#022 THREE MARKETING TECHNIQUES SUDDENLY DAWNED ON ME

I went to a hardware shop to buy a hack saw, as I needed it to mend a piece of furniture. The shopkeeper had some hack saws, but the frames and the blades were mismatching. He, in an attempt to satisfy my needs, went to a neighboring shop and tried to get a good saw. That shop also did not have good saws, and he returned unhappy. Seeing his weary face, I offered him to come again in the evening for buying it and requested him to keep at least two saws ready, so that I could select one of them. He knodded his head and said 'Welcome'.


I could not visit the shop that evening owing to other pressing work. I went there yesterday, and to my surprise found that, the same situation is continuing. He did not bring fresh stocks. He did not this time, make an attempt of going to the neighboring shop and procuring it. He asked me, instead: "Why didn't you come all these days?"

I: "I am sorry, I could not come. I was busy on other pressing work. The hack saw is not a daily need, you know."

He asked me to come again, so that he can keep the saws ready.

This experience dawned in me three marketing techniques:

1. Keep your merchandise, whatever it is, in a fully saleable state.

2. Also trade in some daily use goods, so that the customers who frequently visit shops and supermarkets to buy their essential goods, will get reminded about their non-essential needs also. A mix of products of FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) and other non-daily-use goods will increase sales.

3. The profit margins in non-daily-use goods appear to be fairly higher than daily necessities like bread and butter. A judicious mix of both, therefore, optimises profit.

The crux of the autobiographical problem now:

Do I practice what I preach? I run a sort of defunct-dormant-sluggish running Spoken English Institute. I fail to keep my course material ready or properly printed. I do not keep even the preliminary marketing material like brochures.

Two possible excuses can be given:

1. Production and marketing somehow do not go hand in hand. Those who teach do not know how to market themselves. Those who market do not know how to teach. Well educated and talented persons, for this reason only, work at very low wages with Private Engineering and Degree Colleges.

This applies to other professions also. Example: An expert cardiologist or a surgeon may not have the time or aptitude to market himself. He may have to work with Corporate Hospitals where earns less and has sometimes to compromise with his work ethics.

2. Secondary goals and objectives may overtake primary goals and objectives.