I’m not a sports guy and I hardly ever go to sporting events. However, I did have the chance to go to a special event with my Dad and Grandfather to see the hometown team play an away game. That was a once in a lifetime trip for me because I had never gone on a trip with just my Dad and Grandfather before. We went a baseball game and what was most entertaining for me wasn’t the action on the field but the hustle in the stands.
Because of all this social media and blogging stuff that I am involved in I’m always looking for ways to relate real world marketing to the virtual world. I learned so many lessons just by watching one of the vendors in the stands. His name was “Shanky”.
When I first saw Shanky I thought to myself, who is this guy? He was loud, personable and quickly established rapport with the crowd. He came down the stairs carrying a container of Bud and Bud Light aluminum bottles. He announced that he had ice cold Bud and Bud Light. The people in front of us flagged him down, he put down his container and asked the “party people” what they would like and how many. He got them the beers quickly and when they were done he asked how much change they wanted back.
Shanky came in and out of our section over and over and always sold at least 20 beers. I watched him hit a bunch more sections in the time it took other vendors to get through one. Each time he came through he was excited, personable and loud. As the night went on he went back to his usual fans and sold them Red and Blue (colors of the aluminum bottles). He made sure to let us know that he’d be back for the 7th inning stretch and last call. Other vendors came with Bud and Bud Light but no one bought from them. People in the crowd took their photos with Shanky. It was a sight to see. And I learned a few things, too.
Say What You Do
There was no mistaking what Shanky did. He told every customer that it was his job to keep them in Ice Cold Bud & Bud Light and it was their jobs to have a good time.
Be Personable
We knew the guys name was Shanky because he told us. I can’t tell you any other vendors name because they did not hustle, and were not personable. They didn’t connect with the crowd int eh way that Shanky did. He made it a point to make an impression on each person in our section and all the other sections as well. He also remembered his customers and made sure that when they were done their beers he was there to get them a refill.
Make it Easy
Shanky broke it down to the easiest transaction possible. The beers were $7.25 each, he was selling Bud and Bud Light. He broke that down to asking whether people wanted “Red” or “Blue”. Everyone knew what he was talking about and it made the transaction quicker, made the decision making quicker too.
You Gotta Ask
As for the money my Dad pointed this out to me. For each person that bought a beer Shanky made either $0.75 to $1.75 on the sale. Why? He asked what the customer wanted back for change. Did they want $1.00 or $2.00 or rather 1 or 2? By doing it increased his tips so much. First of all he didn’t ever fumble with coins so he could get change back to people fast and get on to the next customer. By offering the choice of 1 or 2 he essentially made it a simple decision about the tip for each customer. Also by doing this the customer was going to give him a tip or be uncomfortable not giving one. No one opted for the uncomfortable route.
I didn’t get to see every vendor in the park but I am sure that Shanky was one of the top sellers because he hustled, was personable and asked for the sale. Did I mention that it was near 90 degrees that night and we were sweating in the stands just watching the game? That made it all the more impressive to me.
So, how can you apply these tips and tricks from Shanky to your blogs to start making more profit?
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