Last summer, our neighborhood had a community garage sale. As we gathered, our
once-loved trinkets in the driveway, our 4-year-old son, Robbie, became
intrigued. He wanted to sell some of his items, too. So we made a little pact
with him: If he sold some of his old toys, he could use the money toward the
new “big-boy” car seat he had wanted for quite some time.
As the potential customers walked along the sidewalk, my son walked along with
them. “Do you have kids? Would you like to look at my toys?” Robbie asked the
passersby. His eagerness and enthusiasm made many trade show salespeople look
like amateurs.
After trying his charm with three people, one kind lady took the bait. Robbie
escorted her to his toy table. With his arms behind his back, he proudly
watched her look over his toys. Finally, the woman picked up his plastic piggy
bank, priced at 50 cents. After looking it over, she calmly placed it back on
the table. “You have very nice toys,” she told Robbie as she began to walk
away.
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Without hesitation, Robbie asked, “Do you like my piggy bank?” “It's very nice,”
the woman said as she continued to move on. Robbie followed her. “Would you
like to buy it?” he asked. She looked down and smiled at the short little man.
“No, thank you,” she replied.
“Do you already have a piggy bank?” Robbie asked curiously. The lady cocked her
head, “Well, no.” “Well then, you should buy mine,” Robbie said, confidently
handing her the 50-cent bank.
With the bank in her hand and a smile on her face, the lady reached into her
purse and handed the 4-year-old salesman two quarters. Robbie happily put the
coins in the cash box, thanked the nice lady and returned to the sidewalk to
talk to the next stranger.
From where I was sitting, I had seen the entire transaction. Robbie's
fearlessness and relentless determination of making such a simple sale smacked
me in the face. How could a 4-year-old child with literally no sales experience
perform, with perfection, what we in the business world spend thousands of
dollars trying to learn and teach our employees?
Robbie was nowhere near as fazed by his monumental success as I was. He looked
completely natural and at ease. Why shouldn't he have been? He wasn't afraid to
approach people naturally, he was proud of his products and he wanted to make
money so he could buy his “big-boy” car seat. The sale was as simple as that.
A professional salesperson would have complicated things. They would have tried
lowering the price, using some sort of closing trick or methodically outlining
all of the benefits and features of the product in hand. The polite lady would
have left empty-handed and the salesperson would have felt defeated.
Sure my son is cute, but it was his persistence that won the lady over after she
was intent on walking away. He had the courage to be relentless because he
didn't know any different. Unlike adults, Robbie wasn't burdened with the fear
of being told “no.” A lost sale would have had no reflection on his self worth
or his success.
Because of this, he didn't try to hide behind a system, verbiage or technique
like professional salespeople often do. He was just himself. He talked to
complete strangers and was politely persistent because had no reason not to.
The sale was as comfortable and natural as Robbie himself.
Closing a sale isn't as complicated as many professionals make it seem. Let the
innocence and sincerity of a 4-year-old inspire you to simplify your sales
approach. Don't be afraid of your potential customers or what they may say. Be
fearlessly persistent, and one day you'll be sitting in the “big-boy” seat.
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