Christmas market time.
The Christmas Market is taking over, it’s becoming a ‘tradition’ all over the UK and Europe. So the other Sunday morning me and my wife walked around a local Christmas market which was both entertaining and instructional. I’m always on the lookout for learning and this market provided more than the usual amount.
The market had the usual variety of stalls, selling everything from local craft works to Spiralized fried potatoes ( which were very nice thank you). Whilst wandering around I spied a sign which simply said ‘Goats Milk Soap’ being naturally curious and somewhat bored I wandered over. The first thing that struck me about the stall was the complete lack of any information on the product, other than the words ‘goats milk soap’ and a logo that was it. I could see bars of soap in a variety of flavours, from mint to camomile but no information on the benefits of using ‘Goats Milk Soap’.
Noting that there was nobody else at the stall I was free to ask some questions to satisfy my curiosity, so I asked perhaps the most basic question any business owner should ask themselves about their merchandise?
“Why would I (their potential customer) want to buy this product?
I was astonished when the man responded with three quick benefits:-
- Goats milk soap was 100% all natural and as it’s made with goats milk rather than the traditional cow’s milk it naturally contains twice the fat content, which means that it feels a lot nicer on the skin and is a natural moisturizer (great for older skin apparently).
- Also, it contains no harsh chemicals (unlike shop bought mass produced soaps) and therefore is good for people who suffer from skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis.
- Finally goats milk soap naturally lathers well so you get a great creamy lather to wash with.
Three quick great benefits straight off the top of his head. Now my question back to him was; why weren’t these great benefits easily visible, why did I have to seek them out. Had I been less curious and time poor, I wouldn’t have bothered asking and he wouldn’t have had at least two sales, probably more because others turned up while we were speaking and started listening to the benefits of using goats milk soap.
He wasn’t the only one guilty of poor marketing at this Christmas Market. There was the candle maker whose banner was all about slow poured wax. I had no idea why the speed of wax pouring would impact the quality of a candle until I engaged the people on the stall as to the benefits of slow poured wax. Apparently the speed you pour the wax into the mould impacts on how the candle burns and the aroma the candle gives off when burning. Then there was the lady selling triple stitched handmade bags using traditional ‘Harris Tweed’ which was personally selected by her on her trips to Scotland each year. None of which I would have known about had I not engaged her in a conversation.
Here’s what I think all of them should have done:-
- Have a banner which grabs the attention of their prospect or at least makes them stand out from the crowd.
- If you list features, such as ‘slow poured candles’, add a benefit. Use words such as ‘Slow poured candles’ which means that they burn more evenly and the aroma lasts longer. Or ‘Triple hand stitched’ for a stronger longer lasting bag.
- Provide leaflets telling their story on why they do what they do, also providing more information about the benefits of the product and importantly giving alternative ways to buy (not everyone buys there and then).
Now you may think I’m just being a little pedantic, I’m not I’m trying to help these people sell more. I know that they’ll have spent the previous weeks preparing for this market, making the product, getting their displays ready, paying for the stall and finally getting up ridiculously early on a Sunday morning to set up, but without understanding some basics much of the time and money they spent will have been wasted. Oh they may make a few sales but with a few additional marketing skills they could make so many more.
Twelve intensive half-day meetings.
