Selling Where Ever You Are - A Book Sale In My Girl Friend's Kitchen

Selling Where Ever You Are

A Book Sale In My Girl Friend's Kitchen

Saturday afternoon Amy and I decided to cash in a gift certificate we had received from a friend and associate. It was for a meal at a place where you choose an entrée, assemble the ingredients in Ziploc bags, take them home and cook them following the directions furnished. Luckily, Amy called the place to make certain they would be open on a Saturday afternoon; they were just about to close but said I should come on over and they would have everything we wanted, prepared and waiting. It was an interesting experience.

I was greeted by a lady with a wonderful smile and personality; a positive POD (Perception Of A Difference). She greeted me by name because she had talked with Amy on the phone; nice touch. I handed her the gift certificate and she began to make up an invoice at her computer; she was also getting information from me for future follow up.

"Have you purchased from us before?"

"No, this is our first time."

She looked at the Gift Certificate.

"Oh, Steve gave you this, we like him, how did you come to know him?"

"He is a friend and sells our book and seminars for small business owners.

I handed her my card and when she had read the back of it, told me,

"Since we started this franchise, I have been reading a lot of books, trying to learn how to market what we do. I need to learn what it is that causes a person to want come in and buy or keeps them from doing it. Will your book help me with this."

"To market successfully, you need, first, to know how we buy. We all perform the same five steps in every buying decision, we may do this in ten seconds, or over three years, but the crucial step will be completed early in the process. The key is what happens in the first five seconds. We look at your store, we enter, and glance around, then either turn and leave or stay to talk with you or your associate. In those five seconds a perception has formed in our mind with out any conscious effort or control. For the person, who turned around and walked out, it was negative, for the one that stays to talk, it was positive. What you and or your associate do next strengthens that positive perception or destroys it. This is a fact.

"The book is written in true stories from which you learn what you can do to make that perception positive far more often."

"How do I buy your book?"

"From the Web, from a coffee shop or the Duck & Decanter on Sixteenth St. and Camelback where Steve first introduced himself to me, or let me get one from the car."

Another customer came in; I got a book and some bookmarks from the car and waited while she took care of the customer. Then I gave her the bookmark, our major marketing tool. It is very effective, because it says just enough, but not too much, about the book, with reader comments extolling the results they have experienced after reading it. She read both sides, I handed her the book; she spent 4-5 minutes looking through it while I waited in silence.

"I'll take the book, now let's finish with getting your dinner paid for, I'll pay for the Book with cash."

"Wonderful, I'll sign it for you."

I usually carry a bookmark in my pocket, but this worked out well.

You can sell anywhere and everywhere you are. I once landed a Perception Of A Difference Workshop sale in a hotel restroom, but that is another story.


Wes Zimmerman

wes at perceptionofdifference.com