Newsagents and suppliers often claim success without providing proof supporting their claim. There have been instances in our channel where newsagents have believed a claim without seeking evidence and gone on to discover that there was ho evidence and that the claim was false.
Everyone wants success. Unfortunately some want it bad enough to spin or lie to get their success – often at the cost of newsagents and others they serve.
Nothing beats the truth, especially the truth in sales data.
As I wrote recently, sales of our everyday counter cards, a card segment that accounts for 56.90% of our overall card sales, are up 17% year on year comparing January through March 2014 with the same period in 2013.
This is an extraordinary result.
Unfortunately, word has reached me that someone is putting it about that the figure is made up. It’s not made up. I can provide the growth back to source data, data that anyone is welcome to audit.
So, it is true. Our every day (birth through death) counter card sales are up 17% year on year. We did this without a major advertising campaign and off an already good sales base. We also did it without a VIP loyalty points program.
Our success is in part due to our front-end loyalty program, discount vouchers. By giving away under 1% of card revenue we have achieved a stellar year on year increase.
In fact, the growth we have achieved puts us, I think, in the top group of newsagencies in growing card sales.
In someone claims to you that they are achieving extraordinary growth, ask to see the report that shows this. satisfy yourself that the claim they make is true. There are some in our channel who pay little regard to truth and, sadly, newsagents follow and make bad choices as a result.
Data does not lie.
And isn’t it annoying when someone questions your own ethical standards as well? I think that when this happens it always says everything about the rumourmonger and not a lot about your honesty.
Bruce if they do it without making a case other than questioning you – behind your back or in front of you – absolutely. There are too many rumourmongers in our channel.
There is an old saying “What you see bad in other people is what you subconsciously don’t like about yourself”.
A lot of people trash other people to cover up their own failings.