Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach him to fish and he eats for a lifetime.
She told me that she buys her stuff directly from manufacturers who even give her replacements for stuff she cannot sell, so she doesn't end up with dead stock. But going door to door was quite tiring and the best time to approach did not match with the free time she had.
I put myself in her place and thought - what would I do if I were her?
This is what I advised her:
"Look, your target audience is females. So, how do you get in their vision, at a time when they are free to see your products leisurely, when their guards are down (you're not pushing them) and, rather than you trying to sell them, they would ask you the price without you trying?
Here's a great idea to do this - simply carry your stuff and alight a train in the ladies compartment (she had a train pass to allow unlimited travel between two stations). Then take out your notebook where you have supposedly made notes of prices, a pen, a box of some of the best artificial jewelry that sells well, and an envelope that contains little labels tied to a string. Take out one piece of jewelry, hold it in an angle where it is seen well by most of the females around you (don't peep at anyone, you'll get caught), check your notebook, write a figure on one of the labels, attach it to the jewellery piece, and put it slowly back into the box. Then take out the next piece and continue the process. Appear as if you're completing your routine work of putting price tags to items after purchase.
More often than not, some folks will ask you if you're selling the jewelry, what are the prices, what varieties do you have, etc. From here on, it will be very easy to make the sale!
Look, the folks have nothing to do in the train when traveling, so its a good idea to see your stuff and pass the time. If your stuff is good, obviously they will want to buy. Secondly, since you have not approached them as a salesgirl, their guards are down. Third and most importantly, there's the psychological sales trigger of scarcity! If they don't buy from you now, chances are, they can never buy it once you 're destined station has reached"
She was a little hesitant at first. She felt as if she were duping folks by "acting out". I explained that it is only a marketing strategy - there was nothing illegal, immoral or anything remotely bad about it. After much coaxing, she decided to give it a try.
Within a week, this lady called me up to thank me for the advice - her income had tripled! She even promotes her business when she drops and picks up her children @ school, but nothing has ever matched the marketing strategy I helped her with. I met her again yesterday for the second time and she has even extended her railway pass to other stations!
Talk about pulling customers to you! Are you employing any marketing strategies to pull customers to you, or are you pushing hard?
To Your Phenomenal Success,
Nirjara
