
I've been listening to a bunch of audios on Michael Senoff's “Hard to Find Seminars” site.
(Get on his mailing list.)
I've learned tons from listening to his audio interviews.
One in particular, that I just finished yesterday, was with “the fruit stand guy.”
It was appealing to me for a variety of reasons. Lots of gold in this interview.
Get it here.
I grew up in farmland out in Brentwood, CA. I read once that it was the largest producer of hops in the world, exporting tons of the good stuff to England and Europe around the turn of the 20th century.
Around the Great Depression, Brentwood turned to fruit. It's still very well-known for its cherries. People from all over Northern California flock to the city during cherry season.
There are literal traffic jams during the summer months. I've seen crashes, fights, and all sorts of ridiculousness during the “picking season.”
So I know very well about fruit, fruit stands, and how most farmers sell fruit.
That's why this interview with “the fruit stand guy” was so appealing.
The guy claims (and I believe it) that you can make a million dollars in 100 days during summer, selling fruit on the side of the road.
He gives the full prescription on exactly how to do it.
Now, I don't expect YOU to get into fruit stand marketing. But there are some salient lessons embedded in that interview that I think any entrepreneur can incorporate into a business.
First, go where there is a steady stream of traffic.
Goes without saying, but we often want to buck the trend and do it our way.
Don't be foolish. Set up your shop where there is a hungry crowd.
Second, timing is critical.
Fruit Stand Guy (FSG) works 100 days a year. He takes off 265. Makes over a million. He works when demand is high and supply is plentiful.
Third, look busy, even when you're not.
FSG almost never looks his customers in the eyes. Why? He's too busy filling baskets full of cherries. He never handles money – his customers put money in a box and make their own change.
FSG “times” his interactions with customers so that as cars stop, he's in the middle of a transaction. He's always busy. More cars stop because cars are already stopped.
Empty stands don't inspire curiosity. People want to see what's going on. There must be something good going on here.
FSG's signs are his headlines. He used BOLD calls-to-action. Two work:
- Sweet cherries
- Today's picks
He tried hundreds of other signs. He tried up to ten signs at once in all directions. Found out that he only needed 2 signs: Sweet cherries and today's picks.
Don't over-complicate things.
Selling fruit is simple. The fruit sells itself. Your product could do the same. It's about positioning and putting your product in a stream of steady traffic.
FSG isn't a farmer. He buys his fruit from fruit brokers (who knew?). He marks up his cherries by more than 400 percent. His average “take” on a single customer who stops is $15-20. He “only” gets 100 or so customers a day out of thousands that drive by.
It's a fascinating interview. I encourage you to listen.
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I aspire to be more like FSG. 😀
I love Fruit Stand Guy (sounds like something from a Friends or Seinfeld episode)!
Very inspiring story, It’s a bit of valuable life lesson that everyone should learn. 🙂
I agree – thanks for the comment AND the tweet!