A personal story about getting out there and why it is worth it

This week it was all about T & V shaped employee profiles but my entire weekend made me change my plans.

As some of you might know I’m running a side hustle together with my father to sell cashmere clothing online (www.houseofgoat.com in case you wonder :)) On my journey to find the perfect product market fit I still have a way to go. Since for a small endeavor like ours a couple of hundreds of cashmere sweaters can make a big difference in our pocket - hitting this sweet spot is essential for us.

» And maybe this is also good moment to take a pause and think about that: The higher my risk to not succeed (to not find the product-market fit) the more important it gets for me to dig into what my customer might really want. Now - lets be honest to ourselves: When working in a company that is not yours, whats your hunger to solve this product-market fit issue ? «

So, since this is ‘issue’ is really important to me, the last two days I have spent on the shop floor of a big German retailer that allowed me to run a small pop-up. It was the perfect moment to not only sell my products but to gain invaluable insights into my target group (and learn some things about myself on the way as well)

For two days I was in deep, honest & extremely insightful dialogues with people that (involuntarily) ran into me in the men’s department and all of them happily engaged in a dialogue with me

• what they might be worried about when buying my product (e.g. care, pilling)

• what they loved about my product (the fabric feel) 

• what the story behind the brand is about

• how they can stay in touch with me and the brand

Interesting Patterns arose:

• All accompanied Men waited until their wives showed up and approved their selection

• All of them said that were willing to pay the price if the product is worth it or in other words: Price doesn’t matter when Luxury

• During the event, the most common size in M (almost 60% chose M), Online I sell almost entirely L or XL.

• The best selling color compared offline vs. online was a light blue. The difference is 300% (!)

What I learned is unspoken of: Regardless, if you’re selling pullovers, toothpaste or cars - A direct, authentic, and therefore also very honest dialogue with your potential customer is probably the most crucial point in digital business. Yet so many hide behind desks, boardrooms, or governance processes. The list is long of excuses why a direct interaction might not be feasible.

And yes, it was by far not easy for me to stand in the middle of a Fashion Retail Shopfloor on a Friday and Saturday and talk to random people about my product, my business and also my family and lastly myself. But in return, I not only sold a really high number of my product, but I left on Saturday night with a smile on my face: Thrilled by the great conversations, motivated by the feedback and lastly, a little bit proud of myself to be humble and open to face the ‘eye of the customer’.

So, take this Newsletter to maybe halt for a moment and ask yourself when you have actively engaged with your customer in a genuine approach to create the perfect market fit.

• asking your management stakeholders from business how to increase trust & collaboration

• asking users what feature they love the most

• asking your employees what moves them to come to work everyday

The list is long.

Sending the best intentions today,

Sophie

P.S. On top I figured out retail sales is a massive motivator for me ;)