The Lesson I Learned Working in Retail Food

​Twenty or so years ago I did something I never imagined for myself; I got a job managing a cinnamon roll shop. I’m not going to mention any names, but it is ubiquitous across North America. Oh, and its logo used to be pink, blue, and white. Of course that was a million years ago. I can’t even find that look on the Google. Not the point. What I remember most about the company was its overarching marketing strategy: Sampling. The smell of cinnamon that permeates the entire mall is a great start – it sets off the notion that they are hungry for the product – but putting a plate of food under the noses of these potential consumers, that’s marketing at its finest.
 
(The only problem that I had with it was the amount of frosting they would require us to put on top of the small sample portion, an amount equal to the size of the cinnamon roll sample itself. It was an effort to upsell you to adding additional frosting cups to your order, but, to my mind, it created an inferior product. “Would you like a coffee to go with that toothache?” But I digress.)
 
In the time since I began my end-of-life coaching business, I have gotten myself onto at least a dozen email lists as a result of watching webinars or downloading other tools to help me serve my clients better. I remember settling in for a weekend online Coaching Bootcamp – there must’ve been ten or twelve speakers – and worrying to a friend that they’d all be trying to sell to me. You know what she said? “Everybody’s selling something.”
 
Wow.
 
Such a simple statement of truth, how had I not understood that before? Just because someone is waving something under your nose doesn’t mean that it’s not worth having. While I know I could do without the thousand calorie cinnamon bun, I will admit that I go into these webinars with a new attitude and I don’t unsubscribe from their mailing lists. Maybe the bit of knowledge they’re offering is exactly what I need to serve my clients and their families. Or someday it will be. I’ve certainly bought some of their programs and I will keep working on myself and my skills so I can better serve.
 
So, if you like one of my posts, I will invite you to like my page. I will invite you to accept my offer to sample my Pre-Death Planning Checklist. I’ll send an email out maybe once or twice a month to remind you that I’m here. You may not need any of my services now, but maybe someday you or someone you know (or the friend of a friend or family member or, well, you get the drift) will be looking for end-of-life coaching services, and you’ll be in a position to find them, to find me, and get the support that that person needs.
 
Until then, I remain yours on the journey,
 
Christie
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