Have you ever walked into a store and encountered a display that was almost empty? I have, and the thing that comes to mind is “this store doesn’t carry the merchandise I need.”

As a customer, that can be a very frustrating experience. After all, he or she took the time to drive all the way to the retail store only to be disappointed with the apparent lack of inventory available.

What’s worse is if the inventory were available for purchase but simply wasn’t displayed for the customer to see it. It’s lose-lose. A customer walks away unhappy, and the store didn’t make an easy sale.

As a dealer, it’s important to look at your displays critically every time you step foot in the door. Often, the display can become like wallpaper, and dealership personnel don’t notice that a display is half empty. I know because I worked at an outdoor power equipment dealership for 16 years.

Over the past two months, I visited many of my dealers and talked to them specifically about pressure washers. Many dealers typically house a pressure washer in a corner of the dealership and have to wheel it out to the sales floor when a customer comes in asking, “do you sell pressure washers?”

Do you know why big box stores sell so many pressure washers? It’s because they have a robust display with 20 pressure washers stacked in the middle of the floor. You can’t miss it. If you were to prominently display this merchandise, just think of how many units you could sell.

After visiting most of my dealers, they all agreed to let me set up a two-tier display showcasing the pressure washers. Now, there is no question in the customer’s mind when he or she walks in your door that you are in the pressure washer business. In fact, a growing perception will be that your dealership is the go-to place for pressure washers and accessories.

Soon after installing one display, a customer came in the very next day and purchased a new hose and lance for his pressure washer. As expected, all of the dealers I visited saw the high-profit value of having a well-stocked accessory display. I encourage you to change the way you approach selling pressure washers and accessories because it is another sales opportunity for your retail store.

As a partner to my dealers, I felt it was very important for me to help install each and every one of these displays so they, in turn, could better serve their customers. I can now walk into any of these dealerships and immediately notice what is missing from the display and make sure it gets replaced.

Evaluate your dealership as if you were a new customer coming in for the first time. Think of the impression it leaves when your display is half empty or your shelves are dusty, and inventory has not been rotated. Having an attractive product display will drive incremental revenue. On the flip side, an empty display will lead to lost sales.

 Keep this in mind: “There are two kinds of people in this world – those who own a pressure washer, and those who want one.”  Quote by Chris Saxton, Owner of Vortexx

Start capitalizing on this market opportunity.