Getting Dirty

I always get fascinated whenever I visit a fruit stand. I go there to buy a specific fruit but always end up buying several more kinds. If I go to buy watermelon, I end up getting santol, apple, or grapes thrown in. Sometimes, when the sales pitch is right, I even end up picking the dreaded Durian fruit.

Fruit sellers at the fruit stand are some of the best sales people that you will ever meet. They know their product, right down to the sweetness or taste as well as the best time to eat it. I remember a time, when I was about to travel to Vancouver to visit my in-laws. I was asked if I could bring bananas that would ripen in exactly two weeks. To my surprise, that’s what I exactly got from the lady at the stand, in addition to buying grapes and pomelo. Somehow, I couldn’t resist their “sweetness” sales pitch. The fruit stand vendor is a fine example of getting dirty.

One of the common frustrations in setting up a retail store or introducing a new store concept is the inevitable end of the checklist. In preparation for the setting up and opening of a new store, we start making a perfect checklist. Sometimes the list is as mundane as physical setup example: computer, phone lines, card machines, permits, aircon, etc. But for other entrepreneurs, it’s as complex as having the right product mix, store experience, store concept, staff procedures, advertising campaign, media relations, or plan, etc. Normally, a seasoned entrepreneur will have an elimination list, wherein all factors needed to make the store concept succeed are thought of, planned out, done and crossed off the list.

What happens when we run out of items to think about, plan, do and cross out? The result should be the expected successful opening. What if it doesn’t happen? Does that mean it was a bad idea to start with? The answer may lie in getting dirty. It means it’s time to literally roll up the sleeves, grab people and start selling. There are many lessons we can learn from the lady at the fruit stand on getting dirty.

D – Develop positive and unique experiences – The lady at the fruit stand never fills to make me feel good about a visit. She would offer me a free taste of practically any fruit with matching stories thrown in. Price always seemed to be negotiable to my budget, to make sure I always end up walking away with something.

I- Inject enthusiasm, if the buyer feels that you are genuinely enthusiastic about the product, it will infect them and give a compelling draw to buy. “Manang” lady vendor has mastered the right intonation and excitement projection in her sales pitch. She makes me feel excited to go home and eat my fruit, making me feel that I will regret it if I don’t buy. She can make the thought of eating my fruit an achievable desire that needs to be fulfilled immediately.

R- Reward early adaptors, turn them into customer advocates. – “SUKI” means regular customer. “Manang” has the innate ability to make even first time customers feel like “suki” rewarding them with freebies and free tasting. You instantly feel at home and make a silent unconscious promise to always buy at this fruit stand. You also start telling people about it, sometimes unconsciously repeating “manang’s” sales pitch.

T-Talk it up, overcome a buyers hesitation. –One of the biggest problems in hiring staff for retail stores is the difficulty in finding applicants that have the confidence to converse with customers. Many of them are of the “answer only when spoken to” variety. At the fruit stand, talking leads to great salesmanship, which overcomes buyers hesitation and ignorance. It allows a temporary relationship to develop that makes the customer reach out and trust the seller to convince him to try the product. “Lami lagi kaayo ni sir, puerteng tamis-a, bag-o pa gyud ning abot…”

Y- You need to chill, a little time and patience is required.- Just in case, the remote possibility exists that you actually don’t buy anything despite either trying several pieces of fruit or talking for almost an hour, “manang” will smile sincerely and tell you to please come back anytime. The lady intuitively knows that you will. It’s not time to panic, its just time to allow time to do its job.

Getting dirty. It’s still all about selling. In this age of new marketing, concepts or brand driven businesses, its still about rolling up ones sleeves and actually talking to each individual customer and sell.

I would like to invite parents with young children to visit Eyes Candy, opening this Sunday, November 30, 2008 at the Ayala Center Cebu. It is a new concept optical clinic for children. We will be offering eye exams tailored to kids as well as a wide variety of frames and accessories. It’s important to begin having regular eye exams especially for young children. I promise that the store experience will be fun for the kids. Also, if you haven’t visited “eyebar” at The Walk, Asiatown I.T. Park, I would like to invite you to do so. It is a full service eyecare and eyewear experience, featuring a full service optical clinic with wide variety of branded fashionable and trendy eyeglass frames and sunglasses. We are open from 11 am till midnight everyday. Get a chance to win our Apple Macbook Air promotion. Regular eye exams should not be just for children but for adults too.

Jeff Bezos of Amazon fame said, “If you build a great experience, customers tell each other about that. Word of mouth is very powerful.” Let’s follow the examples of these ordinary individuals as they strive to make a difference. Each week, lets all get together and share knowledge, stories, experiences, information, all for the sole purpose of getting One Step Up.

For comments, suggestions or stories that you want to share, email me at [email protected], or visit www.stirspecialist.blogspot.com .