I was reading what I think is Marc Krisjanous entry on Business Blogs and started thinking, Me made the following comment in the article: “Most never ignite any interest because quite frankly the author of the email couldn’t sell snow to an Eskimo!” Thinking about this I am assuming that Marc Krisjanous is not the brightest bulb in the fitting because selling ice to eskimos is a doomed business plan.
I cannot sell Ice to Eskimos, nor can I sell sand to Arabs because to put it simply I have ethics and morals. I am a believer in first doing a needs assessment. After a very brief needs assessment I would suggest that selling ice to Arabs seems a much more viable business plan. Without any market research I already know the following, The Arabian countries are mainly desert based. They are very warm in climate, some may even say too bloody hot. They have sand wherever they look so selling them sand would be a doomed enterprise.
The first thing we need to use in our assessment of any business idea is common sense. If nobody is doing it, it could be one of three reasons.
- Someone tried and failed
- It’s a stupid idea in the first place.
- It’s a uniquely new idea, We all know there are very few of those about.
So the first thing we need to assess in our Market research is, Has it been tried before? and if so why did it fail. Businesses sometimes fail for reasons unconnected to the product or idea. Here are a few reasons that I can come up with without any real thought.
- Poor management
- Poor control of cash flow
- The business was under capitalised
- Poor positioning in the market
- Poor location
So in fact what we need to consider when planning to sell Ice to eskimos is, did someone try it before? Where were they situated? Did they pick the wrong side of the tracks where nobody will risk going for instance a high end boutique in a low rent district. Speak to the management if you can find them and ask why they failed. The answers you will get can vary from
- I don’t know
- I couldn’t afford to keep going
and more. the answer will give you the answer, The I don’t know points to poor management. The I couldn’t afford points to undercapitalisation etc. I know of a small business owner that started a Bougain Villae Nursery in Nelspruit where they grow wild, He told me it was akin to impoting sand to Egypt, A stupid idea he admits.
Well enough said, If it’s a unique idea then you need to think it through and do a different type of research. This is where the web can be you ace in the hole. You can very quickly find and poll the multitudes, see what and where people are searching. Is there a similar product available in another location, How is that company doing?
Check the odds before you get started. Do you want to know how to use the internet for research, then join my FREE internet marketing course over at 100 bucks a day dot com. No strings at all.
The article referred to is here