I have a small daughter so, in recent years, I have had occasion to go to various shows related to the circus. I have seen them big and small, good and bad, but from all of them I have been able to extract some valuable key that can be applied to any type of business selling products or services.
The first show I remember was so small that the whole weight of the show fell on a single actor , who was soon acting as a clown, juggler or trapeze artist. Taking advantage of the physical and emotional closeness with the audience, he was able to activate his imagination, so he could transform stuffed animals into lions, recordings of characters and children into helpers.
Precisely, the show based its comicity on the commitment of the protagonist to imitate, with hilarious awkwardness, a circus “of the great”.
- If you are aware of your limits, you can reach the client better than trying to be what you can not be.
- If you are small, base your strategy on doing what the big ones can not do very well.
- If you can activate the imagination of your clients, you can transfer them to situations, places and sensations impossible to reach by other means and your client will hardly forget it.
The second show was a little bigger. A family circus, with a small tent, beach chairs and a family of four , accompanied by a dozen domestic animals, trying to present a classic circus repertoire.
In this case, not being realistic about their size and possibilities, ended up producing some pity those four people multiplying to make taquilleros, sound technicians, clowns, jugglers, tightrope walkers, tamers, etc. This feeling of pity was produced by the ridiculous intention of trying to “cheat” the audience, with clumsy costume changes and ridiculous name changes.
In addition, it was evident that the two children did not have much interest in the circus and yes in their part of the collection, so that the failures in the execution of the numbers and the reluctance were evident. To make matters worse, we should add the unwiseness of some numbers for the age of the audience, such as the throwing of knives.
- Your business will be as credible as the most unmotivated of your salespeople or collaborators.
- Study your client very well: make sure you have what you are looking for and eliminate what rejects you.
- Be realistic with the resources available and by setting your limits. Otherwise, you will produce shame or pity to your potential customers. None of these sensations will bring you sales.
The third show responds to what we all think when we heard the word Circus: international quality numbers and spectacular wild animals under a large tent surrounded by caravans . Despite the undoubted quality of the show, lights and sound, the sensation was close to that of watching an old movie.
The show lacked storyline, was a succession of numbers that alternated the taste of children (animals and clowns) and parents (tightrope walkers and jugglers).
Although the price of the entrance was very reasonable for the quality offered, there were plenty of “optional” aimed at increasing the average income per viewer: photos with elephants, coffee shop, popcorn or supposed “souvenirs” of the circus.
- No matter how good your products and brands are, if they do not have a story line they will be as boring as many other product and brand selections.
- If you have agreed a price with the customer and you change the conditions when he has accepted the purchase, you can lose the sale. If you do it when the client is “captive”, you can lose the client.
- If there is something in your commercial approach that, at the same time, like a customer profile and dislike or bore another, you should focus on one of them and adapt the approach, because you will not be content with any of them.
The fourth show is the Cirque du Soleil.
Conceived from the beginning as a single story, it gets the viewer immersed in a beautiful fantasy world, thanks to the exceptional quality of its numbers, lights, original music played live, costumes, makeup … a delight for the senses.
If there is a story line in your presentation, the impact of your products and brands will multiply.
- If you focus on a single type of client and give him what he wants, he will be willing to pay more than the average. If, in addition, you exceed your expectations and get a life
- Memorable shopping experience, you will have a customer for a lifetime and an ambassador for your brand.
- Call it Purchase Experience, Customer Experience, Customer Experience or Experiential Marketing: behind any of these denominations you will always find Innovation, Excellence and Customer Orientation.