Claude Whitacre

Painfully shy as a child & teenager. How shy? Claude never went to a single High School play, dance, or game. He didn’t even go to his own graduation.

He started selling at age 19. He didn’t make a single sale for the first 3 months. After a lot of "trial & error", taking notes of what works and what doesn’t, and dogged determination, he eventually learned how to sell.

Almost 25 years of in-home selling and the last 6 years in retail have taught him much. Always a serious student of sales & marketing, Claude has a library of over a thousand sales & marketing related books. When asked if he’s read them all, he said "Not all, but it’s not just how many books you read, but how much you learn in the process".

Claude credits over 6,000 in-home demonstrations with the foundation of his knowledge.

He said "It’s not just the 6,000 demonstrations. There are many sales people out there that just repeat the same thing 6,000 times. There is no learning taking place. If you take notes of what works & what doesn’t, after a while you get pretty good at separating the Fact from Fantasy in selling."

When asked if the In-Home sales experience is useful in retail he said "Most of it. But the selling part can only take you so far. I close about 93% of the demonstrations I do. You can’t sell more than 100%.. So growing my retail store by selling a higher percentage is not realistic. My real increases came when I started studying Marketing and how to apply it to a small retail store."

Claude proved his sales ability when a lady bought a vacuum cleaner from him. Her name is Cheryl. 3 months later they were married. "It was a special Sale I was having; Buy a vacuum cleaner and I’ll marry you" He said with a grin.

The Sweeper Store is the name of Claude & Cheryl’s store in Wooster, Ohio. Population 17,000. Claude said there are 16 places in town you can buy a vacuum cleaner. He didn’t let that stop him. His business has grown a full 10 fold in 6 years. When asked how he does it, he said " I’m my own best "lab rat" I keep learning new marketing ideas. I test them, keep records of the results, and our store grows a little more".

Claude also has produced a Retail Advertising System called the Unfair Advantage Retail Advertising System.. He is currently producing a monthly Newsletter, "The Unfair Advantage Retail Newsletter". He conducts seminars on retail advertising and marketing.

 Claude doesn’t take all the credit for his store’s growth. "I’ve had a couple of Mentors who have helped a great deal, and I learn a lot from my colleagues & friends on www.vacdealersforum.com. .. But it’s almost impossible to be intensely interested in Sales & Marketing for 30 years without learning a thing or two".

Claude said some of his gains came from diversifying his product line. He & Cheryl have added Heaters, Air Purifiers, Ceiling Fans, Candles, & Crafts. "Diversity creates stability" he says.

Cheryl is the artist in the Family. She sells a selection of hand painted crafts. Claude said "Customers are amazed at the detail & artistry of her paintings. Cheryl has a few select customers she makes things for. And they just keep coming back for more".

 Outside the store, Claude writes about Sales and Marketing, produces his Newsletter, and gives Seminars. Cheryl helps in the store and creates her artwork.

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