It’s been said that kids are the best salespeople. They know persistence. They know the power of repeatedly asking for what they want. These are important qualities…not just in sales but in life. But kids are not great sales people. In fact, kids have a lot to learn. No figure.
Why Kids are Bad Salespeople
Where kids fail is in their execution. Kids don’t have a clue 😉 They lack experience, see? Unfortunately most of us never learn how to execute on what we innately know to be true.
Ask for what you want. Ask often, and you will often get it.
We’re born knowing this, but we’re not born wise, trained or experienced. In business, we need the whole package. We know we need to ask for what we want often, but we’re rarely taught HOW to do this. What kids do is nag. They beat you into submission. Does it work? Yes. But not NEARLY as often as it would work if they knew how to sell tactfully and skillfully.
Most of Us Sell Like Little Kids…or Not at All
Most of us roll our eyes when a salesman approaches or calls us on the phone. Why? Is it because sales is inherently bad? No. It’s because most people suck at sales.
Most of us sell like little kids, or not at all. When we sell like little kids, we do what little kids do. We cling. We nag. We say please, please, please. We bother people until someone gives us a treat. And the person giving us what we want has NOT been sold, they’ve been beaten into submission. They’ve been trampled, and they’re relenting not with a smile but with a roll of the eyes. This is not sales.
Most people have a distaste for this type of behavior, and rightly so. Unfortunately we’re taught that this is what sales is, so we avoid it like the plague. Most of us anyway. Most of us think things like “Oh man, I could never be in sales. I could never bother people like that all day long. No way.” What we don’t know is that sales has nothing to do with bothering people. It has to do with asking for the order. You HAVE to ask for what you want, but you don’t have to nag. In fact, nagging is against the rules.
How to Sell
I’m going to give you a tip, and honestly it’s a pretty rockin tip. It will take you far along the way to becoming a masterful sales person.
Ask for what you want many times, but never ask until you’ve given something of value first.
Give first, but then ask for reciprocation. That’s sales. Of course, there are myriad techniques that can be used to do this effectively and tactfully, and that’s what I teach clients in detail.
Interestingly, most marketers in social media today believe it’s just about giving and that’s awesome. There’s so much generosity today it blows my mind. And that’s a good thing. I do not mean to downplay the value of generosity. Generosity rocks; it is the foundation of any productive relationship. But if you want to make it in a small niche, or if you want to maximize your results no matter where your business is right now, you need to complete the sequence. Give, then ask for something in return. If you’re running a business, it’s necessary, it’s fair, it’s expected, and it’s even value-added, because what you’re offering is awesome right? So ask people to buy it. It’s ok to sell stuff.
What do you want? Subscribers? Comments? Purchases? You gotta ask. And you gotta ask a lot. But don’t nag. Learn the difference.
Before you ask for something, give something new of value first. Don’t ask again until you’ve given MORE reasons your customers should buy. And they should be good reasons.
This is what kids don’t do. They win through persistence, but the sales they win are often a result of frustration. Don’t take your business this direction. Add value first, but don’t forget to ask for what you want. Both are necessary.