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The Best Kind of Advertising
Copyright 2005 Donovan Baldwin
He was a little old man, and he was confused. All around him
were huge, confusing technological marvels, and he had no clue
what he was really looking for...or at, for that matter.
I was on commission, so the higher-end merchandise meant a
bigger commission for me.
I began by asking him what he was trying to do.
It was simple. He had a huge record collection (you remember
records, right?), and he just wanted to sit and listen to Bing
Crosby, The Andrews Sisters, Perry Como, Dean Martin, Frank
Sinatra...artists like that.
This led to one of my next questions. Were any of the records
78's?
Yep, he had a bunch of those.
Well, in that time and place, the standard reply was that it was
very hard to find anything that would play a 78 rpm record. Most
people were looking for high-end sound reproduction also, so
that cut out the few units that would play 78's.
In talking to him a little more, I learned that he didn't care
that much about sound quality, he just wanted something that
would make Dean Martin sound like Dean Martin or Peggy Lee sound
like Peggy Lee. I also learned that he was on a fixed income and
didn't have much money, but, as he looked around at the systems
valued at several hundred dollars, he made it plain that he was
willing to pay whatever was necessary, but his means were
limited.
Well, after talking to him, I assured him that I had exactly
what he was looking for, and walked over to a unit that was
almost hidden behind a big entertainment center. The price was
about $89.00 if I remember. It played 33's, 45's, and 78's, had
good sound quality, had an AM/FM radio, played cassette tapes
(I'm showing my age here) and it was light. He had also
mentioned that he would have to get it in his car as he lived
several miles away, and would have to get it in the house as
well when he got home.
This seemed to hit the spot with him. In fact, he became very
excited. He had not been able to
listen to his favorites for a
couple of years apparently.
It felt good to have helped him out even if I didn't get much of
a commission on the sale, but I soon forgot about the event.
A few days later, however, I came in to work, and one of the
clerks called to me and said, "There's a guy over there who has
been waiting for you all morning. He was here when the store
opened, and said he would wait, even though you weren't coming
in for a couple of hours."
I looked over, and it was the little old man. I got a sinking
feeling in the pit of my stomach. Something was wrong! He lived
pretty far away, and wouldn't have come in unless something was
wrong with the system.
He saw me, and as he started towards me, he proclaimed in a loud
voice that carried across the store, "Don! That system you sold
me is GREAT! It's exactly what I wanted. I've been listening to
my favorites for days. It was so easy to get into and out of the
car, too. Thanks for thinking of that. I just wanted to come
over and tell you how much I enjoy the unit you helped me pick
out. Thanks for not pushing that expensive stuff on me. I know
you didn't make much on the sale, so I really wanted to come in
person and tell you thanks!" He shook my hand vigorously and
walked smiling out of the store.
There were several customers in the store who heard his remarks,
and I am sure a few friends of his who heard similar remarks
from him as well. Even if they didn't come to see me, I am sure
some of them went to other of our company stores near to them.
Flyers and newspaper ads are nice, but few types of advertising
are more effective than the enthusiastic comments of a satisfied
customer.
About the author:
Retired from the Army, the author has worked as an accountant,
purchasing agent, optical lab manager, restaurant manager,
instructor and long-haul truck driver. An active internet
marketer since 2000, he now makes his living online. Find more
of his articles at http://donovanbaldwin.blogspot.com
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