Todays nick is about some truths, some cliches, some thing you need to keep your eyes and ears open to realise ...
I was late and slightly lost and I'm actually glad of it. Well it happened that my office friends and I, decided to go for a drive. We ended up getting late. Decided to catch the train from a different station since we were close to that one. Luckily I had a friend who knew on which platform my train would stop. Made it to the platform and just in time, but I didn't know where the ladies compartment was. Found it but decided I shouldnt push my luck too far incase the train started. + the train was really crowded, so I decided I'll just wait another 3 minutes and catch the next one instead. Luckily the station wasn't too deserted.
So anyway my trian comes and I get on...and its not too bad...cause its not too crowded and I get a seat...and what a seat it is. I really learnt something that day. Thing that are mentioned in Management Books, I finally understood.
There was this lady...must have been 50+...she was selling stuff. Cheap chocolates, wafer biscuits, chewing gum etc. Now the beauty of it is that I got double lessons. Firstly by watching this lady and the way she carried on her 'business'.
She was super sweet...not only to ladies she was selling stuff to but also to other ladies sitting around... Be Pleasant...
She wasnt loud. Didnt go around screaming about what she was selling... Dont create nuisance value...
She spoke 3 languages if not more.... Have communication skills...
She was talking not only about her stuff but also other things ... Be Friendly...
She wasnt rushing or pushing her products in everyones face ... Dont overwhelm your potential buyers...
Well apart from this lady's selling skills, what struck me, and struck me stonger was the lesson about "know your product" and "know your audiance".
What this woman was selling was the right stuff to the right people. She had a lot of variety. She sold mostly cheaper chocolates/buscuits. She had the right idea if you ask me. Her prospective clients were women, returning home mostly. Tired after a hard long day of work. Maybe even pretty hungry. Maybe returning to their kids. What she was selling was the absolute right stuff. Something prospective clients would consume...because they wanted the product and because they could afford it. She also carried some of the bigger brand names...so she could cater to even other prospective buyers who were in a 'different segment'. Women who wouldnt buy unbranded (or lesser know brands) and cheap stuff. She also had the right amount of products. Her fastest sellers were small 1 rupee chocolates and 2 rupee wafer buiscuts...and she had plenty supply of them. Its not like she ran out of them despite the demand.
Apart from knowing what to sell and to whom, it was also important to know where to sell. If this woman stood on a busy street with all this stuff, chances are that she might have got only a small % of sales she actually got. She was selling to women returning home, sitting in a trian, relaxing while they could. Hungry. People who had the time, the money and the reason to buy what she was selling.
Another thing that stood out was that after one woman bought something, a little while later someone sitting close to her would also buy something. A lot of women went in for repeat purchases and a lot of them talked about how good this was and that was...and it just increased other peoples curiocity and more people started buying. She didnt have to do any sales promotion. The product, the desire to buy and 'word of mouth' of fellow passengers, help her make sales with very little effort.
Man I think I can go on forever...never been so glad to be late and miss a train...thats for sure...A REAL EXPERIENCE.
Seeing is believing...Nothing beats reality...Learning from life...Experience is the best teacher....
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