What do people think you are selling?
by Shane on 09/08/08 at 8:36 pm
3 comments
My wife sent me on a mission this morning. It was quite simple…I was to return home with a bottle of Shaoshing Rice Wine for the Chinese lunch she was to prepare.
I headed off to our usual Chinese takeout spot which also happens to carry a small selection of Asian groceries, only to find that the shop was closed (I guess Chinese takeout is not a popular breakfast option in Cape Town). I decided to check out the new Asian restaurant just up the road and see if they sold any grocery items. I walked through the door and realised that it wasn’t a ‘restaurant’ after all…but rather a nicely sized Asian Grocery Store.
I was delighted…an Asian Grocery Store in our neighborhood! Woohoo! I asked them why they didn’t have signage saying that they were an Asian Grocery Store? They told me that they considered that there may be a problem as people come in looking for a sit-down-meal, furniture and various decor items (the big statue in the window may be a clue?), but they thought the word “Taste” was obvious enough. Clearly not. Have a look for yourself…would you know what they were selling?
Shortly after leaving Taste of Asia, I passed a Simply Asia branch that has recently opened in the area. The slogan underneath their signage is “Thai Food & Noodle Bar”. Here’s a pic I took – unfortunately it’s not that clear but you get the general idea. At a glance you know exactly what they are selling.
Not all of us are running a restaurant or grocery store, but the question still applies. Do people know what we are selling? I remember asking a close friend of mine to tell me what he thought my business was about – he told me what he thought and it was completely wrong! Clearly I hadn’t communicated it effectively…or maybe he just wasn’t listening.
So, do people know what you are selling? DON’T answer that question yourself (you already know the answer) and don’t assume that it’s that obvious. Rather ask OTHERS what they think you are selling, you may be surprised by what they say.
I do hope that Taste of Asia gets it right – I was impressed by the store and the staff and I like the idea of having a good Asian Grocery Store in my area. Go check them out…you’ll find them in Gabriel Rd, Plumstead, Cape Town.
Shane Dryden is the 'Maven' at Ideate. The driving-force of Yuppiechef, Shane loves to write on advertising and innovation. He spots the non-obvious stuff behind the obvious, which seems obvious, but isn’t really that obvious (obviously). View more articles by Shane.
Bad Entrepreneur
Aug 10th, 2008
Ja! Good article. Its all about a little communication.
Some times we think we’re communicating clearly when in fact nobody has a clue what we’re doing or selling.
Top article and the local flavour (well at least SA based) makes it all the more interesting.
Francois Viljoen
Aug 10th, 2008
Very very good point!
I agree with BE, sometimes we are so convinced other people know what we’re selling because we know so well what we’re selling, and we think it’s just obvious!
Taste of Asia gets it right | Ideate
Sep 16th, 2009
[...] RSS feed, or follow @ideateblog on Twitter. Thanks for visiting!A while back I asked the question, “Do people know what you are selling?”. I used a new Asian supermarket in Plumstead, Cape Town as an example – many people thought [...]