Gavin Escolar immigrated from the Philippines to San Francisco to sell jewelry but he was struggling. Business was slow and he became an Uber driver to make ends meet. Some of his Uber customers would ask for a business card when they learned about his jewelry business. Then it hit him. He had a captive audience during each ride.
So he began tucking brochures into the back seat sleeves. He hung jewelry pieces from the rearview mirror. He even carried some samples in the glove compartment to show the more inquisitive riders. These were great conversation starters.
Soon he was selling enough jewelry from driving Uber that he bought three cars and hired drivers to drive for him. He trained these drivers on his tactful sales techniques, where to pick up passengers that are likely to buy and how to engage with them.
It freed up his time to design new jewelry. Gavin pulled in $250,000 in sales last year.
He is very tactful about his sales process. He never brings up the jewelry business to his customers. He engages them only if they start a conversation. Often the passengers will notice the brochure or the jewelry and engage him.
For most of his rides, Gavin barely says a word. And when he does engage with them about jewelry, it’s about his customers. He asks questions to understand their needs and desires. By being tactful and respectful, Gavin is able to keep his Uber ratings high and also sell tons of jewelry.
Every platform has it’s own unique tactics that can lead to success. Using the wrong tactics can backfire. Here’s an annoyed Uber rider who had a different experience than Gavin’s riders:
“As a passenger I’ve had a driver aggressively try to push a MLM scheme on to me. Don’t do this, I was uninterested and tried exiting the conversation many times but had a long ride to the airport dealing with it. I gave him one star because he took advantage of the situation that I clearly wanted nothing to do with. So don’t be that guy.”
Another great platform to grow your sales is your existing customer base. But again, you have to use the right tactics. Offering rewards to your customers via a customer-friendly rewards app like RewardCamp is a great way to convert new buyers into repeat customers.
Sign up for a free trial at www.rewardcamp.com