Craig Seitam, 43, Sydney, NSW I smiled as my wife Helen walked into the office with a bundle of paperwork.
Being my own boss was hard work, but with Helen as my business partner, it made life a lot easier.
'I'm just about to call the winner of the cash draw,' I said, picking up the phone.
'They'll be absolutely thrilled,' Helen, 45, smiled.
I dialled the number and asked for the lucky winner, reminding them about the competition they'd entered a few weeks earlier.
'You've won first prize, that's a cheque for $10,000,' I explained.
A second later I was holding the phone away from my ear as the woman screamed with jubilation.
On other days, I'll be telling people they've won cars, fridges or holidays.
I'm like a year-round Father Christmas, giving out gifts and spreading goodwill all over Australia and New Zealand.
It all started seven years ago when I worked for Coca Cola. I was in the marketing department and my job was putting together competitions for the company.
Over time, I realised there was a certain formula for a good competition. The main criteria seemed to be keeping it simple and offering popular prizes.
Once I'd worked that out, I came up with the idea of creating my own business, offering to help companies create brilliant competitions.
Going out on my own, I put together competitions for all sorts of international companies such as Colgate, Mars, Johnson & Johnson and Kodak.
I advised them on the best competition to promote their product, then implemented and managed the promotion, even down to telling the winners about the prize they'd won.
There can be a few pitfalls, though. Often, as soon as I tell someone they've won, they'll be on their guard. 'Oh, you're not going to sell me something are you?' they'll ask.
Sometimes I have to check that the winner has a legitimate claim to the prize. 'Do you still have the receipt?' I'll ask.
After a pause, the person rushes off to search through their drawers. This is usually followed by either cries of joy, or sheer horror and swearing.
Most winners love the person who's told them they've won a prize. 'More fan mail?' Helen often asks, raising an eyebrow at the pile in the letterbox. There are always a few thank-you cards from overwhelmed winners.
'But it wasn't me who bought them the prize,' I laugh. My poor clients who've footed the bill hardly ever get the thanks!
Surprisingly, not everyone who wins is elated and content with their prize. 'You've won a holiday for two to Paris,' I informed one lucky winner. 'Oh, that's great,' the woman exclaimed. 'But can you make it for three? We'd really like to take our daughter.'
Often people are keen to exchange the prize for cash.
'We don't really need a new stereo,' one winner mused when I called. 'But we could sure do with the 300 bucks.'
What gets my goat more than ungrateful winners are what I call prize hogs, or, to put it more simply, cheats.
I've come across all sorts of tricks that prize hogs play to try to increase their chances of winning. They'll pretend to be numerous different people living at the same address. Or they'll enter on different days, hoping their entry will sneak through.
Some people even pad their envelopes with cotton wool in the hope that the thicker envelope will be easier to find among all the other entries!
But on the whole, I love my job. It's great when really deserving people win prizes, so I've written a book to try to help more people understand and win competitions. It's really easy when you know how.
This Christmas, I'd love for more people to try their hand at competitions and win some prizes. That way, I can carry on being Father Christmas for the nation!
Craig's comp rules - Don't cheat. Bending the rules can lose you a prize.
- Enter comps aimed at males. Men just aren't as interested, so women should enter on their behalf.
- Don't give wrong information. Some people give false emails or phone numbers to avoid unwanted contact. If you can't be contacted, how will you know you've won?
- Read the instructions and check the fine print.
- Don't rhyme unless asked to, and don't try to be fancy. Judges wade through hundreds of entries. Bad rhymes and sickly answers are annoying after a while.
- Think like a promoter when answering questions. Some want cleverness, some want honesty. Pull apart the question and look for key words.
To order Craig Seitam's book Competitions: The Book ($14.95 plus delivery), visit www.shoppersbonus.com.au. |
