Well, it's Christmas shopping time again. Are you getting your share of sales to seniors? Yes, big ticket items like homes are on their list too.

Seniors buy everything that other consumers buy, and then some (the "and then some" are specific old age products). Now some of you are thinking that this does not apply to your products because your stuff is for younger folks. Well, that's where this articles topic comes in, Grandparents' Gifts.

There is great debate about what demographic term applies to seniors and how to group them. The truth is there is no one term that applies other than "seniors." However, all seniors like the term grandparent and experience has shown me that there are two camps here. There are grandparents and grandparent wannabees.

This is good news for marketers, especially at this time of year, even if your products are for young folks. A study was done by Toys R Us last year and they found that 30 percent of their sales were to seniors. Yep, gifts for the grandkids. So focus your senior selling advertising strategy on gifts for the grandchildren and you'll get a lot more sales. Many of those grandkids are first time home buyers and showing grandparents ways they could help would endear you and your company to them.

You can also reverse this approach to get young folks and baby boomers to buy from you. They have the major problem of figuring out what to get for grandma and grandpa (who seem to have everything), so advertise your goods as the answer to their annual gift giving problem. If you think that in real estate you have nothing but homes to offer, then think again. A couple of great gifts for seniors could be a home inspection or a home warranty. Maintenance of their homes are high priorities to seniors and ways to lighten their burdens are always welcome.

"Grandparents' Gifts" would make a great heading for your ads as an eye-catching selling statement. You will help your customers end their shopping frustrations by showing the "Grandparent" factor of your goods. They will be happy for the help and both you and your customers will have a very Happy Holiday indeed.

Published: December 9, 2002

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Gary Onks, founder of Sold On Seniors, Inc., is an author and marketing consultant who has been featured in The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Washington Times, CBS Radio Marketwatch, Microsoft bCentral and other publications. His book "How You Can Reach & Sell the $20 Trillion Senior Marketplace" is acclaimed as "the 'Art' of pleasing senior customers." Onks has sold millions in goods directly, one-on-one to seniors. His experience includes serving as executive director of a large retirement community and selling to seniors for over a decade. His trademarked Seniorized marketing methods deliver exceptional results. You can reach him at 800-416-8785, GaryOnks@SoldOnSeniors.com or at his website www.SoldOnSeniors.com.