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2011Hot! Fashion Tresor Paris Shamballa Handmade Friendship Bracelet/Bangle TB09 $6.48 |
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Matching Your Target Market – A Lesson From Mexican Entrepreneurs by Sue Painter
How to reach your peeps is just about always on my mind – it comes with the territory of being a marketing therapist. So here I was, two days ago, lounging around on the public beach in Puerto Vallarta. And I ended up, no big surprise, watching the vendors who sell up and down the beach. It is a great case study of how to figure out what to sell to a specific target market.
In the space of two hours we were visited by quite a number of beach vendors. Here’s a list of the items we were offered:
Cooked skewered shrimp, topped off by one of the limes hooked onto a separate skewer.
Heavy blankets in various colors that could be used on the beach or as a rug at home.
Brightly colored large pitchers that looked like ceramic but were actually wood.
Toys and gum from a basket.
Tuba-tuba, which is a chilled coconut drink served into a cup from a huge hollowed out double gourd.
Lace shawls.
All sorts of jewelry – silver, shells, beaded.
Elaborately carved cold fresh fruit, your choice, from a head-balanced platter.
Music from a 3-group band, complete with voice and instruments (including a bass fiddle)
Music from a two-person steel band percussion group, a 4-foot long instrument that unfolded and sat on a table, complete with sound system (battery operated).
Sunglasses
Bracelets hand-woven with your name on it
Straw hats
Large silver and mother of pearl fish which are jointed throughout the body so that the fish “swim” when wiggled.
I’m not quite sure this is everything, but the list covers most of the vendors we saw drifting by.
OK, let’s say that your job is to be a beach vendor on a warm Mexican beach. Some of your potential customers will be sitting in chairs under palabas, some will be already sitting in restaurants along the beach. Your job is to sell as much as you can from what you are offering. Can you name the top two things to sell? Can you name the bottom two things to sell? Remember that your target market is beach goers, some of whom are foreign, some of whom are locals, all of whom are on the beach, and some of whom are eating or drinking in restaurants. What are your picks for the two best things to sell to this market, and the two worst things?
Keep in mind, too, that you have to carry what you sell, walking in the sand, up and down the beach for miles and hours a day.
My two picks for the worst? The brightly colored large pitchers, which look like ceramic but are made of wood. They are awkward to carry, the vendor can’t actually carry more than about 4 at a time, and who on the beach wants one of these pitchers right then? Even if a potential customer was not on the beach, the pitchers are too large to easily carry home if you are a foreigner, and more than likely the locals don’t even use them as they don’t hold liquid. I think the guy who chose to sell the pitchers needs a few marketing lessons!
My second choice for the worst to sell, although a close race, is the steel band percussion. The instrument was huge to carry (requiring both persons) up and down the sand, hard to set up, and had to be hauled along with a fold-out table and the battery-operated sound system. That’s a lot to set up and take down for just one song, even if you had good luck selling the music to a lot of people. Plus, many people besides the one person who paid for the music can hear it, so you aren’t exactly going to sell music to the next person, are you? And frankly, most beach goers are busy sleeping, reading, riding the waves, or walking up and down the beach…..they don’t really have hearing live music on their minds.
My two choices for the best things to sell? Straw hats, because lots of beachgoers get to the beach thinking they won’t need a hat. But when they get there, they realize they do! The hats are relatively light to carry (I saw one vendor with a stack of about 50 straw hats on his head). As I watched him sell to someone on the sand, I realized he also had an upsell! He took leather braided bands out of his pocket and offered to add one to the hat for just a few more pesos. Smart guy – beach goers need hats, and they didn’t wear him out to carry.
My second choice for the best thing to sell is the cold, fresh fruit. It both gives a beach person something to eat and quenches thirst. It’s colorful and appetizing, and very noticable since most of the fresh fruit vendors carry the trays on their heads. It’s not expensive, it’s healthy, and even the kids seemed to like it. It’s probably one of the easiest things to carry on the beach, and the tray actually gives the vendor a little shade as he walks.
The point to this is that there are many things to consider when you are deciding what and how to sell to your target market. You do have to consider the pound of flesh it takes out of you, the costs you have in obtaining the product, and, of course, what you believe your market will want.
This doesn’t apply to the beach vendors as much as it does to you, but one way to quit guessing what your market wants is to ask them! Use a brief survey, talk to a subset of your prospects now and then, keep your ear to the ground. You’ll be more apt to design something that is wanted and needed than if you just put something on your back and start walking.
Sue Painter is a marketing therapist whose expertise is finding the dark and murky under-places that keep your business from succeeding. She develops business plans that work, and strategic marketing plans that take dead aim at your target market. You can subscribe to her Marketing Tips e-zine at http://www.confidentmarketer.com .
