Seems like I am treating Medium as a long-form FAQ page. Oh, well. Having blogged for years (with intervals here and there, for full disclosure), if there’s one thing I realized, it’s not to try and force it. Whatever flows, you go with it, and hope you manage to get your point across, one way or another.
Which brings me back to a question a prospective storefront owner has asked as I tried to explain how WishKnish is the best thing since sliced bread. And sliced cheese. And even sliced Lebanon salami.
The lady in question, a florist by trade and lit major by education, has patiently sat through my spiel, asked a couple of questions (mainly dealing with our marketplace fees), and then coked her head like a wise, genteelly middle-aged owl. “That’s all quite nice, dear” she said, carefully shaving the thorns off a long-stemmed dark rose destined to become a centerpiece of someone’s bridal bouquet (I understand the happy couple has opted for a Goth-themed wedding). “But I am already doing rather well, aren’t I? Why would you say I should change horses mid-crossing the river?”
She was right. She really is doing quite well. The combination of a warm British accent, an ability to catch any literary references on the fly, an unerring eye for detail — and 20+ years doing what she loves have served her well in terms of making sure that she is unlikely to lack custom. Growing it, however, and rapidly enough so she could bring her son and daughter-in-law back from London to run it with her…
“Because word of mouth is something that you can never get too much of”, I shot back — and earned a measured, “Touché!” Word of mouth is exactly what got her where she is. And that’s when I knew she would at least give us a go.
WishKnish is built specifically on what is referred to in Russian as “sarafan radio.” Word of mouth quantified — and made into a commodity in and of itself. A way to not just praise a favorite florist’s good work — but also, earn a tangible reward for it, and for bringing the florist more business.
Coupled with lifestyle discovery — if someone has bought a set of wedding bands and booked a fleet of limousines within a couple of weeks of each other, then it’s a safe bet they’re probably in a market for a flower arrangement — and we think we can grow her business just enough that she can afford to have her son quit his job and bring his family over.
And considering what we’re offering doesn’t actually demand she wiggle out of her existent commitments or change her business model in any way, an outlay of some initial hands-on learning time, while possibly daunting, has potential in the end to seriously boost the exact locally-focused no-marketing-funds-outlay (beyond an occasional direct delivery into the neighborhood snail-mailboxes) she has been practicing for over two decades.
I am happy to report she is indeed wanting to give us a try.
The next question is to us: how do we manage to get her the know-how without breaking the bank in terms of human capital to actually explain the nitty-gritty of what she can do, and what else WishKnish can offer in the near future?
But that’s a whole other kettle of fish. Maybe even another article, one including custom templates, a chatbot, and the how-to videos we want to embed right into the setting-up process.
The important thing is — we are different. Or at least different enough not to scare a customer off that equates blockchains with a newfangled toy her (for now) London-based grandson wants for his birthday.
