Now, I don't expect YOU to get into fruit stand marketing. But there are some salient lessons embedded in that interview that I think any entrepreneur can incorporate into a business.
First, go where there is a steady stream of traffic. Goes without saying, but we often want to buck the trend and do it our way.
Don't be foolish. Set up your shop where there is a hungry crowd.
Second, timing is critical. Fruit Stand Guy (FSG) works 100 days a year. He takes off 265. Makes over a million. He works when demand is high and supply is
plentiful.
Third, look busy, even when you're not. FSG almost never looks his customers in the eyes. Why? He's too busy filling baskets full of cherries. He never handles money - his customers put money in a box and make their own change.
FSG "times" his interactions with customers so that as cars stop, he's in the middle of a transaction. He's always busy. More cars stop because cars are already stopped.
Empty stands don't inspire curiosity. People want to
see what's going on. There must be something good going on here.
FSG's signs are his headlines. He used BOLD calls-to-action. Two work:
- Sweet cherries
- Today's picks
He tried hundreds of other signs. He tried up to ten signs at once in all directions. Found out that he only needed 2 signs: Sweet cherries and today's picks.
Don't over-complicate
things. Selling fruit is simple. The fruit sells itself. Your product could do the same. It's about positioning and putting your product in a stream of steady traffic.
FSG isn't a farmer. He buys his fruit from fruit brokers (who knew?). He marks up his cherries by more than 400 percent. His average "take" on a single
customer who stops is $15-20. He "only" gets 100 or so customers a day out of thousands that drive by.
It's a fascinating interview. I encourage you to listen. Hit reply and I'll send you the link.
Sign up for Senoff's list. He's got hundreds of free interviews. And you can learn something from every single one of them.
