July’s conversations all came back to one practical challenge: staying connected with customers and employees when the store gets busy.
Contractors want to hear from a real person. Customers respond to real stories from their local store. Employees need communication systems that are simple enough to use during a busy day.
Fancy software can be helpful, but you don’t need it to get started. The best system is the one you can stay consistent with. A note in the customer file, a box of donuts, a quick stop at a job trailer, or a five-minute conversation before the weekend starts.
Here’s what our Hardware Innovators community was talking about in July.
Table of Contents:
B2B Mastermind Takeaways:
Takeaway #1: Ask Contractors How They Want to Hear From You
Some contractors love a phone call. Others won’t listen to a voicemail but will answer a text in 30 seconds. Some want everything in email so they can find it again when they need it.
The easiest way to know is to ask.
“What’s the best way to reach you?”
Then, put the answer in the customer file. It doesn’t need to be complicated.
- Phone calls: Urgent questions, complicated orders, or conversations that need some back-and-forth
- Texts: Quick check-ins, product updates, order status, and simple follow-up
- Email: Quotes, promotions, invoices, and information they’ll need to reference later
Takeaway #2: Don’t Let New Accounts Disappear
A new business account gets opened, everybody feels good about it, and then the normal rush of the store takes over.
A week later, that customer’s buried in the system and nobody’s checked back in. It’s the reality of wearing many hats!
One team’s keeping its follow-up practical:
- Pull reports for top spenders and recent activity
- Identify new accounts with strong potential
- Plan quick visits, including donut drops, where the attention will matter most
- Set a reminder before the account disappears into daily operations
“Sometimes it’s best to focus on the people you’ve already got in front of you, not just the next name going into the CRM.”
One Innovator reported a 50% increase in B2B revenue from May to June. The store had a talented B2B manager, but the GM was also starting to get more involved and the team was doing a better job generating and working leads.
That kind of growth doesn’t come from opening accounts and hoping for the best. It comes from staying in touch after the account’s created.
Takeaway #3: Jobsite Visits Still Pay Off
One Innovator regularly drives to active job trailers, asks for the superintendent, introduces himself, and reminds the crew that the store can help with sourcing and delivery.
There’s no big presentation or complicated pitch.
“If you’re going duck hunting, go where the ducks are.”
The visit is simple:
- Ask for the job superintendent
- Remind the crew what the store can source and deliver
- Ask how the job’s going
- Listen for problems the store might be able to solve
- Come back later instead of treating it like a one-time sales call
Within a day or two of those visits, the contractors will often call or show up at the store ready to buy.
One recent visit helped produce a $1,500 order for rubber door stops.
The visit didn’t create the construction project. It simply kept the store visible and reminded the customer that there was somebody local who could help.
Takeaway #4: Build B2B From the Register Out
The group chatted about this last month, also. B2B can’t operate like a separate island inside the store.
The strongest programs have cashiers, floor associates, parts teams, and managers who know what to look for and who to call when they spot an opportunity.
Sometimes all it takes is one question:
“Heading to the jobsite today?”
That question can uncover a business customer who’s been shopping the store for months without using a business account.
A few good places to start:
- Train cashiers to notice repeat bulk purchases and jobsite quantities
- Keep the B2B manager visible on the sales floor, especially during busy morning traffic
- Build working relationships with the parts, service, paint, and other store departments
- Give associates a clear handoff instead of expecting them to explain the entire B2B program
The customer’s already in the building and already buying. The store just needs to recognize the opportunity and connect that customer with the right person.
It also helps when the B2B team supports the rest of the store. Jumping on a register, answering a retail customer’s question, or helping another department shows the team that B2B isn’t only there to ask for leads.
When people see you helping them, they’re a lot more likely to help you.
Takeaway #5: Vendor Reps Should Help You Sell
Without planning it, the group started talking about next month’s Mastermind focus: Making the Most Out of Vendors to Boost B2B Sales. It was the perfect conversation to kick-start our August focus.
Vendor reps shouldn’t only show up to run product training.
The best reps can help open doors, provide demo equipment, and support the follow-up needed to close a larger account.
One STIHL rep placed battery equipment with a municipal crew so they could try it in the field. The store’s B2B team followed up while the crew was using the tools and paid attention to whether the account was ready to move forward.
Ask your vendors where they can help with:
- Product demos for municipalities, fire departments, and large contractors
- Introductions to accounts they’re already calling on
- Jobsite visits and product trials
- Case studies or programs that are working in other markets
- Follow-up after a customer has tested the equipment
That combination of vendor support and local follow-up helped one store get ahead of a larger competitor that wasn’t nearly as focused on B2B service.
Helpful Resources for B2B
- Add a preferred communication field to each contractor account or customer file
- Create a 30-day and 60-day follow-up list for every new business account
- Pull a monthly top-customer report to plan appreciation visits and donut drops
- Train cashiers to ask, “Heading to the jobsite today?”
- Schedule a vendor rep review focused on demos, introductions, and sales support
Know another hardware store that would benefit from these insights? Share this recap with them!
Marketing Mastermind Takeaways:
Takeaway #1: Giveaways Can Build a Serious Local Audience
Two stores used grill giveaways, in-store iPads, QR codes, and radio partnerships to build a first-party customer list.
