In a recent trip to South America, we learned a lot about advertising in the markets there. For example, outside Quito, in Ecuador, there is the Otavalo Market, where they sell a variety of crafts. The sellers there use the most rudimentary marketing techniques to bring people/tourists into their stalls, and these are tactics–both good and bad–that pet supply retailers can learn from.

The first technique we noticed was the “just for you” deal, where the merchant shouts out special pricing and deep discounts “just for you.” The problem was that these “just for you” deals were offered to every tourist that walked by. Since it obviously wasn’t “just for us,” it undoubtedly wasn’t a great price either. The lesson we learned was that marketing should be honest. If a store’s pricing isn’t the “lowest in town,” then don’t say it is. If someone finds lower pricing somewhere else, they’ll most likely never shop at your store again, let alone trust your recommendations for new products.


Befriending Customers
The next technique applied on us was the “buddy” technique. In this one, someone working with the merchant would walk beside us and try to start a conversation. They’d say something like, “Are you American?” Then they’d tell us about their cousin in America and ask if we knew “so-and-so in Dallas.” They’d get a conversation going and tell us that their other cousin makes the best ponchos and ask if we’d bought one. The first time this approach was used, we did go and buy a little poncho for our daughter. The second and third time, it didn’t work, but we saw the beauty of this approach–making friends with customers before you try to sell them something. When customers walk into a pet store, ask them about their pet–at least three questions–before beginning a sales pitch.

Another version of the buddy technique was the “not-so-good chatty” technique. We were looking for some jewelry in a shop when the merchant came out and started talking about everything in the store. We couldn’t get a word in edgewise, and he was so excited to sell us something, anything, that he didn’t take time to listen to what we wanted. Talking and asking questions is good, but listening is even better.

You’ve probably heard of the “loss leader,” which means selling an item at a loss but making up for it by selling other items at full price. Well, it worked on us. In Otavalo, there were a variety of fruit stands selling oranges for a quarter each. Then I saw a stall with a sign that said “oranges one cent.”  Well, for a penny, I couldn’t resist. So as I peeled and munched the juicy orange, the merchant showed us some jewelry, which of course we bought. The one-cent orange resulted in a $50 sale. The lesson here is to think about acquisition costs of new customers. Whether via advertising or a loss leader, getting a $50 customer for the price of a 25-cent orange is a good deal.


The husband and wife team of Eric Cohen and Joyce Shulman is the force behind the Ignition Team, a marketing and business consulting group with a specialty in the pet industry.