How stores can make the most of the upcoming VBS season

For many stores, certain products have seasons that come as reliably as the music of an ice cream truck driving down Main Street on a hot summer day. 

But be careful—that reliability doesn't mean it should be taken for granted or overlooked. Product seasons present an opportunity to find new ways to make the most of these predictable times to  better serve church customers and help promote and increase sales.

The traditional Vacation Bible School (VBS) product season may be one of those areas in your store. To maximize sales for this area, make sure you are putting some time and effort into serving your loyal church customers.

Like other curriculum merchandise, VBS is a product that differentiates your store from other retailers that sell Christian books and gifts. So, make the most of the expertise you have in this area and use it to your advantage.

Here are some ideas from stores that not only succeed at selling VBS, but also maximize sales-growth opportunities. 

HOST A PREVIEW

Organize an introductory event for previous VBS customers as well as all other church customers. 

Contact the publishers whose VBS programs sell the best in the store, and see whether they may send a rep to introduce their new 2011 offering. These VBS experts will inspire customers as they discuss topics ranging from recruitment to décor to publicity. If a rep isn't available, the company can probably send a promotional DVD with information about it.

Serve some refreshments, offer special discounts and maybe even offer prizes to gather more data on attendees. Make it a festive occasion and invite churches to bring several members of their VBS team. 

HOLD AN OPEN HOUSE

Get VBS kits from all the publishers you carry and set up the materials so that customers can see and handle the items. Get staff members to do some of the crafts or make the snacks so people can see what they are like, and play DVDs from the VBS kits so people can hear the music from the various programs.

Be inspired by the materials and find an appropriate service project for a local children's organization that your staff or local teens can get involved with to maximize the event. This is a great opportunity to contact local churches with whom you are trying to develop a relationship. 

Let the local media know what you are doing, so that they may promote your sales event. They would also probably be happy to talk about and promote your community service project.

HELP WITH TRAINING

Set aside one evening for your staff, serve snacks and pull out your major VBS kits. Allow the staff to go through the programs, watch the music and teaching DVDs and generally become more familiar with each VBS program. 

Hold weekly, monthly or seasonal VBS contests with your staff,  setting goals on kits, ancillary items and other VBS material to maximize sales and the expertise of your store to the churches. Give out prizes or incentives to staff for meeting your VBS goals.

VISIT KEY ACCOUNTS

Some stores have had success at targeting churches by calling on them and asking if they can bring the VBS materials to the church.  

Once the Christmas rush is over, get staff busy ordering VBS catalogs from publishers and assemble packets of information about all the VBS curricula you offer. 

Identify key churches that you want to contact about VBS and be ready to get started in January. Ask if you can stop by to bring them these materials. Customize packets for each customer, make them attractive and, of course, include a coupon.

Impress your customers by knowing their VBS preferences. If a church is a loyal user of the same publisher every year, show them how well you know them by taking that publisher's materials,  packaged attractively and creatively. Fun giveaway items can be found for each publisher's themes. 

If a church has never ordered VBS materials from the store or it has been a while since they have done so, send them a packet with several publishers represented. Then, of course, follow up with these churches to see how you can help meet their needs.

CREATE A BUZZ

Separately or in conjunction with the other VBS events, make one month a VBS emphasis in your store to generate excitement among customers—including the kids.

Take a look at your sales history to see which publishers are most popular, and decorate your store for their 2011 VBS themes. Ask if they have any merchandising materials to make this simple. 

Keep the VBS area easily accessible to customers so that they can find what they need through engaging displays. 

On weekends, when there are children in the store, set up craft areas and let the youngsters make simple VBS-type crafts while their parents shop.

FIND FANS

In your marketing newsletters or in-store displays, become champions for VBS and its life-changing role in so many churches and families. Provide a nicely designed form that people can use to share stories about how VBS has made an impact in their lives and post them in the store's VBS area for others to read.

Last year at Standard Publishing, we started a campaign called "VBS Changes Lives!," collecting that kind of stories. A few months ago we started a blog
(www.vbschangeslives.com) and invited people ministered to through VBS to share stories there, too.

If you publish a newsletter, in print or online, you can start your own similar effort. Invite your customers to share their own stories.

Stores that do the best in selling VBS are committed to it and are proactive in working with and serving their customers through events and open houses. 

VBS promotions offer an opportunity to see and better know church customers. 

Any time there is an opportunity to get face-to-face with a customer and build foot traffic, stores benefit—and so do churches and the people they serve.