Attraction Marketing – What does it have to do with licorice and chicken and pasta?

I just went to the store to buy 2 pieces of licorice. I had $2 in my pocket and my American Express Card. When I got to the store, I saw that there was vegetarian chicken and pasta on the counter. 
 
I casually mentioned to the owner of the store that it looked good. He told me that his wife made it from scratch.
 
I asked him how much it was knowing that I only had $2 in my pocket and assuming that he did not take American Express.
 
He said $6.49. I thought that is a fair price (I live in New York City so $6.49 is a fair price.)
 
I asked him if he took American Express thinking that he did not and that the minimum charge would be $10.
 
He said – “Of Course we take American Express.”
 
Before I knew it, I had my American Express Card out and was GLADLY spending $7.50 when I meant to spend $1.50 for 2 pieces of licorice.
 
The owner of the store presented me with the product by putting it on his counter and allowed me to sell myself. 
 
He also took away any of the barriers that would get in the way by accepting my American Express Card.
 
I learned a few things about marketing from this simple transaction –

• I can just put my opportunity and product in front of people. The right people will sell themselves if I let them. That is what the store owner did for me.

• I never know what another person is thinking or wants and neither do they. I went to buy licorice and thought that would be good enough. The store owner presented a better solution and I saw the value in that solution, so I bought it.

• I can anticipate barriers that customers will have and come up with solutions to remove them before they happen. 

 
Ultimately, people want to say “Yes” to us and our business , so I plan to make it easier for them to do that in the future. 

Thanks for allowing me to share my life.