“Could You Sell Bagels In Saudi Arabia?”

This is not a joke. I was actually asked that question last week when I was doing a program in London for Saudi Arabian businessmen who employed me to do a crash course in retail for an investment group.

Yes, I was taken back at first. But the more I thought about it — how much different is that from a Vietnamese Restaurant in the States or a fancy coffee bar that sells $4.00 cups of coffee in rural America?

Shame on me! I need to reread some of my own writings. It is a brilliant idea! Why? Because if the majority of any business comes from word of mouth advertising, then creating a buzz is what it is all about. If you want word of mouth advertising, give them something to talk about. Bagels in Saudi Arabia will certainly get people talking. There is a natural curiosity. (By the way there are no bagel shops in Saudi.)

The key is to take advantage of that intrinsic curiosity and that inherent buzz that will come with such an endeavor. Do you think the media might pick up the story? Of course they will! It will come under the category of “would you believe what’s opening in downtown Riyadh?” Another Starbuck’s in San Francisco won’t even raise the eyebrow of a junior reporter with the promise of free coffee. Yet if someone were to ask you which business to invest in, most of us would opt for the Starbuck’s. However, if both succeed, which one has the potential of being a bigger success?

My most favorite presentation is on “Ways to Differentiate a Business”. My very first point is to be first at something. Xerox was first, Apple was first, and so was FedEx. People laughed at those ideas because they were just a little too different. Push the envelope, be different, don’t listen to the naysayers, take advantage of all these people talking about you, create a quality experience, and laugh your way to the bank.

I have to go now — I have a Saudi Bagel Shop to help. Eventually we could be Bagels over Baghdad. That sounds like a tough sell, or is it?