Like in any big city, beggars are easy to find around here.
To get some money they go to busy places like movie theaters, malls, post offices, parking lots, etc.
Most of them around here stay with a piece of cardboard with something written trying to grab your attention.
Some are more creative or skilled and they stay in busy places playing some kind of instrument.
Some just approach you and beg.
There is one guy downtown that has a different approach. He goes around with his dog. His dog is a Pug a little overweight and well taken care of. It is a cute dog, very calm.
If you were to stay around these two, you’d notice that from every 3 people passing by, at least one stops to pet the dog.
Guess what happens next? A coin exchanges hands.
This fellow found a way to separate himself from the other beggars and gets more coins than most.
He found a marketing strategy that works for him. He found a way to attract people and to engage them through emotion without doing what every other beggar does.
I’m not trying to touch any moral aspect here. I just want to make a point:
Every time you find a way to differentiate yourself from the competition, you win and if you understand that people buy based on emotions, you win again.
Take a look at your business and ask yourself this question: How to I really differentiate my business from the competition?
Do not come with things like: We offer great customer service or have the best price.
What is really your unique point?
And then, ask this?
How do people learn about what is unique in my business?
See, my friend with the Pug dog makes sure he is around high end malls and places with a lot of foot traffic.