- Looking for a Business idea - Try becoming a Dream Merchant
Long times back, a company introduced Ceasefire brand (to the best of my recollection) of Fire Extinguishers (FE) in India. They came up with a very handy, light and sleek model, which was quite impressive to hold, to operate and with its visual appeal. Their marketing campaign was more oriented towards Indian Households, and their door-to-door campaign made owning a Ceasefire FE something enviable. They went a step further, and targeted automobile owners, to have a FE also installed in their four-wheeler. Ceasefire became a status symbol very shortly, during those times, and the households and automobile owners who got it installed became the enviable lot.
Now, all FEs have a shelf life of, varying from 2 -10 years, but the company selling FEs insist that these FEs needs to be regularly maintained to ensure that when required to be used, it works, and full-fills its obligation. So, after-sale business comes as a must "add-on".
Here the company sold you something which you never wanted. Life was going on pretty well without these household FEs earlier also. They sold you something, in the name of a 'must have' safety gadget, which you never wanted or asked for, and which practically just adorned your walls and automobiles, without ever being required to be used.
Lets now come to Education centers, mushrooming in all major Indian cities, each claiming that they have higher success rates as compared to their competitors.
All parents, desiring for a secured future for their children, get them enrolled with these para education centers, with a hope that their children shall find their destiny under supervision and guidance of these institutions. But alas, for lakhs of students appearing for admission to desired colleges, and for qualifying exams to get an interview call, and final selection for a job, only a handful students are able to reach that dream college/job, and all others, either stay in the race, and may change educational centers, or may settle for an ordinary college/job.
The wonder is once these para-educational centers get established, a few years down the line, they open their franchise all over the country, and they get an unending stream of students year after year.
So they sell a dream. A few make their careers. These para educational centers however make bounty, year after year, as there shall always be a beeline for the so called secured college/job on your way. The latest Bollywood film "12th Fail", and its roaring success with masses ensures that this industry never have a drought in their life.
Hold on, now-a-days, with neo-rich parents around, there is a huge fully developed market for training the toddlers (1-2 years age group) for getting admission to elite nursery/kindergarten schools too.
The frenzy for getting your children admitted to Cricket Academy/Lawn Tennis/Wrestling/Boxing Academy etc, to fulfil parents unfulfilled dreams, is equally booming and anxious parents are vying with each other to get their children admitted to such Academy.
Sale of Insurance products, glittering gold, gem and jewellery, Diamonds etc., as a hedge against inflation and appreciation in their value over time, will never go out of fashion and thus these items continues to be other examples of selling security to public at large.
The business of these dream merchants is not subjected to any inflationary pressures, in the country or globally, and/or any political upheaval either.
They thrive on ring-fencing your fears and insecurities, and securing your future.
So, in case you are toeing with an idea to come up with a start-up, how about vying to be a dream merchant?
Sell Fear, or sell Future, or may be both.