Sales tips from kids

I am always asked who the best salespeople are. The real answer is, in most cases, someone who is less than 3-feet tall: kids. Kids are the best salespeople on the planet because they are:

• Relentless
• Sincere
• Do not know the word “no”
• Full of energy
• Determined
• Fun
• No fears
• Honest
• Great desire
• Enthusiastic
• Ask millions and millions of questions

Supermarket scenario: Ever been in a supermarket with a kid? It’s sales 101. When they get to the cookie aisle, listen and learn. Your kid is going to look at the packages of Ding Dongs or Twinkies and say, “Mom, Dad, I want those.” Your response is a simple and straightforward: “No.” But what do these incredible little salespeople do next? They just stand there, look you straight in the eye and ask, “Why not?”

Girl Scout cookies scenario: Our kids either go door to door (I wish I could get 40-year-old salespeople to do this) or stand outside the grocery store and ask the million dollar question: “Do you want to buy my cookies?” They have no fear. They are not concerned whether you are on the Atkins diet; they don’t care if you are diabetic. They just want to sell cookies, plain and simple. Guess what? They sell lots of cookies.

Lemonade stand scenario: We all started our first business before we were six. We were really a family business. You knew the three most important words: location, location, location. Anybody who came by, you yelled, “You wanna buy lemonade? It sure is hot outside.” What amazes me is the simplicity of kids’ questioning techniques. They just want to know the who, what, where, why and how. It’s simple and straightforward – no pretension and not acting stiff wearing a three-piece suit.