Selling Ice to an Eskimo

A friend of mine, a terrific seller, told me he could sell ice to an Eskimo. All I thought was “Why would you want to sell ice to an Eskimo?” Then I thought, maybe the ice was from special and pristine waters, or maybe there was a unique bubble pattern, or the ice is in the form of sculpture? No, he was just trying to be impressive.

In reality, what good is buying ice to someone who already has more ice than they can use? Like selling sand to a beachcomber. Unless they’re opening a glass factory, what good is it?

Mutual Benefit

If the buy/sale agreement doesn’t benefit the buyer, you’ll only make the first sale. They will never buy from you again, and they will post about it too. Then your entire sales effort has to go to the next Eskimo or Beachcomber.

But sell them something they need or can use, like a heater or kiln, and they will welcome you when you call again because you helped to improve the quality of their life. Better still, they’ll post about it. Positively, this time.

Earn Referrals

Whatever you have to sell, make it relevant for the buyer. Make sure it’s useful and you’ll be able to make more sales to that buyer, they’ll recommend you and your products, and your sales will blossom.

There are sales goals to meet, but it’s easier to re-sell. Talk or trick a client into a purchase they are not comfortable with and you’ll need a new client for every sale.