In the spotlight, success looks effortless–smiling faces, brilliant ideas, rich resources. But behind it is often a road of obstacles, uncertainty, and even naysayers, especially when doing something new.
How do you keep going?
At a global consumer product company, we launched a spring curling iron with removable spoon. The innovative design enabled stylists to make defined curls with the spoon and free-flowing waves without. With only $5 price difference, you got 2-in-1, what a no-brainer, isn’t it?
Wrong!
We marked the “removable” function on the package, demoed the iron at the shows, and provided samples and supporting materials to the sales team. We even gave $5 off as introductory promotion but the sales was flat, even less than the regular spring iron. Why didn’t it work?
What would you do in that situation?
I went to the field, visiting a franchise store. I showed the iron to the owner. To my delight and surprise, he liked the idea, wanted to buy, but said ‘I had never seen this before’. How could it be? The chain was one of company’s largest customers. The iron was definitely presented and the customer ordered it.
After investigation, I learned that the central buyer saw and bought the product. However, each store manager received a buying guide with hundreds of items, it’s likely the iron was buried.
In addition, seeing the package on the shelf along with other irons, though the wording and image called out “removable” feature, the iron looked similar to the others as its spring was “on” the barrel. For stylists who are used to what have been working, why change?
Furthermore, I learned that there were more than 200 franchise owners in this chain and they make independent purchasing decision for their stores-they can buy from the corporate offering and beyond.
Learning from this experience, we’ve made two major changes:
- We changed the insert to let the spoon ‘floating’ in the package, so the iron looked different.
- We hired a person focusing education in the field, especially franchise owners.
Note: The new hire was different: she wasn’t a stylist, neither a veteran sales, but an engineer who wanted a change. She had helped out in previous shows: she was eager to learn about the products, always helpful to customers and staffs, and never complaining long hours of standing while manning the booth.
The sales gradually improved.
‘Figure it out’ lesson: to learn ‘n improve
- Get out, ask, and observe: Good ideas don’t sell themselves. Listen, understand, and help people see the value.
- Communicate all around: Use multiple channels, both directions, and across levels so people are equipped and motivated.
- Hire for the traits over experiences: A ‘learn-it-all’ often outperforms a ‘know-it-all’.
Learning and improving means listening, adapting, and finding new ways forward—even when the first attempt falls short.
What have you learned from this article?
How will you learn ‘n improve in your next initiative?
Part of the Make a Positive Difference series — Thinking Differently, Acting Purposefully.