By Harry J. Friedman Founder/CEO, The Friedman Group

To test your understanding of a few basic visual merchandising terms, take the following quiz:

A hot spot is: a) your dog after a three-mile run b) Bermuda c) an area in your store where merchandise sells

POP items are: a) Father's Day gifts b) carbonated beverages c) promotional materials

A silent salesperson is: a) Willie Lowman b) what most customers encounter when they walk into a store c) an effective display

If you chose anything but c for each question, you're on the right track. Even though you failed the quiz, you're reading something that will educate you. Three cheers for you!

If it was clear to you that each answer was c, you are jargon-savvy and may indeed know a few things about visual merchandising.

Regardless of your level of expertise, you're probably aware that the true intent of visual merchandising is to sell more goods and increase your profits. The way your store is merchandised influences its profitability, so it's an issue to be taken seriously.

Ironically, it's not always about making everything look nice. If your store is a discount warehouse or factory outlet, the industrial look adds to the customer's perception that they're getting a deal-boxes piled high or rolling racks lined up like soldiers send a No Frills, Big Savings message to the bargain hunter. Even clutter can be appealing sometimes.

Some customers enjoy rummaging through merchandise to find the coveted diamond in the rough. If you use these merchandising tactics, just be sure that everything is clean and tidy. Dust, dirt and other debris sends its own message. "We're slobs," is not exactly an incentive to buy.

Getting back to the basics, here's a brief primer, or refresher course, on the fundamentals of visual merchandising:

14 Simple Rules for Effective Visual Merchandising

1. If they don't see it, you won't sell it. Give your customers a great view of your merchandise.

2. When it is possible, merchandise should be displayed at a right angle to the customer's line of vision. Avoid flat displays.

3. Items with similar uses should be displayed together so that the customer can easily compare the available styles.

4. Items in demand should be given space in relative proportion to their sales performance. If one item does 25% of the sales volume in a line, it should get approximately 25% of the exposure space.

5. In general, high-demand items should be located so that customers must pass impulse items on the way to and from the items in demand.

6. Impulse items should be highlighted with lighting, signs and decorating to catch the eye and create desire.

7. Don't always put slow moving items in the best location. Best sellers become even more successful in good locations. Put your marked-down and clearance sale items farther back in the store, then move them toward the middle of the store-or even up front for a change.

8. Low-priced merchandise moves faster when shown in an atmosphere styled higher than the merchandise would seem to warrant.

9. High-value merchandise should be displayed on special fixtures, with a captivating setting that shows the products in their best light.

10. Mechanical action stops more traffic and is more memorable than stationary displays.

11. Merchandise shown in a situation or setting consistently outperforms merchandise shown alone.

13. Displays including accessories along with the feature item stimulate larger and more profitable sales.

14. Visual impact is heightened when each section of shelving has a different shelf configuration than the adjoining section. Shoppers stop to look.

The best display is the one attracts shoppers and requires constant attention. The only sales floor that requires no attention is the one without customers!

Attract them with effective visual merchandising, then provide superior customer service that keeps them coming back for more.