Years ago, I wrote about our (then) 8-year-old son’s efforts to sell wrapping paper for a school fundraiser. If you have kids (or even simply know some), you’re probably familiar with the fundraising season and its many offers of candy, gift-wrap, popcorn, cookie dough, coupon books, magazines and more.
When Nicholas began selling his wrapping paper, we thought he would probably approach the same seven family members and neighbors he sold to the year before during the Cub Scouts’ popcorn fundraiser. As expected, he started with a couple of “sure in” houses on our street, and I watched as he stumbled through the process of telling the neighbors what he was selling and why they should buy it. I waited as he carefully filled out order forms and collected checks. The next night, he and I repeated the process with a few other neighbors. And I figured (and hoped) that after he called his grandparents later that evening, our fundraising would be finished.
Not so. I noticed Nicholas studying the awards-program flyer. The company had the program down to a selling science: The young salespeople got a prize for their first order. They then got more prizes for different levels based on the number of items sold. As you can imagine, the awards got bigger and better, the more the kids sold.
Now those prizes might not have excited everyone, but our third grader was determined to reach the top level.
Over the next three weeks, my son asked me to go out with him each night. At this point, his excitement had rubbed off on his younger brother and sister, so all of us were going out after supper. With every success, Nicholas’s persistence was increasing—not waning. After about 10 straight nights on the streets, I told him I wanted a night off. He resisted at first but then said OK—as long as I promised to go out the next night.
Our son kept his eyes on the prize flyer every day. The result? He went far beyond our seven “sure sales,” and he added approximately 50 “clients” totaling about $1,300 in sales. That perseverance and hard work not only made him #1 in sales in his class, but also he was the #1 seller in his school! And we were told he was tops in some area of company-wide sales.
Watching Nicholas at work night after night—seeing him in action and happy to be there—I was reminded of some important selling lessons. Then I thought it might be more telling to simply ask Nicholas what he had learned from his sales experience. Here’s what he said:
Nicholas’s Original Tips on Selling
- Keep trying.
- Know your product.
- If someone says “no,” just move on to the next customer.
- Stay focused on your goals.
- Say “thank you,” and mean it.
Fast-forward one year to a new fundraiser, and Nicholas was older, smarter, and his selling skills were even sharper. Once again, he was #1 at school with his fundraising efforts. When I asked him if he’d learned anything else about selling, here’s what he had to say:
Nicholas’s Additional Tips on Selling
- As you get older, selling gets tougher. (It’s harder to focus and make time for selling with other stuff going on like gymnastics and soccer.)
- There are more people selling now, so you gotta start earlier.
- Wow! Selling to people the second time is easy!
My older son’s example has had a big impact on his siblings over the years. His younger brother has sold more popcorn for the Boy Scouts than anyone else in the Birmingham area. This is thanks, in a large part, to one generous corporate buyer (not me) who orders popcorn gifts for all of his clients. And our young daughter just sold 100 items for her school fundraiser, reaching the highest level in wrapping paper sales this year!
Nicholas’s tips are pretty simple, I know, but they worked. What’s more, I think these ideas apply to more than wrapping-paper sales. The innocence and clarity of my young son reminded me of some valuable lessons in the art of selling—and living a successful life.
In selling (and in life), it’s vitally important to be persistent when it comes to worthwhile goals. I believe you can achieve whatever you want in life—if you keep trying. As a coach, I see a lot of people give up too soon. It’s also important to stay focused on your goals—especially when facing adversity and setbacks. If someone says “no,” don’t fret; just move on to the next opportunity. Finally, always remember to be genuinely grateful when people do buy from you.
The simple wisdom in Nicholas’s eight tips can help you do what you do better—whether you’re selling $20 of wrapping paper or $20 million of commercial real estate.
“Energy and persistence conquer all things.”
—Benjamin Franklin