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It was Friday 10.30am in the morning
in Singapore.
I was awaken up by a contruction
noise not far from my home, if not,
I would have slept till noon...
In the inside, my nephew
was with his friends and a teacher just
finished half-of-day conquering the western
territories for their annual school charity
project.
While my nephews and his friends were
in one of the room (my home-cum-office),
I asked the teacher, Mrs Lynn, how was
the project going on.
She said with a sigh :( ,
"Not too good...We'd everything planned
and ought to be a well executed project
for our school charity for the needies.. The
hot weather just got over us and we couldn't
stand a chance to sell at least 10% of these
beautifully crafted flowers to raise fund."
She stopped and continue to sip the
lemonade my wife prepared for them.
I asked for her permission to see what
kind of handy-made flowers they're selling
in order to raise fund. After I'd taken the
stuff, I was surprised to see all these
flowers just sat in the bags like that.
"Where did you guys go to get people
to buy these beautifully crafted flowers
(the flowers were made by her students
to commensurate the event)?" I asked.
"Every where nearby the school so
that we could go ahead and rest some
where nearby before we could continue
the afternoon classes in school."
she replied.
I felt terribly bad to see the disappointment
on her face and the kids (my nephew and
friends). Their faces were redded cause by
sunny weather heat. I thought no further
and asked her when was the deadline.
She said that they still had till Sunday
the 2nd of April to get some money to be
presented infront of the event's treasurer.
"Okay, Mrs Lynn, meet me tomorrow
(that was Saturday the 1st) after 2pm
here, and I'll help you out. :)"
"But..," she prompted.
"No worries Mdm, trust me!" I interrupted.
Once my nephew and his friends finished
resting, they all left to school leaving behind
that almost 30kg of artificial "Vanda Miss Joachim"
flowers stuffed nicely and separately into
3 big nylon bags.
On that very day, I brought them all to
2 places where they had never thought
of going, that were places where tourists
passing by more frequently. That places
were, The World Trade Center and The
Harbour Front.
Since the teacher got all the legal papers
to conduct the activity, I'd no qualm that
these new territories would see them through
the day with a big smile, I meant, A REALLY
BIG SMILE... :) :)
"Abra-cadabra!" In less than 3hrs since
we started at 4pm, she and her team,
comprising of my nephew and 2 of his
friends, managed to sell almost all of
the flowers.
Oh yes, before we proceeded with
the day, I'd asked Mrs Lynn to do
a little adjustment on her tripod-stand
sign-board like instead of saying,
"Beautifully Crafted Flowers for Charity",
and asked her to change, "When was
the last time you'd flowers for Charity".
Next, intead of saying, "It cost $2.99!"
I asked her to change the no.2 bolder
and used bigger font, and the 99 smaller
and not to be bolded.
The charity sales was a successful one
since in addition, to boil things up,
I told Mrs Lynn that I would give her
students (my nephew and his 2 friends)
$50 bucks and free dinner and sodas if
they were able to SERVE with a SMILE.
That thing did wonder to them since
I didn't pressure them to sell the flowers,
but just to make sure that every customers
(tourists or locals) passed-by them, they
would greed and say "Thank you" and $50
bucks would be theirs!
After we had finished the day, Mrs Lynn
asked me, "How did you figure it out?"
I said,
"Well Mrs Lynn, first of all, you went
to a wrong place for a wrong thing to
sell under a wrong weather. Artificial
flowers like that are not the "thirst" of
the people surrounding your area since
they could get it anywhere else cheaper
and might be they're too busy for something
in their mind. At this place, people here
were more relax, air-conditioned, and less
skeptic to whatever they saw first, and
obviously, your flowers stood a chance.
Second, only tourists would buy them well
cause they're here to spend money. When
they bought from one of your students and
proceed to the train station and bus-stops,
our locals would see them holding your
beautifully crafted flowers and that was
the reason why I asked your students
to place themselves strategically.
In term of marketing, you just got
to know where are your THIRSTY
CROWD and finding them you just need
a bit of thinking like as if you're a
tourist. You don't sell lemonade where
the weather is cloudy. You don't sell
make-up product under the hot sun
and you don't sell cheese burgers
at one local place where they
know how to find a much more better
taste and cheaper cheese burgers.
Second, never pressure your students
to sell more than what they could cope.
I used monetary reward not so much
to usher them to sell more, just a motivation
that I'd asked nothing in return, just to
tell them to keep on smiling and smiling.
And the cheerful smile on your students
face made many customers happy and
they were more happier because they did
it in the name of charity and certainly with
that friendly gestures in a cooling (air-conditioned)
atmosphere, there was no hustle. They
would buy more than one. Did you see
a few tourists buying more than one
from you and your students under such
circumstance?
Thirdly, Mrs Lynn, advertisement like
that just needed to be abit more imaginative
like I hid the 99cents by making it smaller
and the $2 bigger so that people would
see more on the no.2 instead of 99.
People would respond more to questions
cause our minds were trained to response
to questions.
I didn't intend to cheat your customers,
but their eyes deceived them.
Fourth, I had asked you to print your
name and phone no. on the card so
that when our locals bought your flowers,
they would consider to order again
from you and that saved you from
next year project I hope!! That's upsell
or in my profession term, we named it,
"The Second Glass Offer".
Finally, Mrs Lynn, by giving away such
ideas to you, I lost nothing, but my name
would be in your mind for at least till
my nephew graduate from your school. I
left you my legacy..
Did you (the reader) manage to learn
anything here?
Watch out for my next post, "The Insurance
Agent" how I'd showed him what his excutive
has yet to tell him or may be never at all..
For the meantime, let me remind you of
Dave Lovelace's Invitation before prelaunch
on April 11th, 2006. Affiliate is by invitation only at
http://www.marzlist.com/Ebayll
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