Just before I left home to attend Syracuse, I needed to find a way to make some spending money. I had a few weeks left before leaving, and decided I would sell Shatzkin's knishes and C&C Cola down along Coney Island Beach.
I carried two cases of soda with me as I trekked up and down the shoreline. It was a lot of work, and the first day I didn't do well at all. I had to figure out how to convince people to buy what I was selling.
Then, I had it: Oreo cookies.
Back then, Oreo cookies only came in one flavor, and the package only came one way - 3 full sleeves. I put together a bunch of Oreo baggies that contained 3-4 cookies per bag, and brought them with me along with the knishes and cola.
This strategy brought so many kids at the beach over to me. I didn't make much on the cookies, but the kids' parents would come over to me and buy the knishes and cola. Overall, my sales quadrupled!
If you can provide value to your customer and give them an advantage to do business with you, then they'll be much more likely to get to know you and see what else you can offer them.
This story took place over 40 years ago, but I still have this mentality to this day.
Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank had a similar mentality growing up. He revealed that he used to sell knitted bracelets outside of Grateful Dead concerts. Later on, he started a t-shirt business for all the local shows that came through Maryland, and before long, Under Armour was born.
To sum things up: add something on to what you're selling so that you can create value for your customer. Meanwhile, you're winning as well if you're getting more exposure and attention to what you're selling.
Give someone something they simply cannot say no to.
Speaking of which...
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Quote of the Day: "Wealth is created from creating value" - Randy Gage
Song of the Day: "Vienna" by Billy Joel
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