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Beginner
to Contest Winner - Part 2
by
Lynne Suzanne
Walking on the seafront on cold December morning, my
husband and I took a shortcut through the amusement
arcades in the Pier, where I spotted a television set
and a pile of entry forms.
Collecting one, we popped into the coffee bar, whilst
I filled in our name and address details. As I popped
my entry into the box, I noticed that, unusually, people
had to be present for the prize draw, which was taking
place at 4pm that day.
Back
home, just before 4pm, I told my husband I’d walk
back to the pier for the prize draw. Looking out the
window, it was drizzling with rain, dark and cold. I
nearly didn’t bother. Then I thought, if others
think the same, just how many people would attend the
draw. That was enough to motivate me. Donning my coat,
I set off.
At
4pm, nine wet and bedraggled individuals stood around
the prize box. At 4.15pm, three gave up and went home.
Ten minutes later the manager arrived, placed his hand
in the prize box and drew out an entry.
"Mrs
X?", he called out. No answer. "She’s
not here?" he queried, "’ll draw another.
Mr Y"’ He looked round expectantly. No reply.
"Lynne
Suzanne", he called.
"Yes, that’s me."
"Congratulations",
he enthused, "you’ve won a TV".
Now
had I not bothered to turn out, I wouldn’t have
won. Sometimes Lady Luck needs a helping hand or perhaps
a push in the right direction.
My
second car, a Proton Persona, was scooped by writing
words on a postcard.
I
discovered the competition quite by accident. Driving
in a neighbouring town, I took a wrong turning and drove
past a Proton showroom. The `WIN A PROTON’ poster
caught my eye. The task was to find how many words you
could make from the car name.
This
was a challenging task and great fun to do. Adopting
a systematic approach, I put the initial letters into
alphabetical order, before waded my way through 20 volumes
of a dictionary to come up with 1,284 words.
It
was more of a challenge trying to write these on a postcard
- but was achieved by improvisation - a cut down cereal
packet.
When
I was presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers
and my car keys, many people said: ‘You’re
lucky Lynne’. But Lady Luck doesn’t play a
hand in these types of competitions. You just have to
know about the competition and take the time to enter.
You can do it too.
Before
you can begin to win you need some competitions to enter.
You’ll find these on A5 size entry forms in supermarkets
and high street stores. On bottle neck collars. On packets
and cans. Searching for entry forms, you adopt Sherlock
Holmes skills to detect those elusive competitions,
often found tucked between freezer cabinets, on top
of dusty shelves or squashed between tills, because
the check out girl has forgotten to put them on display.
Competitions
have seasons too, so its knowing when to visit certain
outlets.
Magazines
are packed with competitions, to suit all interests
and tastes. Your specialist skill or hobby can win you
prizes. Photography competitions, fashion design, even
cooking up a recipe for success. You just have to remember
the `compers’ maxim: `the harder to enter, the
easier to win’.
©
Copyright 2002 Lynne Suzanne www.win-with-lynne.co.uk
About the author
Lynne Suzanne is a freelance writer, consultant and
speaker. She has written four books on winning prize
competitions and slogan writing and presents Win With
Lynne Roadshows and marketing seminars.
FREE Win With Lynne Expert Guide to Winning competition
prizes
http://www.win-with-lynne.co.uk
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