Back when my son was in elementary school several years ago, he participated in a Cherrydale fundraiser through his school.  Before he decided to do the fundraiser, he looked at the cool prizes and the sales goal that must be achieved to obtain the prize.  Once my son decided on the prize that he was seeking after, I laid out a success plan on how he could reach his sales goal.  This plan included him selling to my business colleagues, family, friends, teachers, and neighbors too. 

It was easy for my son to sell to everyone apart of the warm market (people we already know) that he presented the fundraiser too; to buy into the idea of purchasing cool items that the Cherrydale fundraiser was offering.  However, the dragon of selling to the cold market (the neighbors - people we barely know) was a different story.  It was a bit tough at first, but my son was eventually able to slay that dragon too!

To assist my son with the selling process, I created a sales and marketing piece where I cropped a picture of my son, and added it to a sales letter which introduced him along with a brief synopsis about the purpose of the fundraiser, and the sales goal my son wanted to reach in order to win the prize of his choosing.  The sales and marketing piece was added to the top of the fundraiser booklets and order form.  The idea here was to let people see and read the marketing piece prior to reviewing the fundraiser booklets and recording their order.

Before my son and I went out selling to neighbors, I explained to him the importance of having the right presence.  In other words you are your brand so represent well.  I told him to always make sure that he is neat, and his shirt is tucked into his pants.  Be confident and believe that he would reach his goal no matter what.  I also conveyed the importance of smiling and being professional.  I told my son to greet the person that opens the door, and introduce himself and then go into the fundraiser and sales conversation piece.  But most importantly make sure that he just be himself.

When my son began knocking on doors selling to our neighbors, at first he was told “NO” a lot, but I told him to keep going and to not get discouraged.  So he kept going, and he began to receive a lot of “YESES” from our neighbors so of course this boosted his confidence to go out to seek for more fundraiser sales. 

Once the fundraiser was over, my son had a very large amount of sales, but was 20 sales away from reaching his goal.  Unfortunately, he didn’t get the prize that he really wanted; but instead received the prize for a limousine ride from school to have lunch at Putt Putt Fun House where he ate pizza, played games, and was given a money safe, as well as $25 to spend.  This was a really good experience for him, and I taught him so much about selling. 

When the fundraiser items came back from Cherrydale, my husband and son distributed them to our warm and cold market.  One particular neighbor spoke so highly of my son to my husband.  He said that my son was very neat, confident, and carried himself in such a professional manner.  He also said he just had to purchase something from my son because he never saw a kid that presented a fundraiser quite like my son had.  This neighbor is an entrepreneur, and he said my son inspired him to go and knock on doors too in order to generate sales.  My neighbor said just by knocking on doors he was able to pick up two (2) sales.  Wow this is so amazing!

So here’s what you should take from this:

My son could have stayed with the warm market, and limit himself to a few sales, but he went to our neighbors which was our cold market, and obtained an abundance of sales.  You can't be afraid of stepping outside of our comfort zone.  If my son didn’t try to sell to anyone other than our warm market, he would have not discovered that he was really good at selling.  And this same opportunity holds true for you.  Come from behind your computer and go mix and mingle with your prospects and convert them into paying clients through having an authentic sales conversation where you use the “speak to sell” strategy to invite them to work with you.  ​

So what is the “speak to sell” strategy? It could be you hosting a free live event like a workshop or training seminar where you can teach your prospect on how to do something, and then present your prospect with an offer that they can’t resist.  That offer can look like an information product or it could be a 3, 6, 9, or 12 week or month coaching or mentorship program.  It could also be a 2 to 5 day business boot camp where you help your client to obtain a specific result.  The most important thing for you to know is that you must go where your prospects are located. 

You can’t be shy and afraid to speak with your prospects if you want to be successful.  You can be a successful entrepreneur that attract clients, using the “speak to sell” strategy.  Let your personality shine through. It’s important that you be yourself, authentically because this is what attracts your prospects to you and your offer so that you can generate the sale.  So go add a free half-day live event or two onto your marketing calendar before the end of the year, and watch your clients, sales, and bank account grow. 

Cheers to Your Success!
​Cynthia Lewis