Comments on: Sell More Stuff: Recipe For Madness

By: Rhonda

Rhonda — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 04:59:43 +0000

One thing I hate about the US is the overwhelming variety of choices you’re given when you order a meal. 25 varieties of salad dressing, 15 varieties of sauces, 5 ways to cook eggs, and on and on it goes.

Barry Schwartz wrote a book called “The Paradox of Choice” where he addressed this overwhelming feeling of helplessness when faced with too many choices. In addition to the book, he gave a TED talk on this subject (20 min video is available here: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/barry_schwartz_on_the_paradox_of_choice.html), and there’s a potted version here: http://changethis.com/13.ParadoxOfChoice

By: Legacies, Links, Bad Ads And Puker Powder | Catherine Lawson

Legacies, Links, Bad Ads And Puker Powder | Catherine Lawson — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 02:11:38 +0000

[...] I really wished I hadn’t read this post on Itty Biz before I went on vacation: Sell More Stuff – A Recipe For Madness. [...]

By: Sell More Stuff: Legitimizing Scarcity | Starting a Home Business | Home Business Ideas | Work From Home

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 01:35:14 +0000

[...] kick lately in case you haven’t noticed. (The other day’s comeback post was about offering too many choices as part of your marketing strategy.) Today, I’m on [...]

By: Carole

Carole — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 04:31:48 +0000

Welcome back! The internet isn’t the same without you here making me spit soda on my laptop screen.

Hope the family drama is resolved quickly and painlessly….

By: Milena Thomas

Milena Thomas — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:55:48 +0000

Heheh.

I was taught me the same lesson, but not with Puker Powder, but ladies shoes. I was told, never give a lady more than two choices if you are selling her shoes. If she asks for one pair, always bring on that she might like better, but never 3 or 4. She will get overwhelmed and leave empty-handed.

Of the two, she’ll most likely buy 1, the one she liked, the one you brought, or both if you are lucky.

By: Wendi Kelly

Wendi Kelly — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:49:08 +0000

Out of my four kids I have one that is a Libra through and through and couldn’t make a choice if his life depended on it as a kid. That scene would have paralyzed him. He would have sat there all day trying to decide until my very impatient Aries nature wanted to throw the kit and kaboodle out a window. I learned never , ever to give him more then two choices and then to always stack the deck if I was in a hurry. terrible I know, but still…
The thing is…I found it worked with the rest of them better as well. I think it is a rare peson who wants to go through all of that. But then, they probably can all be found with their noses pressed up to the glass at Baskin & Robbins 31 Flavors. I wouldn’t take my kids there. I don’t have the patience.

By: Sven Schöne

Sven Schöne — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:00:21 +0000

This reminds me of Microsoft, who has assigned 300$ million for a new marketing campaign for Windows Vista. Maybe they should really just cut down on the number of versions (which has already been criticized A LOT in the press).

A few months ago I needed a Windows for my new second PC (yes, my home office looks awesome now!) and I thought to myself “why not go with Vista?” I mean, I was using XP since 2002 and I trust MS more or less (yes, I said it! I TRUST MS on OS- and Office-software!). So I went to the next store with my dad and I already knew which version to pick (Home Premium for anyone interested), but my dad was totally confused. “Don’t you want to build a home business? So why don’t take the business version?” Best question ever. He said, that all that choice was too much, he would have picked XP Home, primarily because he is familiar with it and also because it is easily labeled “Home”. Vista has “Home Basic” and “Home Premium” and he said he would feel like he would lose out on something if he picked the wrong version.
“So dad, just pick ‘Vista Ultimate’ and you have your perfect OS, you don’t lose out on anything.” “Too expensive. Give me XP Home.”

BTW, I ended up with buying Vista which is now laying in my desk and buying another copy of XP. Horrible experience.

Oh, and good to see you’re back, Naomi. I was really missing your posts already. Hope everything went alright, wish you the best of luck. ;)

By: Nicole

Nicole — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 02:46:14 +0000

Just bumped into your blog–it’s real spiffy.

This post is golden–your description of all the powdery flavors really made me want to puke-r . . . I completely understand the concept that quantity is not always quality–it’s something I run into trying to explain very often in the Design world–loved this classic example.

By: Jeanne

Jeanne — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 23:41:49 +0000

It’s good to see you’re back and surviving, if just somewhat.

I’m trying to market to people that want to make the decisions and get their unique, but I should to find a way to delicately handle the ones that really just want to point and buy. (You’ll take it and you’ll like it. Yeah…)

By: bill

bill — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:42:58 +0000

So…offer enough that you either cover the major markets, and possibly the occasional dilletante, without offering so much that your store is a warehouse for the vendor. Which I’m sure is harder than it looks.