0816_TOEFL-Test-and-Score-Manual-1997

250 ● 201 Great Ideas for Your Small Business
Nothing is worse than waiting while a salesclerk chats with a colleague
or makes a personal phone call. If an angry customer leaves the store, they
may never return. So, strive to make every sales experience a dream, not
a nightmare.
GREAT
IDEA
Make House Calls or Have
a Trunk Sale
In this high-tech, impersonal world, a little personal service
goes a long way. Why not set yourself apart from
the competition by visiting your clients at their home or inviting them to
a trunk show at a nearby hotel?
Dog groomers and car detailers make house calls. So does Nadya, a
charming fashion designer with an international following. Once or twice
a year, Nadya (known just as Nadya) leaves her colorful home in Bali to travel
across America, meeting with devoted clients in private homes or in hotel
suites. The sales process feels like a party—including plenty of food and wine.
“I love getting to meet the people who buy my clothes because it’s a very
personal business,” said Nadya. “Getting their feedback is a very important
part of my whole design process.”
Originally from Chicago, Nadya fell in love with Bali while vacationing
there in 1978. Inspired by the gorgeous colors and vibrant local fabrics,
she started making clothing for herself. No matter where she was, women
stopped her to ask where they could buy her one-of-a-kind designs. (We
met on an airplane when I asked her where she bought her clothes.) Most
of her signature jackets are reversible and often embellished with unusual
beads and amazing embroidery.
In 1980, she started hiring artists and seamstresses to create a line of
batik or hand-painted cotton and rayon clothing. She now employs about
45 seamstresses and skilled craftspeople at her home in Bali.
Nadya spends about six months a year supervising production in Bali.
Then, she packs everything up and heads back to America, setting up shop
in hotel suites in Los Angeles; Washington, DC; Boston; New York City;
Chicago; Seattle; San Francisco, and Atlanta.