The Dirt on Selling in Retail

Yesterday I was doing some work around the house when I heard a commotion coming from the front yard. When I walked out to investigate I saw that my daughters, along with a neighborhood friend, had set-up what appeared to be a lemonade stand.

As I watched from a distance I was impressed by how well they were able to persuade people driving or walking by to stop and make a purchase.  At one point I saw several customers clustered around their stand.  It wasn't a particularly hot day so I wondered what could be the secret to their success.

When I approached I didn't see the usual pitcher and cups so I figured they must have sold everything. Here's how our conversation unspoiled.

Me: "Hey guys, how are the lemonade sales?"

Kate: "What lemonade?"

Me:    "I saw you making sales from the stand so I figured you were selling lemonade."

Jane:    "Nope. We're not selling lemonade. We're selling potting soil."

Me:    "Dirt? You're selling dirt?"

Theo:    "Actually, we took dirt and sifted it until the rocks and twigs were all gone.  Now it's potting soil. We have two different sizes."

Me:    "How much dirt can you actually sell?"

Kate:    "Six dollars so far. It's more than we ever made selling lemonade."

Me:    "They're selling dirt.  Holy cow, they're selling dirt" mumbled under my breath as I walked away.

Here's the dirt (pun intended) on what the kids did that made them successful and what we can all do to sell more products:

1. They approached and engaged every possible customer. Not a single person drove, walked, or biked by without being approached by the kids. Actually, they yelled pretty loudly as people went by but when you're selling dirt you have to work extra hard. You can be sure they never asked passersby if they needed help or if they had any questions.  Like any sales, retail selling is a numbers game. The more people you approach and engage, the more sales you make.

2. They sold with passion and enthusiasm. Let's be real. When you're standing at the end of your driveway selling dirt you won't make many sales if you're not passionate and enthusiastic about your product.  Obviously, a lot of their customers bought the dirt to be nice, but these kids did beat their lemonade number. I've said it before; passion and enthusiasm create more sales than any other skill or competency.

3. They followed the Butcher Rule. Long time readers know that the Butcher Rule is to always offer your best product first. So while the kids only had one type of "potting soil," they always tried to sell the gallon size bag before offering the quart size. This of course made perfect sense since their cost of sale was zero. (They were my bags.) They know what successful salespeople do; it's easier and far more successful to sell down than to sell up.

4. They differentiated their product offer from their competitors. I'm pretty sure they were the only kids in our town who spent time on Sunday selling dirt.  They could be the only kids in the United States who spent time on Sunday selling dirt. I'm sure there were a lot more lemonade stands yesterday than dirt sellers. I actually think that people bought the dirt because it was so different. Who can turn down kids selling dirt?

Retail is more complicated than just child's play but yesterday I was reminded again that strong execution of the basics creates sales.  Even if you're only selling dirt.