Get Item Numbers First, Not Last

When taking consumers' orders via telephone, try to avoid asking for customer contact information before the SKU. This is especially important if you're selling to women, said Missy Park, president of Title 9 Sports, a women's athletic wear catalog.

"Women like to shop. Let them do it!" Park said during her seminar at the fall conference for the New England Mail Order Association held in Burlington, VT, in September. "Women get excited about the item they've found in your catalog. Get the item number from them first, not last.