Last month, I was given a free book of coupons to spend at my niece’s school charity carnival. She, along with her classmates, was selling ice cream cones for $5 each. All proceeds went to the local orphanage so that they could afford new computers for their school going kids. Arriving at the carnival, I looked appreciatively on as a large crowd gathered around their stall, all eager to purchase one or all of their tri-flavoured confectionary. Moving closer, I discovered that a cute blonde schoolgirl (whose name was Jessica, my niece told me later) was singing a specially-composed short ditty about the ice creams they were selling, to the delight of parents. Needless to say, their items sold like hot cakes, or rather, cold ice creams!
What makes or break a product or service depends on the skills we employ. When selling to customers these days, we can follow little Jessica’s example and employ right-brained skills to attract them. In marketing, it is not sufficient to stuff too much information into customers’ minds. We need to empathise with them while understanding what drives and inspire them and building great relationships. Too much sobriety or seriousness can lead to bad marketing moves. You should inject more fun and play when selling your goods or services, just like the way little Jessica did at the carnival. She clearly knows that merely standing around shouting “Ice cream for sale! $5 each!” will not help get sales they need.
There’s always a little bit of Jessica in all of us when it comes to marketing. Remember that the next time you want to sell something. 
admin
16 Mar, 2008