So How To Find Top Selling Products To Sell?

If my memory serves me correctly, for a given list the SRDS will tell you the number of units sold, the average price of a sale, and how the sales were generated (i.e., direct mail, TV advertising, etc.). If it were possible to research and find the actual advertising that the markerter used to get those sales, perhaps one could successfully emulate their marketing campaign. At least it seems that having that information would increase your chances of success. One could also get on the other marketer's mailing list if their campaign is still active.

Just a thought.

BTW, Michael, I thought of you when I heard this: "Guns kill people like knives spread peanut butter on bread".

---- Hugh

Finding "Hot" products is easy for me. The promotional advertising industry puts on several major shows in cities such as Dallas, Orlando, Las Vegas, Chicago, etc. In addition, there are 5 major travelling expos that hit the biggest markets in every region.

I attend 5 to 6 of the travelling shows each year, and let the factory reps put their top products in my hand. Being able to examine the items, checking out the features, and advantages over the competition, is much easier than trying to pick the products from pictures in a catalog.

In July, I'll be flying to Chicago to attend one of those major shows - Over 1000 suppliers will be there, and I'll only have about 8 hours to glean as much info as I can. I've already attended the Southern Showcase, Advantages Roadshow, NSA Showcase, & SAGE Showcase, so I can skip a lot of the suppliers I've already visited with this year.

The suppliers are actually picking up what is hot retail, and then determining which process is the best for adding a company's name, logo, etc. So what is big in retail in 2006, is likely to be "Hot" in my business this year.

Dennis Bevers

Dennis,

Thanks for revealing what is hot in retail last year is good for you this year.

Reminds me of another concept (Joe Karbo?)...

Items that were Hot around 25 years ago will make a comback for many years before dropping off again. Due to people wanting to buy items related to their childhood.

E.g. I recall Bionic Man Dolls. I recently heard of a guy who bought one on ebay for $600 because: he'd always wanted one when he was little but his parents had never bought him one, so now that he was older and able to fund his own purchases, he bought one.

This Technique seem to be more in line with childhood items. But not All childhood items. Do you due before jumpin in.

It would mean, look for things that sold well back around 1982-ish. And stuff that sold well round 1990-ish will be coming into Demand in a few years time. I also recall an old Sowpub post/thread about this cycle.

Michael Ross

[Dien Rice]

Originally Posted by MichaelRoss

Items that were Hot around 25 years ago will make a comback for many years before dropping off again. Due to people wanting to buy items related to their childhood.

E.g. I recall Bionic Man Dolls. I recently heard of a guy who bought one on ebay for $600 because: he'd always wanted one when he was little but his parents had never bought him one, so now that he was older and able to fund his own purchases, he bought one.

This Technique seem to be more in line with childhood items. But not All childhood items. Do you due before jumpin in.

It would mean, look for things that sold well back around 1982-ish. And stuff that sold well round 1990-ish will be coming into Demand in a few years time. I also recall an old Sowpub post/thread about this cycle.

Hi Michael,

I love this topic... Probably because I'm a nostalgic kinda guy...

Anyhow, here are a few earlier threads that deal with this, for those who haven't seen them... Or for those who read them 17 or 25 years ago, and wanted to re-live them!

By the way, I had an Evel Knievel doll (plus motorbike) when I was a kid. Of course, my Evel Knievel doll would jump over my toy cars. Man, that was pretty cool! I had a Six Million Dollar Man doll too... His "bionic eye" was amazing at the time... Though looking back, it was just a lens stuck in his head (the same kind you get through those door peep-holes)... So instead of a peep-hole in a door, it was a peep-hole stuck in a doll's head. I guess if you can put a peep-hole in a doll's head and call it a "bionic eye" - well, that's pretty good marketing!

"You might want to think about this...."
http://www.sowpub.com/forum/showthre...=4440#poststop

"Fads tend to revive every 17 years or so.... What was hot 17 years ago?"
http://www.sowpub.com/forum/showthre...11631#poststop

"Take A Trip Down Memory Lane... Do You Remember These 37 Strange Fads?"
http://www.sowpub.com/forum/showthre...15047#poststop

Cheers, Dien

Cicadas were hot around here 17 years ago, and they should be back any day now...

Originally Posted by Dien Rice

Hi Michael,

I love this topic... Probably because I'm a nostalgic kinda guy...

Anyhow, here are a few earlier threads that deal with this, for those who haven't seen them... Or for those who read them 17 or 25 years ago, and wanted to re-live them!

By the way, I had an Evel Knievel doll (plus motorbike) when I was a kid. Of course, my Evel Knievel doll would jump over my toy cars. Man, that was pretty cool! I had a Six Million Dollar Man doll too... His "bionic eye" was amazing at the time... Though looking back, it was just a lens stuck in his head (the same kind you get through those door peep-holes)... So instead of a peep-hole in a door, it was a peep-hole stuck in a doll's head. I guess if you can put a peep-hole in a doll's head and call it a "bionic eye" - well, that's pretty good marketing!

"You might want to think about this...."
http://www.sowpub.com/forum/showthre...=4440#poststop

"Fads tend to revive every 17 years or so.... What was hot 17 years ago?"
http://www.sowpub.com/forum/showthre...11631#poststop

"Take A Trip Down Memory Lane... Do You Remember These 37 Strange Fads?"
http://www.sowpub.com/forum/showthre...15047#poststop

Cheers, Dien

Where do you find products Here is a small list:

Trade Shows
Seminars
Classified ads
Old patents
Ask Friends
Public Domain works (disney used this method)
Exclusive rights
TV
Radio
Your own product

My wife just called I have to pick up my daughter. Go to my ezines I wrote about this subject in one of the ezines.