19A- Idea Napkin No. 2

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.       These customers will find my solution valuable in that it will result in an increase in sales for their store. It is statistically proven that customers do not want to speak to a sales associate unless they have browsed, researched, and decided what product they want. Stores can avoid annoying customers by implementing this system and will result in better revenue for the store.

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.

I feel the elements of my plan fit together very cohesively. I would say the weakest element would be number 5, in that I cannot promise people that I am completely different and that there is not one person out there that has similar qualities to me.

Feedback Memo: When I received feedback, I was told that it seemed I wasn’t confident in my solution and that it seemed like a struggled with it. Also, I was told that my customer would probably not spend money on my product because it is not that serious of a problem. The way I incorporated this feedback was by explicitly stating the reason my customer would find my solution valuable and then backing it up with evidence. I included a fact about the way people typically shop and how they choose a product. Pointing out that my system can increase sales will hopefully make my solution and unmet need sound more promising.