One idea I had for my tailored shirt business was a scheme where I gave someone a discount code and if they or their friends used it, they would after five uses get a free shirt.
When I formulated this plan I had a lot of good feedback but since the launch of the business it has hit a pretty big snag - lots of people have got codes, but noone has been using them!
Why?
It’s a question of culture.
In Australia more than, say, America, we generally take particular exception to people trying to sell us things. I know this is a common complaint world-wide but it seems to be more prevalent here than other places.
Our culture doesn’t appreciate those who try to promote themselves. In many social situations it’s a pretty big faux pas to say anything good about yourself - at all!
Just two weeks ago I was talking to someone whose cousin was recently made partner at a prestigious law firm at a very young age. Was she proud of her cousin? Well, no, not really. She was crticising her cousin for having the gumption to tell anyone else - even family - that she had been successful.
This cultural rule extends into selling or recommending products to your friends where you get a kick-back.
Because of this low take-up I am going to drop this program and restructure my pricing.
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