August 2023 Blog Topic: What was your first sale as a business owner? Share about it. If you are NOT a business owner: Share a time when you supported a small business and the experience.
By Suzy Rawlins with Roots and Boots with Suzy Rawlins
A fun-loving woman whom I met through networking asked me to try a skin care product and give her my opinion. I agreed. This is a product that I had been introduced to many times before and never purchased. It was all in the delivery of how she presented it and taught me about the products and my skin I decided to purchase. I fell in love with the results and decided to start selling it, too. I have two most memorable sales, one skincare, and one color cosmetics.
Like everyone else, I started sharing skincare and getting women to fall in love with their skin again. Of course, I started by bribing my family and friends to be my face models. I asked a friend to try the products, and she responded, “No, I don’t use that stuff”. Honestly, my feelings were hurt a little that she would not even try it. Several months go by, and I see this friend on multiple occasions where she comments on how great my skin looks. I ignored it until one time, I responded with, “You cannot keep complimenting me on my skin and not be willing to even give it a try.” It was at that point that she agreed to try the basic skin care and loved it, so she became a customer.
My second most memorable sale was a gal I had networked with who agreed to be a face model as I learned to share color cosmetics. At this appointment, we had about five other women and one of my sister consultants teaching the color application so I could learn. When I booked my client, she informed me that she would be my model but would not be purchasing anything. In the beginning, she was very guarded and not even willing to take off the makeup that she came with. I was so confused; how can you model my makeup if you don’t put it on? My sister consultant chatted with my client and eventually, she agreed to wash off her makeup to try our brand. To my surprise, by the end of the appointment, my client was very happy with her new look. She said, “I have to get going I have a date with my hubby, but I will take everything we tried today just call me tomorrow and we can wrap it all up.” WOW! She has remained a long-time loyal client.
In the end, we must remember we are in sales but that is not what it is about. It is about how we make the client feel. Most of the time people tell you no because they do not have enough information or someone else in a similar product or service has treated them badly. I am in the people business not the makeup business. For me it is about helping my clients have confidence in themselves and your skin is a huge part of that. How you show up is a big deal.
