Lesson #1: “Everybody likes something extra, for nothing.”

|
| Tweet |
|
Free PDF Download William Wrigley Jr. Quotes - By William Wrigley Jr. |
Wrigley Jr. first discovered the advantage of offering premiums to his customer in his early days of manufacturing and selling soap. As an extra incentive to merchants and customers, Wrigley Jr. came up with the idea of offering an added bonus. After all, who was ever not interested in receiving a little "something for nothing," as Wrigley Jr. said.
He started by offering free baking powder with his soap, finally switching to the baking powder business once it proved to be more popular. He then decided to offer two free packages of chewing gum with each can of baking powder. Once again, the offer was a big success, and Wrigley Jr. saw the premium become his new line of business.
Wrigley Jr.'s strategy to offer his customers "something for nothing" was not just a strategy for success that he happened to stumble upon by accident. Indeed, thanks to the years of hard work he had put into his father's soap manufacturing business in Pennsylvania, Wrigley Jr. had become something of a natural salesman. He had well honed his gift of being able to understand what it really was that his customers wanted, and adapting his business to their needs.
As the company grew over the years under Wrigley Jr.'s leadership, he continued to personally do much of the promoting and selling to merchants. In fact, his became one of the first companies to use advertising to promote and sell its brands. He discovered that by promoting his products in newspaper and magazine ads, outdoor posters, radio and more, consumers would begin to take greater note. As his advertising budget increased, more and more people began asking for Wrigley Jr.'s gum in stores across the country, forcing shopkeepers to maintain a larger stock of the product on hand. Wrigley Jr. was a natural salesman. He had a keen ability to understand the customer, and give them what they wanted, often times even before they knew they wanted it. Precisely because his resources in the early stages were so limited, Wrigley Jr. knew he had to make the best use of them as possible, even where that meant giving things away for free.
By focusing on offering premiums, Wrigley Jr. was in fact pre-selling his product. He was getting his customers not only familiar with, but predisposed to his gum even before they knew it. It was a risky move, but Wrigley Jr. managed to prove not once, but over and over again, that the best things in life really are free.
Related Articles
Home
> Famous-Entrepreneurs
> William Wrigley Jr.
> Lesson 1 Everybody likes something extra for nothing
> Google +
|
Free PDF Download William Wrigley Jr. Quotes - By William Wrigley Jr. |
Related Forum Posts
Share this article. Fund someone's dream.
Share this post and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva.
Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.
Featured Article
Straight Talk On Confidential Factoring In Canada – Why Accounts Receivable Financing & Invoice Services Just Got Better!
By Stan Prokop, Canadian Business Financing
Trending Articles
|
|
Like this page? PLEASE +1 it! |
Newsletter
Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Popular Articles
Make the best out of your Giveaways #K4
Koch Industries' Environmental Crimes
Order Takers vs. Influencers
Make the best out of your Giveaways #K4
Koch Industries' Environmental Crimes
Order Takers vs. Influencers
Suggestions
Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.
Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.