The result was hard to ignore.
“We increased our list from 269 contacts to 3,269 contacts.”
Their setup included:
- An iPad next to the prize display for easy in-store registration
- QR codes so customers could enter on their own phones
- Radio partners that collected the same information on their websites
- Questions about email, phone number, interests, preferred store, and B2B status
That means the giveaway wasn’t just a one-day promotion.
The stores now have an audience they can use for event invitations, newsletters, new product announcements, and B2B follow-up.
The group also found that a longer entry window worked better than a quick holiday-weekend promotion. People were still registering near the end of the month-long giveaways, while a shorter Fourth of July giveaway didn’t have enough time to build much momentum.
Takeaway #2: Collecting Names Isn’t the Finish Line
A list of 3,000 contacts is valuable, but only if the store has a plan for what happens next.
At a minimum, you’ve got to have:
- An immediate confirmation so the customer knows the entry worked
- Segmentation by store, customer type, and stated interests
- A realistic email rhythm, such as one local update and one sales email each month
- Regular cleanup of inactive and non-marketing contacts
“Use the tool your team can actually keep up with.”
The group discussed HubSpot, Mailchimp, and the challenge of finding the right system without paying for a lot of features the store isn’t ready to use.
HubSpot can do a lot, but that doesn’t mean every store needs an $800-per-month setup. A smaller store that’s mostly sending email updates may be better off starting with a simpler platform.
The best system isn’t the one with the most features. It’s the one somebody on the team will actually maintain.
Takeaway #3: Local Trust Can Be Worth an Extra Click
One marketing approach that’s showing strong results sends shoppers to the store’s local website first, then to AceHardware.com to complete the shopping journey.
At first, adding another click might sound like a bad idea. In practice, that local page gives customers a reason to trust where they’re going.
They see:
- The actual store and people they recognize
- Local photos, events, services, and offers
- A familiar reason to trust the link before moving into the national e-commerce experience
“Local trust can be worth an extra click.”
The same idea worked in a small, targeted social media campaign.
One store spent about $70 to reach shoppers in a nearby community after a popular greenhouse closed. The message was simple: sometimes your regular place is no longer there, and we think we can help fill that gap.
The campaign performed well because it was timely, local, and directly connected to something people in that community were dealing with.
Know another hardware store that would benefit from these insights? Share this recap with them!
Owner/General Manager Mastermind Takeaways:
Takeaway #1: Headsets Have Potential, but the Rollout Matters
The new headset system was one of the main communication topics this month.
Stores like the potential, but they’re still working through integrations, charging stations, and the normal problems that come with a newer product.
The system could help with:
- Faster answers without employees walking across the store
- Better response times when a customer needs help
- Cleaner communication between departments during a busy shift
“A communication tool only works when it’s charged, connected, and on somebody’s head.”
The charging process has already caused some confusion because it isn’t always easy to tell whether a headset is actually charging.
Somebody needs to own the setup.
Assign responsibility for charging, troubleshooting, basic training, and checking that the equipment is ready before a shift starts. Otherwise, the headsets can quickly become one more piece of equipment everybody assumes somebody else is handling.
Takeaway #2: Simple Rules Beat Unspoken Expectations
One store uses a straightforward set of expectations known internally as “Brandon’s Rules.”
The name isn’t the important part. What matters is that employees have a clear reference point instead of being expected to read the owner’s mind.
“Put the rules where people can see them.”
A one-page communication standard can answer:
- Where store updates are posted
- Who needs to know about a problem or change
- When a manager should be called
- What information needs to be included in a shift handoff
- What employees should do when they’re unsure
The best store systems usually aren’t the most complicated.
They’re the ones employees can remember and follow during a busy Saturday.
Takeaway #3: Weekend Handoffs Need a Real Conversation
Does having a weekend off seem impossible? One store uses two supervisors who alternate weekends to help carry the load.
The manager meets with the supervisor the day before to review what’s coming, what needs attention, and what problems may carry into the weekend.
“A five-minute handoff on Friday can save a lot of confusion on Saturday.”
The handoff should cover:
- Staffing changes and schedule gaps
- Events, deliveries, and large customer orders
- Equipment or facility problems
- Customer follow-up that can’t wait until Monday
- The one or two priorities the supervisor can’t miss
That short conversation gives the supervisor some ownership and keeps them from walking into a busy shift without any context.
Helpful Resources for Owners & GMs
Know another hardware store that would benefit from these insights? Share this recap with them!
Join Us on Aug 19th for Our Next Mastermind
For August, all three of our Masterminds will meet.
B2B Mastermind:
Making the Most Out of Vendors to Boost B2B Sales
Marketing Mastermind:
Partnering with Vendors for Content, Promotions, and Events
Owners / GMs Mastermind:
Getting More Value From Your Vendor Relationships Beyond Pricing
Ready to Join the Conversation?
Does the idea of a monthly meet-up with other retail hardware stores sound valuable?
Would you like to share resources, ask questions, and participate with your peers on-demand through an exclusive Slack channel?
Email us at hello@hardwareinnovators.com to get access to the Slack Channel! The best part? It’s 100% free and connects you with hardware store owners, general managers, marketers, and B2B teams who are willing to share what’s working, what’s not, and what they’ve learned along the way.