials (like lumber, trim, and sheet goods) are stored together.
PROMOTING SURPLUS
4 IDEAS TO MARKET THE MOSTCOMMON ITEMS IN YOUR WAREHOUSEAs a Surplus Manager, you’ve likely developed an eye for seeing the value in used property- from chairs and desks to computers, heavy equipment and more. The hard part is often encouraging potential buyers to adopt the same “Trash-to-Treasure” mentality. As a result, you may have a hard time selling certain items without resorting to price-dropping or lotting for auction sale. To relieve some of the stress involved in the promotion of common items that may be collecting dust in your own inventory, we paid a visit to Construction Junction, a surplus warehouse located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Construction Junction (CJ) is a 30,000 sq. ft. non-profit surplus construction materials warehouse, where you’ll find everything... including the kitchen sink.
When it comes to reselling used items, CJ has a breadth of experience, and endless ideas and creative ways to inspire their buyers. Even better, they gave uspermission to share some of their tips, tricks and ideas with you.
We promise that we could never pick a favorite surpluswarehouse, but we think you’re going to agree thatConstruction Junction is pretty cool!
(1999-2017)
Items come from donations from homeowners, contractors, andbusinesses. Easy-to-manage items are dropped off, while free pick-up is offered for large items
Established by the Pennsylvania Resources Council in 1999, CJbecame Pennsylvania’s firstnonprofit used & surplus building material retailer
Inventory changes hourly, and includes items like appliances, cabinets, countertops, decor, home, office, and commercial furnishings, and more
Simply providing potential buyers with gently-used items isn’t always enough to make a sale. It’sespecially hard to do with items that seem to perpetually make up the majority of your inventory. To help move common items out of your warehouse, take it a step farther by providing shoppers withinspiration and ideas for ways to repurpose available items.
How is your organization promoting the sale of items in your surplus warehouse?Send your suggestions, ideas, tips, and pictures to [email protected].
The Showcase Gallery at Construction Junction is used to give shoppers ideas for repurposing and arranging new, unique items.
REPURPOSING COMMON SURPLUS ITEMS
CHAIRS | Office chairs can be reupholstered for use in home, while wooden chairs can be repainted for use as garden benches, shelves, and more
DESKS | With a little love (and maybe some paint), a desk can be repurposed as akitchen island, bar cart, or even a baby chang-ing station
FILING CABINETS | A freshened up filing cabinet can be used for garage storage, as an outdoor planter, or as a bedside or living room table
All of the items sitting in your warehouse arewaiting for a home, and if they’re in good,working condition, they likely won’t have to wait for too long. Others, however, might require some extra parts and pieces to look “pretty”, or simply to function properly. To help move your inventory, why not provide shoppers with necessary tools and hardware, too?
For an additional charge, CJ provides shoppers with miscellaneous hardware (screws, nails, etc.) that may be needed to bring CJ purchases to working condition.
“We are happy to provide folks a glimpse of the types of things we have to offer. At the end of the day, even if someone calls in to purchase something they saw [as a Featured Item on the website], we hope that gets more people through the door to check out everything else we have to offer in-person.”
Zach Braden, MARKETING &COMMUNICATIONSSPECIALIST
Despite your best efforts, sometimes you might just end up with a surplus of surplus. But don’t panic. Implement these tips from CJ to reboot your Promotion Game. We think it’ll be worth the effort!
Featured ItemsAt Construction Junction, donations come in by the truckload on a daily basis. To keep customers up to date on the newest items available for sale,donations are quickly processed using Reuse Retail, a homegrown inventory management solution. Some items are then posted to the “Featured Items” section of the Construction Junction website (right).
USE A SHOWCASE GALLERY
FEATURE NEW ITEMS
PROVIDE HARDWARE
Construction Junction also provides things needed to complete DIY projects with items in the warehouse, like paint brushes, antique knobs, and more.
The mission of ConstructionJunction is to support and promote conservation through the reuse of building materials
ENCOURAGE SOCIAL SHARING
After shopping for materials, Construction Junction encourages customers to share completed DIY and reuse projects via e-mail. Submissions that are particularly neat or unique are featured on the website (left), and the customer is gifted a $25 CJ gift card.
GET INVOLVED
An easy (and free) way to get the word out about warehouse and inventory updates is through e-mail and social media. While there are plenty of benefits to having a physical warehouse, sometimes you have to break down the walls and meet your customers where they are... which is often the internet. Recycle a few of these tips from Construction Junction to help you flex your social media muscle to en-gage with current and potential customers.
The Community Outreach Program atConstruction Junction represents the organization at presentations and events, conducts warehouse tours, schedules workshops and classes, andcoordinates a volunteer program. If you don’t have the staff or time to implement aCommunity Outreach Program of your own, start small. If permitted, consider partnering with local reuse organizations and maker spaces to host an event.
REWARD LOYAL CUSTOMERS
When it comes to engagement, remember that the goal isn’t only to bring in new customers. It’s just as important- if not more- to continue tonurture the relationships you’ve alreadyestablished. We know that when it comes to surplus sales, a big portion of your business often comes from a small group of people. Let them know how grateful you are by implementing a Customer Loyalty Program. At CJ, loyalty members receive discounts based on the amount of money spent, and also receive e-mail notices about special promotions and events.
CREATE A FLOW
Buckets filled with door hinges are conveniently placed near a back wall that is lined with doors, which arecategorized by type.
Wooden legs from chairs, desks, dressers andtables are stored together, organized by color.
WASTE DIVERTED FROM LANDFILL
56,231 plumbingfixtures
51,688 cabinets65,831 doors 2,127 full kitchen sets
107,810 lightfixtures
...and more!
