Earn as you talk

I was invited to be a part of a group discussion for one of Manila's high-end retail store which cater ladies casual dresses and formal wears. Due to my commitment to treat the event with utmost confidentiality, I will not mention the brand name but let me just share my experiences as one of the participants.

It was an impromptu invitation and I went there really unprepared. Good thing my friend and I were discussing it yesterday morning and it really caught my interest so when they need to fill in one more slot, my name sort of flashed on the screen. I've thought of giving it a try as I know I can very much relate to the topic. I logged off from work at exactly 3pm and dragged myself to Ortigas Centre in my four-inch stilettos.

Being one of the newbies, it is my instinct to silently observe the venue and maintain a friendly smile to the ladies coming in and out. I thought, is this really it? Ha ha! I was kinda expecting of a fashionable place. I was looking for my friend but my name was then called. I wrote my details in the log sheet and was interviewed by a petite woman in her late 40's. Boy, she have a taste in accessories! The interview lasted for about 15 minutes and I thought we're done but she walked me through the dining area where of course food is served for the participants.

The pasta looks cold but to be polite, I picked my fork and tried a few. There were ladies beside me who's also eating and so I glanced and smiled. Another lady in white entered in the scene and said hi to me.

Convo:

Her: What's your name?

Me: Hi, I'm Renz, and you are?

Her: I'm Rose. So what do you do for a living, Renz?

At this point, I was thinking, oh are we starting? Is she my second interviewer? Yeah, she has that arrive.

Me: I work as a Billing Analyst for an IT Telco company. I deal with numbers.

Her: Oh, I love Math but that must be a stressful work, dealing with numbers everyday.

Me: Yeah, sort of, but I got used to it. Excel has been my best bud for years.

Then finally my friend showed up, but as instructed to me, I should act like I don't know anyone in the room. I can't help but give her a look and a slight nod as if asking if this girl is the next interviewer but she said no with a crease on her forehead. Ha ha! Ok, good times for a first timer!

My interviewer then called our attention and we proceeded to a big room which was arranged like the ones on talk shows. The set up is admirable, warm feeling, colorful prints and huge pillows on the couch. THIS is IT! There were 6 participants including me and my friend and we introduced ourselves to the panel.

The hosts work for a market research and they would like to hear our interests, opinions and ideas about shopping for clothes. Perfect, I thought. The discussion lasted for two hours and we were randomly called to share our point of views. I'm not sure if you'd also agree but in one of my answers, I told them that when I shop for a particular outfit to wear, say office clothes, there's this store or boutique which leads my feet to check out their latest designs because I know that this brand is known for this line. I also said that visual presentation plays an important role - those catchy clothes on the mannequins paired with trendy shoes and bags, behind those windows, with a good lighting effect inside the store. It represents the brand and the type of market which they cater for.

The host also had Powerpoint presentations to determine deciding factors when shopping for their competing brands, and when asked about their plan to changing their store into a variety of ladies clothes, I said that it's a challenging step, however, being a known brand for this line, I still wish to see their core products displayed and have this feel of wearing their clothes on this new line without sacrificing my self-respect if I choose to wear them at work or after office. I want a trendy, fashionable yet guilt-free clothes that will not incorporate me in this or that age group.

Honestly, this research study was executed very well. They know how to trigger the inner fashionista attitude inside every woman. I'm really happy to be a part of this  productive discussion, and guess what, we were given $$ gift checks for this event. Now, isn't that rewarding?