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In
Good "Form" - Part 1
by
Lynne Suzanne
When you’re at a loose end and don’t know
what to do, why not go on an entry form safari. Or after
reading this, perhaps you’ll decide not to bother.
Now
you’ve heard of hunting for elusive forms, but
my latest safari takes some beating. Unless you know
different of course.
You
may be aware I edit Intacomps Shopping List, which lists
current competitions in UK high street stores to help
you find your entry forms to win competition prizes.
So wearing my `Sherlock Holmes’ hat, I set out
to track down some elusive entry forms, to maximise
your chances of winning prizes.
Searching
on top of freezer cabinets and peering in between display
racks or the side of the check out, is all part of `the
fun of the chase’.
The
more ‘elusive’ a competition, the less entrants,
therefore the better your chances winning a prize.
My
friend won a fabulous holiday to Egypt by being observant
combined with a bit of luck. She noticed
some tiny forms tucked down by the side of the check
out till in her local store. Reading the text,
all she had to do was complete her details and pop into
the in-store box. Finding the box was like searching
for a needle in a haystack. Eventually, she located
it – on top of a high shelf.
Donning
basketball player skills, she retrieved the box and
noted there were about nine entries in there. Obviously
another nine ‘would-be winners’ like herself.
She dropped her form in the box. The next day
the store manager phoned.
‘Do
you remember entering our competition to win a trip
down the Nile?’ he asked.
‘Yes’.
‘Well
I’m delighted to tell you you’ve won first
prize’.
Now
the interesting thing about this story is that there
was a holiday to be won every day for ten days.
By the tenth day, the prize box was located at the front
entrance to the store, where you couldn’t possibly
miss it - and there were literally thousands of entries
in there.
My
friend’s odds of winning were ten to one. On the
tenth day her odds were several thousands to one.
But
back to my entry form safari. Having toured up
and down aisles, looking in obvious and not so obvious
places for entry forms, it never crossed my mind to
include the manager’s office or `out of bound’
drawers under cosmetic display stands.
I
could just imagine his or her face, if you poked your
head round the door, and grabbing a pile of papers off
the desk, said with a cheeky grin: `Don’t mind
me. I’m just looking where you’ve hidden your
latest competition.’
Probably
at some time or other, you’ve asked staff at the
customer care stand if they have a particular entry
form, only to be met with blank looks as though you’re
from a different planet. Or perhaps a helpful
member of staff has ventured forth into the manager’s
office to `have a look for you’, only to return
empty handed.
Now
I was aware that a well-known cosmetic manufacturer
had organised a free prize draw to win a fantastic holiday
to Brazil in a promotion which featured a new movie
at cinemas.
So
I ventured into a well-known high street store to check
out…
© 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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