Article Source: http://www.earticlesonline.com/Article/Matching-Your-Target-Market—A-Lesson-From-Mexican-Entrepreneurs/726343
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Rexlace Activity Pack-Bracelets Bracelets $3.99 Make Mobiles Bracelets Necklaces and More Out of STRAWS ! Kit will make 6 different gimp bracelets using Gimp Lace beads and pompoms. |
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Leisure Arts-Beaded Bracelets To Knit $9.95 LEISURE ARTS-Beaded Bracelets to Knit. Each of these 15 exciting bracelet designs by Leslieanne Beller gives you the opportunity to add more color and sparkle to your life–with knitting! Using embroidery floss and beads; you can knit the bracelets as shown; or change the floss and bead colors to create jewelry that’s uniquely yours. We have included Bracelet Basics to help you in knitting with polyester floss; choosing the best bead size; and adding closures to get an even; professional finish. You’ll also see how easy it is to add charms to your bracelet. And by following the instructions for pattern variations; you can custom-fit these designs for any wrist. What lovely gifts to make for your friends or yourself! |
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Beautiful Bracelets $7.99 Pages: 19Type: Softcover BookPublisher: Design OriginalsFor thousands of years people have loved to adorn themselves with beads and natural gems. These stunning bracelets combine the beauty of beads and the richness of natural stones. These jeweled treasures are so simple to make that even the novice jeweler will have a wonderful time making these unique pieces of art. Once you begin this adventure you won’t want to stop. Look for Mary’s companion books that feature necklaces and earrings as well! |
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Opti-Art Bracelets $9.99 Everything needed to make 2 bracelets available in 1 kitFor ages 7 to 97A great project to do with a friend. Make 2 bracelets based on the OptiArt reverse painting technique. Paint the back (flat side) of the clear cabochon shapes in any design you like. Paint the foreground first then the background and when you turn the shape over your design will pop. If you like you can decoupage a photo or image to the back of some of the cabochon shapes. Then glue the cabochons onto the bracelets for custom art to wear everywhere. |
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Jelly Bracelets 50-Glitter $1.99 Pepperell Jelly Bracelets are fun to wear and easy to make! Attach them to a backpack belt loop or just wear them around the wrist or ankle. With the included connecters you can even make necklaces by putting together a variety of pieces. This package contains fifty bracelets in a wide variety of colors and fifty connectors. Recommended for children ages 6 and up. WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD-Small parts. Not for children under 3 years. |
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Crystal Glitter Bracelets Kit $7.99 Make your own fashion statement with Style Me Up! Crystal Glitter Bracelets from Aquastone Group Wooky Entertainment. This package contains three crystal bracelets three 0.3oz/15g tubes of glitter a reusable storage container of 0.1oz/3g of rhinestones a variety of ribbons and full color instructions. Recommended for children ages 8 and up. WARNING: Choking Hazard-small parts. Not for children under 3 years. |
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Design Originals-Friendship Bracelets $7.99 This book contains over 25 colorful beading designsPublisher: Design OriginalsFriendship knows no bounderies with this book you will learn the basics to creating a unique gift of friendship to exchange or share! Over 25 colorful designs and easy-to-follow instructions for you to make bracelets in every color of the rainbow. |
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Picture Bracelets Book Kit $12.99 This book comes with everything a girl needs to make perfectly personalized jewelry. You’ll love this quick and stylish way to make jewelry to wear or share. This kit includes everything you need to make two pictures braceletsTwo 7.5 inch silver bracelets each with six 1/2 inch diameter framesMore than 100 stickersDetailed instructionsRecommended for ages 8 and upSpiral Bound: 21 pagesAuthor: Sherri Haab |
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Plastic Twist Bracelets $4.99 Teachers! Parents! Kids! Look what’s new for you at Jo-Ann! A great selection of resources games & decor collections designed to grow a child’s mind! Pretty little twisted plastic bracelets make great kids’ party prizes and more! Great for classroom favors or awards. Assorted colors 8 per package. Ages 3+ |
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Ankle To Toe Bracelets Kit $12.99 Make your own fashion statement with Style Me Up! Ankle To Toe Bracelets from Aquastone Group Wooky Entertainment. This package contains over 1700 stylish beads twelve metal charms 0.34oz/10ml nail polish fifty nail tattoos five clasps 197in/500cm elastic cord a 7-7/8×7-7/8in (20x20cm) bead working mat and full color instructions. Recommended for children ages 8 and up. WARNING: Choking Hazard-small parts. Not for children under 3 years. |
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Friendship Bracelets Kit $27.99 The ultimate friendship bracelet book with directions for designs ranging from simple to simply amazing. The back cover doubles as a clipboard (clip included) so bracelets can be made directly besides their instructions. Comes with supplies to make at least one bracelet for each of your 12 closest friends. Comes with 10 skeins of embroidery floss beads and a plastic Klutz clip. 60 pages. |
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Design Originals-Friendship Bracelets 102 $8.99 This book features more than 50 friendship bracelets to wear and share. Clear instructions and images illustrate exactly how to wow your friends with mementoes of your years together. Manufacturer: Design Originals Softcover: 19 pages Made in USA |
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Safety Pin Bracelets Book Kit $19.99 You’ve never seen bracelets like this before! They’re a little unexpected a ton of fun and totally you! This kit contains everything you need to make one-of-a- kind unique bracelets:175 safety pinsOver 1000 assorted beads18 feet of metallic cord10 easy-to-follow bracelet designsCustomizable design grids. Recommended for ages 8 and up. Spiral Bound: 48 pages.Caution: The safety pins in this book have functional sharp points. |
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Glass Bead Kits – 6 Bracelets/Mermaid Mist $5.99 Manufacturer: CousinQuantity: up to 6 braceletsSize: Assorted SizesColor: see below for colorsComposition: GlassTake the guess-work out of matching! Each kit contains enough glass beads and clear stretch cord to make up to six bracelets. |