We had the most exhilarating special promotion, and BOY! did we learn a lesson or two...
Kudos to Kristin Hilton, Patricia Walker and Paul Robins. For their endurance, tunnel vision and do-or-die attitude.
Here's the story...
During our regular morning staff meeting, 1 hour before the Hump Day Sale my team made a rather RISKY bet with me.
They said, "We'll reach $XX,XXX amount of dollars (high 5 figures)in 24 hours OR you can keep our monthly bonus.
This was very exciting to me. To watch them take the bull by the horn and put their money where their mouth is - so I agreed.
The SALE started at 9:00 AM EST Sharp and they were ON IT. Calling the BIG TICKET advertisers to let them know ofthe steep discount (60%OFF) available, multi-tasking and helping clients on the phone and the live chat service.
Within 5 hours they had reached more than half of
the desired goal. Pretty pleased with their accomplishments, they gloated. "Piece 'O' Cake, Abe!" - they kept saying.
Forward..... 12 Hours into the sale orders were pouring in, but then at 9:30 PM, something happened. "The Sales Stopped Pouring in, it just trickled in one every hour or so."
Forward...22 hours into the sale, the team was in a PANIC. They were just $2347 short of their goal. Just $2347 short and they hardly had 2 hours to make it - or, forfeit their substantial monthly commission check! (ouch!)
Good Honest and much needed Money they could use for paying bills, and taking care of their family.
They almost felt like they had made a mistake by gambling. And they swore a million times, "Never Again!".
But then something happened!
Their Creative Mind started kicked in and started brainstorming Ideas of how they can pull themselves out of this mess.
"They Used 100% Creativity To Market The Offer!"
1. They made an offer that no one could refuse. By putting an additional 5% from their own pockets to offer a total of 65% OFF.
2. They extended the promotion for a couple of hours.
3. They had this do-or-die attitude and
were gracious about it.
4. They did email updates with their offer.
Guess what happened?
Within, 45 minutes they had reached their GOAL!
I am honored and rather lucky to work with a team like this.
The lesson learned:
1. You can always find Creative Solutions to any problem if you think a little deeper.
2. Be gracious and be thankful for your clients. They are your business.
The craziness starts all over again next Wednesday! We promise to make your Hump Days a little brighter. Until then...
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