Each team was given a clear, plastic box, and an hour to trade it to something better. My team, the Big Six immediately took off, and upon seeing all the other teams walk downhill, proceeded to climb uphill for better pickings. We chose to expand our resources at a career fair first. The career fair required a $15 entrance fee for each person. Janette negotiated with the people at the entrance, allowing our group to slip in for free.
We made it clear to the first person we met at career fair that we were not there for the purpose of networking. When we explained the rules of the game to him, he accepted our box and gave us a company bag with a handful of 8GB USB and some other swags. We left the career fair with water bottles and Swiss Army flashlights and notebooks.
We then decided to target thrifty stores on Telegraph Ave. We experienced several rejections--Party City, Amoeba, Sheng Kee, but also gathered with over $60's worth of physical items without sacrificing too many of our resources. Our new acquisitions included a $35 blanket, a $15 wooden snake, a $10 ring, white-out, gently used moisturizer and several other trinkets.
Takeaways:
1.Target the right group. People who have the resources and authorities are more likely to make a good deal especially if you also have the things they want .
2. Be clear and straightforward. It's important to establish a certain degree of trust by being honest. After we explained our mission, some storekeepers even took the extra time to find items that they could offer us.
3. Offer value when possible. Water bottles were very popular among storekeepers, as were sports-related goods like Frisbees and footballs for entertainment usage.
4. Got no? Try again. A no is not the end of the world. This is also the right attitude when pitching ideas to VC.
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