When Margot Fraser decided to market German-made Birkenstock sandals in this country, she first went to the most natural channel: shoe stores. She found, however, that this channel was unwilling to sell the shoes. Shoe store owners didn't believe that the product would be accepted by Americans. When Fraser displayed Birkenstocks at a shoe trade show, the reaction was so bad that she decided to leave early, despite the fact that the show organizers were going to penalize her for leaving the booth before closing time. "I picked up my stuff and escaped through the fire exit," she recalls, laughing.
So shoe stores were out. Who else would be willing to champion such a strange-looking product?A friend told Fraser about a convention of health food stores that was taking place in San Francisco. Fraser rented a table at the show. "I just talked to people going by: 'You know you ought to try this.' And that's how it started." Owners of health food stores were somehow more receptive to the unconventional sandals, and many of them bought Birkenstocks for their own use. When they got back to their networks, they buzzed to their customers about the magic of these sandals. The word about Birkenstocks initially spread through the networks of health food enthusiasts... The few stores that started to carry the product gradually gave it the validation it needed in the traditional channel.
I think it's a great example of how to access your situation, determine another course to take and do it!
There a quote I heard years ago that has always stuck with me - but for the life of me, I can't find out who said it! I did a search on the quote and it's like it never happened. I swear I'm not making it up! I apologize to whichever famous baseball player I'm not giving credit to. Update: I was flipping through the book, "Marketing Outrageously" by Jon Spoelstra and one of the first pages I turned to had this quote in huge print. Turns out it was major-leaguer Willie Keeler who said it. Ahhhh, now I can rest easy.
"I know where they are, so I hit where they ain't" - Baseball player explaining his strategy on hitting the ball to open spaces in the outfield.
7 comments:
that sounds like a yogi berra quote ... but i can't be sure. please know that i'm on the hunt for the author (helps to have a couple of former pro-baseball players in my friends and family roladex ... and if they don't have the answer there's always DAD). speaking of roladex, this is a good example of how networking can really benefit your business or help you answer questions. everyone does it -- networking that is -- but not everyone knows how to do it very well. i have my own opinions on ways to network successfully, but this isn't my blog! susan -- any tips?
I thought it could be Yogi Berra so I looked that up too - but no luck. Thanks for being on the lookout - no sleep till I find it out (or till Brooklyn, whichover one comes first.)
As far as networking goes, it's not one of my strengths. The one thing I do try to do is keep in contact with good contacts once I make them. Whether it's my press peeps or someone interesting I've met at a conference, I try to reach out and continue the dialog.
keeping in contact once you have a contact is key. sending follow-up e-mails or just little notes with updated happenings is newsworthy. also, keeping a business card or product sample handy when you're out is always a good idea. do you keep any soaprolls in your purse? i feel like that's one of the first steps of networking. it's kinda like having extra diapers in the bag for your kid ... you never know when you'll need one.
I don't do it as much as I should - I just have to make more of an effort. Thanks for keeping me on track!
The other thing I would like to add about using your contacts is to not overuse them. Build your credibility by only sending things that are specific to them and by responding to their needs in a timely fashion.
hi susan ... i wish i had better news, but after a week of searching i'm still stuck on the quote. i know you have been biting your nails of it and i'm sorry i wasn't able to come up with a cure. i'll keep working at it though! you never know when the answer will come to you, right?
Oh crud, I saw this post was updated and didn't read the whole thing... and started looking for who said the quote and found it for you... but you already have it! I found it pretty quickly - you should have asked your friendly neighborhood librarian-in-training. LOL
good to know I have that resource! Now I'm trying to think of a challenge for you! ;-)
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