T
Tiggy
- Original Poster
- #1
Hi All
You know it's striking me lately just how many businesses there must be out there who are failing, not because there is anything wrong with their product or service etc, but because they seem to be overlooking something which is just basic common sense.
Some of the examples lately I've noticed:
1 - A stall set up in the middle of a busy shopping mall selling an anti-aging skin product. The stall is managed by a young man and a young woman, both looking to be about 21 years old at the most. They stand by their wares watching the hoards pass by and pounce whenever they see a lady whom they deem to look 'mature' enough to need their product. This seems to me a terrible approach. There are not many women who will take kindly to being singled out as looking old enough to need anti aging creme, especially by a couple barely out of adolescence, especially as many of the women seem to be only in their middle thirties.
I noticed after a period of about 3 weeks this stall packed up and disappeared. I would think they would have had much more success if they had chosen representatives on the stall who were more mature themselves, whom their target audience would relate to and who are experienced enough to know how to approach and handle a potentially tricky subject without causing offence.
2 - A very smart young man in a dapper black 3 piece pin stripe suit with a big white 'trust me' smile plastered on his face and a clipboard under his arm hanging around the shopping precinct on a lovely sunny Tuesday afternoon. I have no idea what he was selling as, like the other hoardes of people, I went out of my way to avoid him. It seems obvious that whoever has sent him out there has told him to look very sharp, business like and professional. Let's face it, when you're out shopping on a nice afternoon, trying to forget your worries, the last thing you want to do is stand and talk to someone who looks like a stereotypical bank manager. His attire just alienated people from the start.
3 - A cafe which sells very nice food and has very pleasant staff and a very efficient service. It became more apparent as the months went by that they were failing to attract anywhere near the amount of necessary diners. Eventually they closed down, no doubt shaking their heads and wondering where it all went wrong. None of them seemed aware that grey walls, black and white flooring and black plastic tables and chairs are not really conducive to a pleasant dining experience. I can't help thinking that had they spotted their monochrome mistake and injected some colour and warmth into their decor they would have faired a lot better. The sad thing is the front of their cafe was one great huge big picture window, a perfect showcase to utilise to tempt rumbling stomachs inside. Instead it achieved the opposite.
It's so sad!
Tiggy
You know it's striking me lately just how many businesses there must be out there who are failing, not because there is anything wrong with their product or service etc, but because they seem to be overlooking something which is just basic common sense.
Some of the examples lately I've noticed:
1 - A stall set up in the middle of a busy shopping mall selling an anti-aging skin product. The stall is managed by a young man and a young woman, both looking to be about 21 years old at the most. They stand by their wares watching the hoards pass by and pounce whenever they see a lady whom they deem to look 'mature' enough to need their product. This seems to me a terrible approach. There are not many women who will take kindly to being singled out as looking old enough to need anti aging creme, especially by a couple barely out of adolescence, especially as many of the women seem to be only in their middle thirties.
I noticed after a period of about 3 weeks this stall packed up and disappeared. I would think they would have had much more success if they had chosen representatives on the stall who were more mature themselves, whom their target audience would relate to and who are experienced enough to know how to approach and handle a potentially tricky subject without causing offence.
2 - A very smart young man in a dapper black 3 piece pin stripe suit with a big white 'trust me' smile plastered on his face and a clipboard under his arm hanging around the shopping precinct on a lovely sunny Tuesday afternoon. I have no idea what he was selling as, like the other hoardes of people, I went out of my way to avoid him. It seems obvious that whoever has sent him out there has told him to look very sharp, business like and professional. Let's face it, when you're out shopping on a nice afternoon, trying to forget your worries, the last thing you want to do is stand and talk to someone who looks like a stereotypical bank manager. His attire just alienated people from the start.
3 - A cafe which sells very nice food and has very pleasant staff and a very efficient service. It became more apparent as the months went by that they were failing to attract anywhere near the amount of necessary diners. Eventually they closed down, no doubt shaking their heads and wondering where it all went wrong. None of them seemed aware that grey walls, black and white flooring and black plastic tables and chairs are not really conducive to a pleasant dining experience. I can't help thinking that had they spotted their monochrome mistake and injected some colour and warmth into their decor they would have faired a lot better. The sad thing is the front of their cafe was one great huge big picture window, a perfect showcase to utilise to tempt rumbling stomachs inside. Instead it achieved the opposite.
It's so sad!
Tiggy
