Copyright 2005 Chris StirlingLike so many people in North America I live in a city that
has too many people living on the streets and who are
homeless or in need of financial assistance. So often these
people approach me asking for "spare change" or "help". I
always just ignore these request and continue on my way,
except yesterday.
Yesterday I had an eye opening moment, actually 2 moments,
that happens every so often. You see I was minding my own
business walking along the sea wall in my home city. I just
happened to be walking behind a person asking for "spare
change" from every person he encountered on the sea wall.
He was not very successful as most people just pretended
they did not hear the request or even see him. But, every
20th person, or so, he would encounter a receptive
individual who would indulge in his request for "spare
change". This man taught me 2 lessons:
1 - Be consistent with your messaging. I'm sure this man
did not do much scientific testing but he did believe in
the message of "spare change" and he delivered his message
to every person he encountered with confidence that it
would be successful eventually. I realized I could do the
same with my marketing message. Instead of having multiple
marketing ads out there I should find a message that works
and run with it.
2 - Every "no" gets you closer to a "yes". This man was
never deterred by a person ignoring him or a "no". He just
continued on, knowing that eventually he would receive a
"yes". I realized this is the same for my business. Not
everybody will be interested in my home based business
opportunity or products and that is OK. If I believe in my
message, eventually I will encounter someone who is.
Later that day I was driving home and I noticed another
homeless man standing at a very busy stop light
intersection holding a cardboard sign asking for help. As I
was sitting there waiting for my light to turn green
watching every 7th or 8th car hand him some change I
realized this man also taught me 2 lessons about marketing:
3 - A captive audience is valuable. This man realized that
standing on the side of the road was no good for him
because there was no foot traffic and the cars would not
stop to read his story. Once he stood at the intersection
he knew that people would be stopped at the location for a
couple of minutes giving him time to have his message read
and increasing his chances of receiving help. His message
was more elaborate than the "spare change" request of the
first man I encountered today. He was able to tell his
story on the piece of cardboard and telling his audience
why he needed assistance. This type of exposure is
extremely valuable to this man. The increased exposure time
resulted in him not receiving "spare change" but I saw
people giving him paper money. I realized that I needed to
get my message onto locations with a large captive audience
to be successful.
4 -High traffic areas are worth the costs. This man did not
choose any intersection to stand at, he chose one of the
busiest ones in the city. I then remembered yesterday there
was a man at this location but not the same person as
today. In fact I have never been at this intersection
without someone standing there with a sign asking for help.
I am sure this location is difficult to secure but for the
person who does get there first they will be rewarded. This
is not a revelation but it can often be forgotten lesson.
Often the high traffic locations can be more expensive or
more difficult to secure, but if you are willing to do what
it takes to get your message seen in this location you will
receive the fruits of your hard work.
Today I gave "spare change" and "help" to two homeless men
in my city and they both gave me lessons that were far more
valuable. I saw these lessons in action with results I
would be happy with in my own business and plan on putting
them into action immediately!
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Chris Stirling is the owner of http://www.stirls.com and
publisher of Work At Home Top Picks Newsletter.His Home
Business Directory website is designed to help other people
achieve their goal of having their own work at home
business. http://www.stirls.com
