Powerful Selling Secrets Found Hidden In The Classic Saturday Morning Kids Cartoon TV Show
When I was a child, on Saturday mornings they had a very strict ritual: a cartoon ritual.
My brother and I sit mesmerized in front of the black and white television from 6 in the morning until noon. We were immovable objects, barely aware that something existed beyond the glow of the gigantic 19″ tube.
There was a list of favorites that included; Rocky and Bullwinkle, Mr. Peabody and Sherman, and my favorite, Aesop and Son.
Little did I know that I actually received sales training every Saturday morning during my formative years.
Subliminal sales training?
I mention that one of my favorites was Aesop and Son, a fun recreation of the classic Aesop’s Fables.
Each story took a child’s take on one of Aesop’s famous stories, including the moral at the end. What a clever way for our parents to teach us values!
Much later in life I rediscovered these lost classics (the fables, not the cartoons) and recognized their selling value.
This is what I mean.
The fable factor: the philosophical salesman
Aesop is as deep as I can get into philosophy. Each of his fables is quite short with a really strong moral.
My real discovery was connecting many of the takeaways with sales tactics that actually improved my sales.
Applying Aesop’s lessons I got:
- Strong client relationships, where I was able to transition from salesperson to trusted advisor to friend.
- Delighted Clients – Where all expectations were met and exceeded and the client became an enthusiastic supporter of our company (and me)
- High margins and price stability.
- Complete immunity from all competition.
5 ingredients for Aesop’s secret sauce.
Aesop compiled hundreds of fables. I’ll skip the actual fable and pick a few morals and show how I’ve applied them to my sales.
Of course, you can remove something different for a given moral, and that’s fine.
- A person is known by the company he keeps, or – (Birds of the same plumage fly together). It is important to work for a company with integrity and a good reputation, and to maintain your own good reputation. Don’t commit to any sale; in the long run, it’s not worth it.
- Promises can get friends, but it’s performances that keep them. Aesop said this in a couple of different ways. Essentially, I take this to mean ‘Talk is cheap, walk the walk’, etc.). Often we want to please a customer and tell him what we think he wants to hear. However, if we can’t deliver, then the customer is angry and we’re just another slimy salesperson. He doesn’t exaggerate himself, his product or his company, ever. He will come back to haunt you.
- Don’t count your chickens before they hatch. It’s not a sale until you receive an order AND the customer has paid their invoice. Never leave the project or the client until the project is finished, as the client is delighted and the invoices are paid. After all, you earn a commission, right?
- We can see ourselves as more important than what others see us. Loving your product is a must; If you don’t believe in what you’re selling, it’s very difficult to be successful. But remember to sell the benefits of the product in terms of customer needs. You have to pass the “so what?” test: Once you’re done presenting, if the client says (out loud or to themselves) “so what,” you’re in the deep end.
- Whoever seeks to please everyone, pleases no one. Discover your niche or specialization, for you and your product, and become an expert. Niche specialists and niche products (the more focused the better) sell for higher margins and have less price sensitivity.
The moral of THIS story.
There are valuable sales, business, and life lessons to be learned in unexpected places. All that is required is an open mind and a desire to learn.