EPILOGUE

EVEN WITH ICE POPS

Back when I was in grade school, I sold ice pops at Compo Beach in Westport so I’d have some spending money. I had a homemade sign trumpeting, “Homemade Delicious Frozen Ice Pops.” I didn’t have any sales process in mind, of course, but when I look back, I realize I was already unwittingly practicing some of the fundamentals of selling.

Already, I sensed the need for making the connection with customers in an inviting way. I always smiled and gave a friendly wave to get walkers and drivers to stop and buy a treat from me. When they did, I had a cordial greeting ready: “Hi, I’m Jackie Mitchell. And these are very special ice pops, homemade by my mom and me.

I was decoding the mission: asking customers, “Which color or flavor do you normally enjoy? How many would you like?” In my show and share, I was stressing the value of my product in the muggy weather: “Cool down with these homemade delicious ice pops.” My customers had switched into the buying mode when they started asking how I made them and the price. As my way of allowing the buy, I would say, “You should have one now—that strawberry one you pointed to, and if your daughter’s favorite color is orange, she should try this one . . . just made for her!”

And I seem to recall I even did a popsicle party for a neighbor on Roosevelt Road.

I always gave a big thank you—my kiss goodbye—and as a one for good measure, I would offer a free cup of cool water while saying, “Do stop back soon and please tell your friends!”

I often sold lots more than my friendly competitors at the lemonade stands further down the beach road. I had tons of fun, made friends, and put some money in my piggy bank (after paying Mom back, who thankfully financed my inventory at a family rate).

Win/win/win.

No matter what you sell or who you are—even a kid with a roadside stand—a selling process makes a very big difference.

What it all comes down to is this: I’m a seller through and through—I call it bone deep—and I sure hope I’ve managed to sell you on how to improve your own selling. Maybe not everything I’ve said applies specifically to your business, and perhaps you don’t agree with all of it. And that’s fine. But remember, we’ve tested these techniques at our stores for many, many years on thousands and thousands of customers, and I can assure you that they work. We wouldn’t be around as a business and thriving if they didn’t. And I believe they will work in any business selling any product or service. I hope you can at least adopt a few of them and see for yourself.

And please, come up with your own little selling techniques and share them. I’d love to hear them. Almost every week, someone in one of our stores tells me about another simple little hug that makes a customer happy and enhances the selling process.

Just the other day, Robert Simmons shared with me how one of his valued clients at Wilkes Bashford in Palo Alto mentioned to him a few times that he wished there was always a hanger in the fitting room to put his jacket on while trying on clothing. When Robert knew the client was coming in, Robert always made sure there was a hanger. But sometimes he just popped in, and there wasn’t one.

So Robert located this small business on the Internet that did beautiful, deep cursive engraving on a very nice solid-wood hanger. He ordered one. Now whenever this client comes in, he has his own special place to hang his jacket.

One of the things I do as I head into my later selling years is give speeches about selling and customer service and, most importantly, caring about other people. That’s what it all boils down to, really caring for others. I call these my Hug speeches.

At the end of every speech, I like to ask the members of the audience to do three things (yes, here I am “asking for the order”):

1.   Commit to knowing their top 100 customers, if not 250—to knowing their names, nicknames, birthdays, anniversaries, whether they like coffee or tea, what teams they root for, email addresses, phone numbers, where they work, and so forth—data to service the customers better so that trusting relationships will follow.

“Hands up,” I say, to see who is ready to commit, and usually 90 percent of them put them up. I usually say, “Higher . . . you are committed to doing it . . . my hope is that I will be asked to return one year from today and that you will share with me that you wake up and think and know and will have fun with your top customers, and sales will have gone up!”

2.   “Hug” someone in the next day or two—with a phone call, a text, an email—either a friend you haven’t seen in a long while, perhaps someone you remember fondly from high school or college, a family member you had a falling out with, or a good customer that you miss.

Again I say, “Hands up . . . it’s easy. These hugs are free, and you know what will happen?” And several quietly say, “They will hug you back.”

3.   Connect with a “neighbor.” “OK, stand up,” I say. “Turn to the person next to you and connect with a firm handshake or a high five, or if you want to, go for it and give the person a bear hug!”

All of them do it, and usually a good 75 percent of them choose the bear hug. It’s wonderful to watch. And it usually takes two or three minutes to settle them down.

“How does that feel?” I say really loudly.

I get nothing but smiles and looks of sheer happiness. It’s 100 percent every time.

Ever since I started doing this, I still close my eyes and see something fabulous in my mind: 3,000 passionate, caring sellers in a large Denver auditorium. Or my dream of 18,000 at Madison Square Garden. Or why not, 50,000 strong at Yankee Stadium.

It’s so much fun. It’s so wonderful.

You realize you feel great . . . you’ve hugged yourself as you’ve hugged your customers through the selling process.

So go ahead and try some of these things. Why am I urging you so fervently? Well, I guess I’m still selling. I can’t help it—I’m always selling. We all are. So have a fabulous selling life!