Twenty-five years ago, in my first ever sales job, I had a difficult time figuring out my clients.  I believed that if a client's motivation was to make money, and I had the product to accomplish that, selling her should be no problem.  Sometimes I'd get the sale, but it wasn't as easy as I thought it should be.  Less than a decade later I began selling a product that was, for many of my clients, a straight-forward solution.

My early notions came to pass when I began selling a single copy publication to Mom and Pop convenience store operations.  They are the only business classification I have dealt with where the need was straightforward.  They care only about how much money the product can make them; and you'd better not adversely affect the revenue of any other products either.

When you approach the owner of a mom and pop, your hook should be "let me show you how this publication can convert x square feet (or x linear feet) to y dollars per week."  To come through on the claim, make sure you have the necessary tools:  a sales history for like stores, a variety of display fixtures, a rack placement strategy and the confidence to implement it.

You want to get your product in the store, and you want it to sell.  In order for this to happen, the owner first has to believe that the publication will make money for her store.  Tell her how well it does in stores similar to hers, and back it up with numbers.  Point out that nearby stores are having success with it.  Be prepared to make it happen in her store with the right rack.

Always travel with a variety of racks in your truck.  Before you even speak with the owner, you need to find the the most prominent pre-cash register locations in the flow of traffic.  Decide what racks would work in those spaces.  Base that conclusion on performance in actual stores and let her know the setup you're recommending is currently successful in stores like hers.  Do not give the impression that your publication will break sales records right off the bat.

Her customers aren't used to seeing your publication in her store, and it may take a while for sales to build.  Tell her that.  Sales will build, and as long as the growth is steady, success is on the horizon.  Be willing to come back to re-evaluate your choice of placement or move the rack back if it wandered.

It's a straightforward sale.  Just make sure that your focus is on making money for the store because that means money for your publication.

Ray Boddie, Jr.