D1L: Sell Like a Kid - Lemonade Stand Not Included

Monday afternoon at 3:30 PM, my doorbell rang.

Which then triggered my dog to bark and sprint to the door as if an intruder was outside...good boy Charlie.

But when I opened the door I was greeted by two 10-year-old boys on scooters, holding a pair of rags, a spray bottle, Mr Clean eraser, and a broom.

First thought? What a combination of tools.

Second thought...how much is this interaction going to cost me. More on this in a moment.

Knowing the boys were from down the street I opened the door and asked how it was going.

Their response was priceless.

"Good, but I we saw you had mulch and dirt down your walkway left behind by the landscapers. Would you like us to clean it up?"

My answer..."Sure! For free right?!"

Them: ...."well no"

Me: Well then how much?

Them: We let you name your price! We have been doing this for other neighbors for the past month.

Me: Let me check my wallet...okay I have $7 in cash - but I only need you to sweep the mulch does that work?

Them: Great - deal.

This interaction was great, and I truly love to see hardworking kids going out and being willing to ask strangers for what they want (within a safe environment, of course).

But there were lessons that I came away with from our chat, and I think a couple they left with too.

So here are the lessons I took away from the interaction:

• Adults are too afraid to ask for what they want
• Name your price - what a great offer for a simple service (normally I would never hire and call someone to sweep my driveway, so their approach was amazing)
• Total work took them 10 minutes from the time they pulled up to the time they left. Over the course of the hour, if everyone was as cash broke as me - they would still earn $35/hr or $17.50 each. Not bad at all! There is endless opportunity if we all just ask.
• The boys told me as they were working that their goal was to save up for a dirt bike to compete in races - how cool to see a goal and go after it.

Now, here is what they told me they learned after we spoke:

• They should show proof of their work to others - snap a picture of my clean driveway and show it to the next home to prove they mean business.
• Reinvesting their earnings into an electric leaf blower would enable them to remove most of the manual labor and get more done in less time...efficiency!
• Even though I said I only had $7 in cash, offering a digital payment option would have easily gotten me to round up to $10 or maybe even $20..

When we think of sales it is always such a nasty connotation. In reality it is providing a solution to a problem.

Bigger the problem = importance of a solution = a better pay day.

I want to encourage everyone to think like you would as a kid in this sense. If you want to start a business or simply get your partner to go to your choice for dinner.

To summarize these kids taking back in time...to scale any idea just remember:

1. A specific ask
2. Don’t limit your pricing
3. Keep asking
4. Keep your dream in focus

Quote of the week:

"Ask for what you want and be prepared to get it." - Maya Angelou

Book of the week: $100M Offers: How To Make Offers So Good People Feel Stupid Saying No

Video of the week:

#business #productivity #sales