OK, I’m not advocating child labor, but there’s a lot a salesperson (and everyone else) can learn from a kid.  Kids do make the best salespeople, and it’s not just because they’re so cute that they can’t be refused.  For example, they haven’t had a chance to have the natural enthusiasm for life drained out of them yet.  There are two major reasons children excel at selling things (even if it’s just a trip to McDonald’s):

• Lack of Experience = No Fear of Rejection

Kids ask for what they want and they have no fear.  They keep asking until they get a good answer (one that they want).  If mom says no, they go ask dad.  If dad says no they ask grandma.  They are continually looking for the yes because they don’t have the baggage of past disappointments.

You, however, do have the baggage of experience.  You know what it feels like to be rejected and you know what it feels like to fail.  They aren’t good feelings, and like so many salespeople before you, you’ve learned that the best way to not feel those negative feelings is to not risk them popping–  so you don’t ask for the business unless you know you have it.

Your baggage that you bring into your sales calls is exactly that your baggage.  The potential customer across the table doesn’t know if your ten previous sales calls were sales or no sales.  The best sales people have selective short-term memory.  When something negative happens, they forget about it immediately – that way it won’t effect their current deal.

• They Keep Asking WHY?

The insatiable curiosity of children is legendary.  They want to know why everything happens.  Why is the sky blue?  Why do birds fly?  Why did mommy call daddy a jackass last night?  They want to get to the bottom of why things are the way they are.

Do you ask your customers why?  And if you don’t, why not?  Just like a child sees no harm in wanting to understand, neither should you.  When you have the information, you are much more able to help the customer and yourself.  For example, the real substance of solution-based selling is solving problems.  To solve the problem, you have to know the why behind it first.

There are a lot of places where this can be applicable.  What about asking a customer: “Why do you want to have certain product requirements?”  “Why do you want to solve that problem?”  “Why do you want a discount?” “Why can’t you make a decision today?”  “Why did you choose to go with us?  Why didn’t you choose to go with us?”

What’s great is that you don’t have to learn these skills.  You already have them (I’m making big assumption that you were a kid at some point).  It’s just a matter of clearing away the muck and barnacles that stuck to you as you grew up.  There are definitely times when being “child-like” can be a big advantage.

If you have any other ideas on how we can learn from the children, please share them.