Pound the pavement

The other day I caught up with an entrepreneur friend of mine for a drink after work. We met in the city and she looked very, very tired.

“I’ve been doing some old school marketing,” she said.

“I’ve visited 15 retailers in the city today, just talking to them about how my products are selling, how they are displayed, whether or not they are hitting the mark.

“It’s been bloody exhausting, but I’ve got five changes I’ll be making to my designs and packaging tomorrow and 10 more things I’ll be thinking about for the next product design phase.”

Ah, shoe leather. Sometimes, you just can’t beat going out into the city, preferably at lunchtime, and walking around.

If you sell a product, you’ve got lots of retailers you can check out. But even if you don’t, there’s plenty to learn. You should watch:

• How people are dressed. What colours or styles are in? Does your branding and design look up-to-date?

• What people are eating? Are the food courts or the swish restaurants full? Any clues on consumer spending trends are great.

• What are people buying?

• Who is spending? The young, the old, or the in-between?

We all operate our businesses in communities, so make sure you spend time in yours.

Get it done – today!