Never mind the Harvard MBA, ask the DVD seller

Sunday November 23, 2008
Never mind the Harvard MBA, ask the DVD seller
Culture Cul De SacBy Jacqueline Pereira

Now that the world realises what can result from entrusting trillions of dollars to the corporate elite, perhaps it is time to go back to the basics of business – identifying customers’ needs and meeting them, profitably.
HE was a very lean, wiry man of indeterminate age, weighed down by a heavy satchel. While I was sipping my afternoon coffee some years ago, he earnestly approached my table.
Politely, he asked if he could have a few minutes of my time, while fishing out numerous photo albums and laying them on the table.
As one of our ubiquitous DVD sellers, this man stood out for he – unlike most of his peers – knew his films.
While the DVD seller in the humorous Astro ad has become a household character, his real-life counterparts are proving remarkably resilient and adept at surviving in business.
He began by questioning me on my film preferences and favourite actors.
Instead of being aggressively harassed to buy yet another product of questionable quality, I was drawn into a rather riveting conversation.
He focused on drama and comedy, once he’d established that I’d rather steer clear of action, horror, fantasy and teenage flicks.
He had his own rating system, which he freely proffered after taking into account my likes and dislikes.
Whenever I expressed a twinge of interest in a certain DVD, he’d launch into its synopsis. He’d talk a little bit about the plot, the conflict and how good or bad the actors were.
Of a certain film, he said that I should only watch it if I liked Nicole Kidman, otherwise, “Plenty of talking. The camera is always showing her. If you don’t like her ... very boring.”
This went on for at least 15 minutes, until I was compelled to ask him if he first watched all the films.
He sheepishly admitted that he watched the beginning, the middle and the end of each movie, sparing 10 minutes for each section. And watched them late into the night, as he couldn’t afford any time during the day.
“I can help my customers choose. Nowadays, they don’t simply buy – they all want to know more. So, I have to be prepared lah.”
He left his card with me, after packing up to leave.
The Malaysian DVD seller is a much-maligned component of our society. He (ever seen a she?) has been romantically immortalised in Yasmin Ahmad’s touching film Sepet and sympathetically depicted in the highly rated advertising campaign for Astro.
Any pasar malam is incomplete without a stall or two. If you aren’t disturbed by them while having a drink as they peddle their wares, then something must be amiss.
If these small-time traders are ever put out of business, most Malaysians will suffer severe withdrawal symptoms. From being unable to watch the latest films just the way we like them – cheap and uncensored.
But they still stand on the wrong side of the law, while testing decent citizens’ morality on the right thing to do. This, despite being pursued relentlessly by officialdom and, in the process, earning a bad rap for the trade they ply.
This particular DVD seller that I met did confess that, although one of his friends was in jail for the copyright crime, he still persisted in this line of work because of the demand and the money he was able to make.
Not only do they have a thriving business but the DVD sellers are also some of the most resilient small business entrepreneurs.
To stay afloat in the business, not only do they know their products well, they adapt to change as soon as there is a shift in the economy.
Just last weekend, for instance, while browsing in a local shopping area, I found out that DVD prices had dropped by at least RM2 a piece. To retain their customers, instead of the usual “buy 10, free one”, they now tout “buy 5, free one.”
Needless to say, unlike other shops in the vicinity, two DVD shops, just doors away from each other, were doing brisk business.
Their fighting spirit is surely to be lauded, even if we don’t support that type of business.
The rapport between them and their regular customers is based on mutual trust and customer satisfaction, driven by the requisite supply-demand mechanism.
They constantly keep overheads low and profit margins high. They set, and abide by, their own standards.
And, most crucially, they do not wait to be asked to lower their prices. Instead, they gauge market forces and adapt accordingly.
Surely there is a good business book waiting to be written about the secrets of the DVD sellers’ survival.
From where do they derive the essence of their astuteness and business acumen?
This true Malaysian figure, an integral part of our society’s streetscape, perhaps should be duly given the recognition they deserve.
People, places and perceptions inspire writer Jacqueline Pereira. In this column, she rummages through cultural differences and revels in discovering similarities.