Marketing lesson from a random old lady sitting on the pavement

“Why am I not getting sales?“

The age-old question that ran through all our minds at some point, and I am pretty sure it still haunts us from time to time.

Doesn’t it?

But why?

Even though you’re

• working your a** off

• doing EXTENSIVE market research

• testing your products until you’re exhausted

The answer might be that you’re not hitting their CORE desires…

That day I was waiting on the street for someone when I saw this old lady sitting on the pavement.

(Now, I am from a 3rd world country where beggars are a part of every street. Yeah, it is a huge problem nowhere near being solved)

So I took out some change and reached out to her.

The big, warm smile I got in return? That somehow reminded me of my grandma.

And on some impulse, sat right there on the dusty concrete pavement beside this stranger (something I never did and now wondering WHY I didn’t) and started chatting.

Did I get some weird stares? Yeah I did, but who cares?

Trust me when I say this old lady was more fun to talk with than some of the “higher class” people I know.

While talking, figured out that she has 2 daughters"; both of them abandoned her. Even though she freaking raised them.

And she loved kids, reminds her of her grandchildren.

One guy passed us with a kid squirming in a stroller and she kept craning her neck to see until she couldn’t see anymore.

Turns out what she wanted was not money, like I originally assumed. If anything, she couldn’t care less about it.

She found enough to get by which was more than enough.

But what she REALLY wanted was

• a family

• place to call “home”

• spending the last days with her grandkids

Would these have ever crossed my mind if I didn’t have that chat with her?

Nope, chances are…NEVER.

(I would have assumed her greatest desire was money to live a comfortable life)

Just like YOU assume with your audience.

Yeah, might seem like all they are after are followers, engagements, passive income.

But what if they are not?

What if these are just the outer shell?

How do you know what burns in their core?

(Sometimes, they don’t know it themselves)

To bring it out

• get down to where they are

• genuinely talk to them

• feel what they feel

When you can lock those emotions,

Give them what they TRULY want…

Sales should be just a click away.

That’s it for today!

See ya next email.

Until then,

Take care, stay safe and drink lots of water.

Love,

Khadija

BTW, did you ever sit on the road to have a chat like this one?