While walking the dog the other day, my husband and I came across three lemonade stands within two blocks of each other. Each used different presentation, pricing and marketing.
Stand A: 2 young kids sitting on lawn chairs with, what I assume to be, decent lemonade for 25 cents. What a deal! The boys wouldn’t make eye contact and each seemed to be pushing the other one to “do the talking.”
Stand B: 2 kids the same age directly across the street from Stand A. They smiled, one approached and asked if we would like to buy some lemonade. 50 cents. Still a pretty good deal. The extra 25 cents must be for the smiles in the marketing budget. Their sign wasn’t any better than the one across the street.
Stand C: 4 young kids with a covered table, whiteboard marketing their products and a girl waving a “STOP” sign at us. When we were about 15 feet away the youngest of the girls called out,
Stand A: 2 young kids sitting on lawn chairs with, what I assume to be, decent lemonade for 25 cents. What a deal! The boys wouldn’t make eye contact and each seemed to be pushing the other one to “do the talking.”
Stand B: 2 kids the same age directly across the street from Stand A. They smiled, one approached and asked if we would like to buy some lemonade. 50 cents. Still a pretty good deal. The extra 25 cents must be for the smiles in the marketing budget. Their sign wasn’t any better than the one across the street.
Stand C: 4 young kids with a covered table, whiteboard marketing their products and a girl waving a “STOP” sign at us. When we were about 15 feet away the youngest of the girls called out,
“Does your dog like peanut butter?”
Well, of course, my dog loves peanut butter! (Actually she asked if my dog was allergic to peanut butter, but the other phrase made a better headline). We walked up to the stand, and Lucy (our Aussie) enjoyed dog treats and a tummy rub. They engaged in short conversation and then shared the food and beverage options. Regular or strawberry lemonade, Nutter Butters or Oreos, and a choice of a blue or yellow cup. I chose a yellow cup, no snacks and traditional lemonade – I like the classics. As we departed one girl shouted, “Tell all your friends”! We waved and asked how late they would be open.
Lessons from the lemonade stand
Understand your target market. Engage them in conversation about things they care about before you start “selling”. We are a dog-heavy neighborhood. Who doesn’t like to brag about their dog/kid/car/big biceps/other?
Note: Treats almost always work well. Tummy rubs are appreciated but not necessary, and might just get you into trouble in most business settings.
Qualify your prospect. It was hot. We were thirsty. We had a dog. If my dog had been allergic to peanut butter, their marketing tactic would not have been effective.
Note: Some people don’t need your product or service, or they don’t need fancy features. That is ok. Let it go. Don’t pretend to offer peanut-free dog treats.
Play to each team member’s strength. Stand A: I think they forgot to talk about who was going to sell. Stand B: 1 kid focused on business development and “the ask”, while the other focused on operations. Stand C: they had a marketer (“Does your dog like peanut butter?”), a merchandiser (stop sign / white board girl making sure the brand and messaging were on target), an operations specialist (verifying and filling the order) and quality control (“Remember to ask them which color cup they want”.) QC also doubled a sales function (“Would you like a Nutter Butter with your lemonade?”)
Note: This is tough to do in small organizations. When you can, find employees or partners to fill in your gaps. Outsource ongoing non-core work or pay to have work done by a professional when it really matters. Accept that average performance on some things is ok.
Be memorable. Say / do / offer something unique. The market is filled with substitutes and alternatives. Why should someone buy from you or even remember you?
Note: Two weeks from now I will remember Stand C. When coaching starts ups and entrepreneurs I will share the story of Stand C. When hiring staff for a small business, we will consider strengths and Stand C. When interviewing potential employees or networking at events, it matters who remembers you. I have been contacted weeks, months and in one case, 3 years, after meeting someone. Make an impression and make it a good one.
Always offer a good product. The lemonade was good. It may or may not have been better than the other stand, but it was what I wanted, needed and expected.
Note: Whether you offer a simple solution or a product with many bells and whistles, make sure it works. Nothing can save your business from a poor product or service.
I paid $1 for that lemonade and I would pay it again.
Well, of course, my dog loves peanut butter! (Actually she asked if my dog was allergic to peanut butter, but the other phrase made a better headline). We walked up to the stand, and Lucy (our Aussie) enjoyed dog treats and a tummy rub. They engaged in short conversation and then shared the food and beverage options. Regular or strawberry lemonade, Nutter Butters or Oreos, and a choice of a blue or yellow cup. I chose a yellow cup, no snacks and traditional lemonade – I like the classics. As we departed one girl shouted, “Tell all your friends”! We waved and asked how late they would be open.
Lessons from the lemonade stand
Understand your target market. Engage them in conversation about things they care about before you start “selling”. We are a dog-heavy neighborhood. Who doesn’t like to brag about their dog/kid/car/big biceps/other?
Note: Treats almost always work well. Tummy rubs are appreciated but not necessary, and might just get you into trouble in most business settings.
Qualify your prospect. It was hot. We were thirsty. We had a dog. If my dog had been allergic to peanut butter, their marketing tactic would not have been effective.
Note: Some people don’t need your product or service, or they don’t need fancy features. That is ok. Let it go. Don’t pretend to offer peanut-free dog treats.
Play to each team member’s strength. Stand A: I think they forgot to talk about who was going to sell. Stand B: 1 kid focused on business development and “the ask”, while the other focused on operations. Stand C: they had a marketer (“Does your dog like peanut butter?”), a merchandiser (stop sign / white board girl making sure the brand and messaging were on target), an operations specialist (verifying and filling the order) and quality control (“Remember to ask them which color cup they want”.) QC also doubled a sales function (“Would you like a Nutter Butter with your lemonade?”)
Note: This is tough to do in small organizations. When you can, find employees or partners to fill in your gaps. Outsource ongoing non-core work or pay to have work done by a professional when it really matters. Accept that average performance on some things is ok.
Be memorable. Say / do / offer something unique. The market is filled with substitutes and alternatives. Why should someone buy from you or even remember you?
Note: Two weeks from now I will remember Stand C. When coaching starts ups and entrepreneurs I will share the story of Stand C. When hiring staff for a small business, we will consider strengths and Stand C. When interviewing potential employees or networking at events, it matters who remembers you. I have been contacted weeks, months and in one case, 3 years, after meeting someone. Make an impression and make it a good one.
Always offer a good product. The lemonade was good. It may or may not have been better than the other stand, but it was what I wanted, needed and expected.
Note: Whether you offer a simple solution or a product with many bells and whistles, make sure it works. Nothing can save your business from a poor product or service.
I paid $1 for that lemonade and I would pay it again.