Are we serious about our marketing? Here are 6 lessons.

You may wonder why I have such a topic for this post, but just Friday, March 15, 2019, in the evening an observation prompted me to put this post up. It is not intended to get the representative in trouble, but more importantly, reinforce the need for companies to be diligent about what they do with regards to representation within the market.

I happened to visit Pricesmart, Barbados when I encountered this product. Left to my own interpretation about what the product's benefits are I am yet to hear the voice of the lass who tossed it into not only my shopping cart but also those of others who happened to be going through the aisle.

Clearly, she came to the end of her shift as she just walked off after throwing her 3 pointers from quite the distance. This was done without a greeting or even an inquiry as to if I/we wanted the product.

Thanks for the free sample, but there are ways that things are done and this is not what I know product sampling to be. Surely the company paying for this product to be marketed had no intention of having their product represented this way. Then again, maybe they did since clearly no due diligence was done to find out if the marketing company had a track record of presenting products properly to the general public. It seems like they hired the cheapest company to get the product out.

Approaching the cashier, I had to indicate that this product does not have any pricing and described how it reached my cart. The cashier assured me it was a sample and nothing would happen when clearing security to go to my vehicle.

Here are some 6 lessons:

1. When marketing your businesses, the cheapest option is not always the best. 
2. You need to train your representatives on the presentation of the products they will be showing. 
3. The representatives need to be courteous even when their shift comes to an end. 
4. She did not know if I was a mystery shopper for the same/other brands or even for Pricesmart itself. (easily she could lose her job in an already tough job market) 
5. Your representatives need to know how to competently handle objections raised by potential customers. 
6. You never know who is a blogger. 

Marketing dollars are expensive, and often businesses have to be creative in order to find funds for marketing in an already competitive environment. Many need to remember that they are not working for the company for whom they wear the uniform, but primarily they represent themselves and cannot afford to take a shoddy approach to their work. 

If your team needs to be trained, there are a multitude of trainers who can help you realize your objectives. Marketing organizations need to invest in their teams so they get the best representation. As I always say, think beyond the first sale. 

Check back often as we post things that we observe. That's what we can do in the islands. I hope that this article helps businesses become more aware of how little deviations in behaviour can help/hinder the development of your business. 

KEEP THEM POOR | This Is What The Richest Don't Want You To KNOW (an ill...

When you watch this video as I have, you tend to ask yourself. What if he was right, what am I doing to make a difference? What am I teaching letters when I stand before a group of entrepreneurs?

Every time I share with a group of people who are ambitious about beginning a business, I tend to be very direct with them. I don't sugarcoat anything and make any guarantees other than they have to put in the work, a lot of it, in order to see any kind of a reward.

Sure there are systems and models that can be taught to participants, but if they are unwilling for one reason or another to use them, then they have just attended another talk shop.

One person said to me that when they first entered a program where I taught, they didn't like me. I sounded too surefooted about what I said. They subsequently found out, that I have made more mistakes than many facilitators. That what I referenced during the program was things that I actually did, and therefore knew what would/wouldn't work.

My language isn't the cautious language of most facilitators. I have found that those who make the most strides in educating others are those who don't say what the participants want to hear, they say what needs to be told. It's not that I am harsh and uncaring, far from it; but I need to have participants take the information they are given seriously, and act upon what they've learned.

There was a time that I did a consultation, and the client said to me that I don't tell them what to do, but make them work by pulling the solution out of them. I believe that the aspect of discovery is greatest when this approach is taken since through the experience, they recognize for themselves that through the work, through the effort, they then know what will/will not work.

Robert Kiyosaki's video title shocked me when I first read it, I watched it out of sheer curiosity, and I found what the video presented to be memorable. Have a look for yourselves, and feel free to share what your thoughts were when you have finished. I can almost be sure that some learning would have taken place at one level or another, and you may just be willing to act on this information to ensure you are not being kept poor.