We are in the Sales Business!

Poll any group of downtown developers and ask them what business they are in. You’ll likely get answers such as “downtown revitalization, nonprofit, and community”, but make no mistake about it, Main Streets are in the Sales business.

We aren’t selling widgets, even if you have a store that sells gift certificates. No, what downtowns sell are experiences. We are selling a place where people will spend their most treasured commodity – their time!

We’ve all heard, and I hope agree with, the phrase that “downtown is the heart of the community”. That’s because we have a mix of businesses that keep visitors engaged. It’s where memories are made. It’s where people go for festivals, concerts, and activities that bring our community together.

That is what we’re selling when it comes to downtown. The more people we sell on coming to our districts, the more we are able to accomplish our missions of revitalization. Therefore, when it comes to our communication we must approach it from a sales perspective.

When we approach it as a sales experience, we are more inclined to highlight those things that will bring people to our community. It helps us realize what we have to offer and to send those messages to potential downtown visitors. Often we allow our communication to become similar to other nonprofits, highlighting the value or impact of what we do and the need for the organization rather than accentuating everything that we offer to someone. This simple shift in focus helps attract more visitors and ultimately gives us more resources to carry out our mission.

We shouldn’t ever lack for positive content in our downtowns. We all know the stories that make our downtown’s special, unique and charming. We need to make sure we continue to tell those positive stories, as those are the stories that attract visitors. Remember, we’re selling experiences so tell people about everything that makes visiting your downtown great!