11A- Idea Napkin No. 1


1.       I am a finance student that enjoys dancing and being a part of student organizations. I am a Sales Associate at OrangeTheory Fitness, where I am tasked to promote a healthy lifestyle and help increase studio membership sales. As an employee, I am told to always “close the sale, no matter how much bugging it takes,” holding this job and having to bug people has really opened my eyes to how annoyed potential members can get. Because I have been exposed to sales, I know what the employees deal with when customers get irritated. Also, I know exactly what it is to be annoyed by an employee because during my spare time I enjoy going shopping. I aspire to create a product that provides customers with the option of whether or not they want attention while in a store. This business would make my job less stressful as a sales associate and would allow me to enjoy myself while shopping.
2.       I will provide custom systems to stores depending on what they specialize in. The system consists of two options. An object that signifies the customer wants help and another that signifies the opposite.
3.       I am offering my product to apparel, shoe, personal care, department, home décor, and grocery stores, as well as car dealerships. My customers are common in that they are all providing a specific product and desire to make sales. My customers will not stay open if they do not make sales, therefore the employees working at these places are asked to attend to customers and push them to make a purchase. Most of the time these places have an incentive system put in place for their employees, so that they are eager to close a sale.
4.       The customers care about my solution because they care about customer service. If they push for the well being of the customer, than they will be willing to invest in this because they understand that most customers who currently attend their stores become irritated when an employee approaches them while they are just browsing and checking out the products. This statement is proven to be true through my interviews with people who attend stores.
5.       What sets me apart from other people is that I am a Sales Associate. I have encountered many experiences with unhappy customers, and I know that if they are given the opportunity to explore the products offered and get the help when they feel they are ready, then they are more likely to buy.

For the most part, I believe that all five elements are pretty cohesive. The element that I would say is the weakest is number 5. I feel that my business idea is somewhat unique and with my sales experience it can be considered strong, but I do not know how to convince customers that they could not find someone with similar traits to me to produce this system for them.

Comments

  1. Hey Brianna,
    I am confused on what system you plan to put in place. I feel that you are creating a solution to a problem which already has a solution. If a customer wants assistance, they should ask for it. If they want to be left alone, they say so. I am not sure that customers have the need, nor do I think that these companies will be willing to spend money on it. I absolutely agree that customer service can be improved, but I am not sure this is the way to do it.

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  2. Hi Brianna,
    I enjoyed reading more about your idea and the various aspects of it. While I admire your determination and passion for this idea, I fear that it doesn't really have a practical purpose or satisfy an unmet need for the people you are intending to sell it to. This product is more targeted at the shoppers themselves and less at the stores. This might be something to keep in mind- perhaps you could rebrand/reformulate your idea into something that appeals more to those who actually have the need you're identifying.

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  3. Hi Brianna, I have enjoyed watching your opportunity grow and evolve from a simple idea into what you have today. I think you have done a really nice job outlining why this opportunity is an issue, however I feel that you struggled a little when coming up with a solution. I feel I did too, so I don't blame you! But you have a great foundation of an idea.

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  4. Hi Brianna!
    I really enjoyed your post, you provided a very detailed description of your product so I knew very easily what problem you were solving and who you would be marketing your product to. I thought it was especially interesting that you work in retail and came up with the idea from your work experiences rather than as a disgruntled customer, though I suppose that makes sense since your are exposed to the issue a lot more often than just the average shopper. Well done!

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