|
I recently attended a holiday bazaar with a friend, my first of the season. We browsed the display of items for sale, looking at everything from jewelry to bags, scarves, wooden toys and fudge. (Guess what we just had to buy ...) We also stopped at the various booths representing service oriented businesses, i.e. realtors, insurance, dental work, house cleaning and more, enjoying the friendly conversations.
One particular business had miscellaneous sundry items on display, one of which immediately caught my attention -- a spray tube of hand sanitizer. I had been given one of these several years ago and loved it; it is shaped like a pen, a convenient size, discreet and best of all, non-sticky. I asked if I might have one for myself and for my my friend. Noticing the woman's hesitation before saying yes, (and out of sheer orneriness) I went ahead and (politely) asked about another item, which turned out to be a small, magnetized screw driver. I have to say it was amusing to watch the woman step protectively in front of her display as she answered my question.
To clarify, these are items that have been imprinted with the company name and logo -- they are meant to be given away as promotional gifts. In this case, there were six or seven different things, displayed very nicely in stacks and piled just so; it was a display worthy of a photograph. It was also clear that the woman manning the booth did not want them disturbed.
She missed the point and an opportunity. Here was someone -- me -- excited about one of her company's promotional items, raving about it to a friend, and she grudgingly gives me only two hand sanitizers. Why didn't she think of sending me off with a handful -- I could have done her advertising for her! I would have cheerfully handed these things out to my friends and colleagues, thereby passing along her company's name and the story of how I had gotten them with each one.
Here was an opportunity for free promotion of her company; too bad she missed her chance.
|
