Written in 2018. I've left it mostly as it was, so some links and details may be out of date.
On New Year’s evening, a friend of mine decided to celebrate differently. He invited a few of us to help balloon sellers at traffic signals sell their balloons.
I found the idea interesting and joined in. It turned out to be a surprisingly good lesson in selling.
1. Personalize your pitch
Changing the language, the greeting, and the story for each car helped us sell more. Figure out who your customer is, understand their culture, find a point of connection, and use it in your pitch.
2. Use empathy
Telling people about the impact they were making, and how kind it was of them to buy, made a real difference. People like to feel good about a purchase, not just make it.
3. Smile
Many people were reluctant to even roll down their windows. A request made with a genuine smile removed a lot of that reluctance. The experience of being sold to matters as much as the product.
4. Create the need and show the bigger picture
People rarely buy the thing itself. Help them see the bigger picture of what the purchase means, and the need becomes clear.
5. You can’t close every deal
Some people will say no, and that’s fine. Leave them with a pleasant experience and thank them for their time. You never know who remembers that.
6. Peer pressure is real
When people see others buying, saying yes becomes easier. Social proof works at a traffic signal just like it works on a landing page.
I’ve sold software, services, and ideas to companies of every size since then. These six lessons still hold.
Originally published on LinkedIn.