On Wednesday 27th August 2014, my 3 sons (11, 13, and 15 respectively), as part of my Personal Achievement Coaching for Kids (PACK)™ project, went on their first ever “sales calls”: Finding Buyers for their Pineapple Flavored Cakes Baked Without Oven.
[Note: (a). PMA = Positive Mental Attitude (b). Click here to download PDF preview of the kids project).

This project aims to develop their selling skills, and help them learn to deal with rejection, by learning persistence and developing mental stamina.

I believe, from over a decade as an entrepreneur, that a crucial ingredient for achieving success in life, in spite of adversity is a mental attitude that can deal with failure and rejection.

That mental attitude is rarely something most people are born with. Majority will have to develop it.

People who do work that involves or requires “selling” will often develop a mental attitude to deal effectively with rejection.

History confirms that this is true. I won’t bother to give you instances. Go read about some of the greatest achievers known even today, who achieved entrepreneurial success. You’ll see that many had stints (or even major careers) in Sales.

3 well known examples are Robert Kiyosaki, Brian Tracy, the late, great Zig Ziglar. I’m sure you can think of a few yourself!

The above as well as my experiences convince me young people will do better in adulthood, if they are deliberately made to develop their “selling skills”, in real life situations.

My kids have been making and selling my Pineapple peel based drinks and cakes: But they’ve been selling to what I call a Captive Audience i.e. their schoolmates!

I taught them the production methods, and “pushed them” to try selling them to friends, back in September 2013 (click here to see photos of their past efforts). So, it’s not like I’m blaming them

But like I told them, it’s much easier to sell to people who know you. Their friends in school readily trusted their product and bought the cakes, without being too critical.

Unfortunately, you cannot know enough people so well, to not have to sell to those you do not know. In other words, you will still need to sell to strangers, if you want to make enough money.

I knew my kids had to learn that selling outside the school was much different.

During the 2 sales visits they made, they got a good taste of what it felt like to do cold calls i.e. to try selling to total strangers.

Now they know that they need to have ready answers to questions and objections prospects would raise, which could lead to rejections.

One example:

When they returned from the first visit, I doubled over in laughter from listening to their account of the GRILLING they got from the gentleman owner of a DVD movies sales shop.

[Pssst…here’s a little secret: What they did not know was that I’d visited the chap yesterday, after taking a walk around, and introduced myself, asking if he would be willing to help me with a “Social Experiment”.

Then I explained about the project my kids are engaged in, and how I needed them to experience having to answer questions from prospective buyers NOT as trusting, and ready to “buy” (no matter how cheap) as their school mates.

He agreed, saying he felt it was a great experience I was giving the kids and that he’d recently told a friend more people needed to think of starting micro businesses, rather than look for jobs. We then exchanged phone numbers, and I returned home.

From what the kids have told me, the chap really played his role well. Read on to see what I mean…]

He asked them why they used Charcoal Stoves and a pot (instead of an oven powered by Gas or electricity).

They replied that it was because they preferred it (Which was a wrong answer…not what I told them. But the “pressure” made them forget).

He then asked if they did not think it would take less effort and time (and be more hygienic) if they used a Gas Oven.

The 15 year old, who was the “lead salesperson” and who had been answering up till that point, said he had no answer to that question.

At this point they gave him the flyers they brought with them, and he then told them it was good they had created a product concept of their own. The he explained about the business he did to them, and how he was trying to grow it.

Now, let me explain why I’ve deliberately stuck with the no-oven-charcoal-powered production of cakes and drinks model.

It goes without saying that I KNOW Gas and Electric ovens can be used to bake cakes!

Incidentally, the kids today Friday 29th August 2014, baked a new set of cakes using the gas oven in their Grandparent’s home where they are on holiday.

So, I’m not stopping them from using that method (I should mention that failed to thoroughly mix the butter and sugar, leading to out of shape cakes. But their Grandparents kindly bought some of the funny shaped cakes off them…another lesson!)

However, my vision is to address the issue of “I have no capital” as practically as possible – to the point of eliminating ANY excuses ANYONE may have, about starting a micro business.

Too many people in my part of the world – even adults, and especially young people/teenagers – will readily tell you MONEY (as little as N1,000!) is keeping them from starting something they can use to earn a living.

I have NOW told my kids the answer they need to give to the question that stumped them when they visited the video shop owner.

It’s an answer that smart thinking, profit-focused business owners will readily give to such a question!

One of the ways I learnt that answer was from watching Top Management in Guinness Nigeria Plc. They got all of us – the employees – to break brewing and bottling records by TASKING us to use (what we thought were spent) machines/plant s in the breweries.

In other words, it will often not be about how new or sophisticated your tools and equipment are.

Instead, what matters will be how effectively you are able to use whatever resources you have, to produce products that meet the desired standards!!!!

I’ve told my kids that if they can develop the discipline to profitably make and sell their cakes using low cost tools (like the Charcoal stove), they can be sure of greater productivity and profits when they use standard equipment.

It’s simple common sense.

And this approach ensures that they kids get a sound understanding of the basic principles involved in the process.

Now that I’ve explained it to my kids, I know they’ll be able to respond competently/convincingly to future buyers who ask them why they use the Charcoal Stove method.

[NB: By way of interest, after they told me how the first sales visit went, I sent them back out to do the next visit. This time it was to the shop of the woman from whom they had often purchased the flour, sugar and other materials for cake baking.
They had all GROANED loudly…but trooped out to do it. They made no sale from that outing either, but they came back with details of how they answered the questions they were asked. ]

Final Words: The kids did make one non-school sale – but it was the night before – at an informal outing!

I’d told them they could walk around the neighborhood to explore possible places where buyers could be found for their cakes. So, they’d done that and eventually decided to sit with the mallam selling provisions in the estate, who happens to be their friend (they buy biscuits, sweets, Indomie noodles and other goodies from him).

They displayed their box wrapped cakes on the mallam’s stand, and began chatting away. At a point, a lady resident in the estate made a purchase from the mallam, and he had was lacking change to give her.

She suddenly pointed at their cakes and asked how much they were. The boys promptly replied that each box of 2 was N100.

The lady picked up a box, asking the mallam to use her N100 change to pay the boys. Before she left she asked them questions about how they made the cakes etc. And she also wanted to know what the name of the company was.

Now, that last question they had no answer to – as we have yet to decide what “business name” to register for this family business.

But that question from the lady indicated that our efforts to pack the cakes attractively had created the right kind of impression!

From the above, you can see that the kids already made a sale before the went out on the formal sales visit I setup. The only thing was it was an accidental one.

However, that accidental sale also proves that one intelligent way to make sales will be to have fixed location where people can find you/your products e.g. a shop.

We will be opening one when the time is right, in Cotonou. For now, I want them to experience cold calling, and pavement pounding, so as to be able to compare and contrast, while building the character needed for lasting success: persistence!

I’m excited to be able to finally start this Personal Achievement Coaching for Kids™ project with my kids.

This is the first leg in the journey.It is a program I know will benefit any young person who is willing to learn. And I intend to use it to empower my kids to do a better job of succeeding in the real world than I did at their age.

I offer to help other kids do the same. Including YOURS, if you let me!

Plus, I offer special coaching support for parents who want to learn how to do the same for their kids. Including you, if you’re willing!

If you believe you (or your child) can benefit from my program, fill and submit this form, for details of how to get started.