A very Humbling experience

I have been traveling to Kerala of late on a particular assignment from work. And I will be doing so for a couple of more weekends. Firstly, the place is nothing like the brochures promised and it is extremely humid. There should be warnings that you must receive with your travel tickets. And I think that I should be wearing a lungi like the locals to beat the heat.

However, the experience that I am about describe is one that has left me very humbled and amused along with a hundred other thoughts and emotions - all at once. It definitely left me a very wiser person (not that I am very wise, but it left me wiser and a little more modest)

The client and me were on a market visit checking out the various outlets to check on the promoters and the various paraphernalia that we had dispatched for installation at the outlets. We quizzed all the promoters, the sales staff, the cashier and all the other people working at these various outlets.

At one particular outlet we spoke to the staff and felt that the manager was not doing his job very well, He had not briefed the staff very well. The client took it upon himself to exchange few words with him. I stepped out of the outlet and was staring at the arch that we had put up as a part of the POP material. These arches had the Logo of the brand and the name of the promotion and the tagline very prominently displayed. That too in all the client's logo colours. And my heart just swelled with pride over the beauty and aesthetic appeal of the arch design.

I was lost in admiring the beauty when a local yokel stepped up to me and asked me in Malayalam what the whole promotion was about. I replied that I did not know the local language. So to put me to ease, he spoke to me in Hindi (our national language). Now follows gist of the conversation that left me dumbfound.

Local: What is this board put up for?

Me: Our brand is running a promotion where there will be an event and it's all about celebration and blah blah blah blah, etc etc.

Local: OK! But what event is this?

Me: Kerala Rocks, Of course!

Local: Yes! Even I can read that. And also the tagline. But what is the promotion all about? When I read Kerala Rocks - it means to me that Kerala is a great place to live in.

Me: (Smugly) Of course. But as the name says"...............
And this was followed by a lenghty speech by me that I will skip, because it was rather useless.

Local: OK OK! The gist is that we buy 2 units of your product and we get a pass to attend this great event that you have organised for your valued customers. Is it not right?

Me: (finally he gets it). Yes (excitedly)

Local: Pray, then tell me why didn't you just write this on the arch?

Me: (Dumbfounded)

Local: Furthermore, there are not details of the venue, time, place and date either.

Me: (frantically looking for an escape route)

Local: Now you expect me to spend money on your brand with out knowing exactly what I can get in return. Stupid isn't it? Don't get me wrong, but I do like your brand, but when you cannot talk properly to me, why should I spend time with your brand? Or money on the product?

Me: (mouth open - expression of shock)

Local: Please change this ASAP. It would be better for you. You will get more customers.

Me: Yes, we must. (cursing the art guy, myself and the whole team that put this together)

Local: Anyway, you had lunch? you should eat on time to avoid any health problems later on. Especially in this heat.

Me: Yes, thank you. I will. (totally shell shocked by now)

The client walked out a few minutes later. And I described what had just happened to me. At first, even he was shocked. after a few minutes we realised our follies and accepted them. We then firmly resolved to correct these mistakes at once. and left for the remaining outlets to complete the market visit.

So, the moral of the story being: And you should see things from the point of view of the person that you are trying to get your point across to. Not your own.

I guess, Common sense is not so common after all.

I know that this is a long read, but this experience will remain with me forever. It has taught me many an important lesson - personally and professionally.