I had worked pretty hard all day gathering what I thought was the prettiest rocks on my street. When my bucket was about 3/4 full, I began my campaign. I started with the house that belonged to the nicest old lady on my street for obvious reasons. Mrs. Miles had been a substitute Music teacher at my school from time to time and had always been friendly when I passed by on the way to school or to the store for my Mom. It made sense to start with her.
She laughed when she saw my sign and actually started thumbing through the bucket. I remember feeling very excited at the possibility that I actually had a buyer at my first door. She made small talk with me while she continued to forage through my bucket. I don't remember what she said, because I wasn't really paying any attention to her words at all. I just wanted to hear the words, "How much?" or "Just a moment, I'll get my purse."
Eventually, she said that she didn't really need any rocks and she handed my bucket back to me. My heart sank and I took the bucket back and went home. I dumped the bucket out and soon moved on to something else to do. Now of course, it's not likely that Mrs. Miles or anyone for that matter would have ever bought any of my pretty rocks. But, then again, who knows? I made a critical mistake that day that I try not to make today.
I definitely caught her attention with my contradictory sign. But when she was making small talk with me, if I had actually listened to what she was saying, she likely would have told me how to sell her those silly rocks. So, the first lesson I preach about selling is to: Listen well. She may have been telling me about how some of these rocks looked similar to the ones that decorated her little kitchen garden or back porch garden.
Then I could have asked her to show me her garden. I would have paid special attention to any pots that didn't have any decorative rocks in them. I would have picked out about 10 or 12 of the prettiest rocks I had from the bucket and placed them strategically in her garden pot to show her how lovely these would look. I would have offered her a special price that was cheaper by the dozen. Who knows? I might have made my first sale, if I had only been paying attention and listening to the needs and wants of my customer.
If you are warm and friendly with folks and can engage your potential customer or client in conversation, make sure you listen to what they say. They will usually tell you how to sell them. People like to share their opinions. They may be willing to express a concern. They might elaborate on a particular dream. They might confide in you about a stressful challenge they face. Whatever they are willing to share with you, make a mental note and remember it. Someday, you may be able to fill their need or solve their problem with your product or service.
