What Makes a Great Seller?

This past weekend saw me spending a considerable amount of time on base at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, NC, working the Hidden Talents Craft Show.  The show was pretty disappointing; lots of people, lots of browsers, but few buyers.  I discovered on Sunday as I was in a c-mart getting gas and munchies that I figured out what was going on.  The federal government has failed to pass a balanced budget so far, and if they miss the deadline, then none of the federal employees get paid, including the military.  Sure, they get paid retroactively, but retroactive pay doesn't put food on the table now.

Finding redemption in every situation, I encountered a lovely lady named Lisa who is new to small business.  Lisa is owner of Bath Bombs Away and her business is, obviously, all bath bombs.  Oh my gosh!  They were huge!  And gorgeous!  If I didn't know what they were, I'd want to try sticking a spoon in them and taking a bite; they looked like sorbet in mixed flavors, and her packaging was clever and eye-catching.

We often take for granted those things that make our businesses run and that make people want to enter our space - whether a show booth, an online store or a brick-and-mortar store.  I know I often focus more on my products than the intangibles that I bring to my business.  Given that slight jadedness, it was refreshing to see a relative newby working the show (Lisa's booth was across from ours and over one).  This is what I noticed she had going for her:

• Great products - As I said, her bath bombs looked absolutely delicious and smelled awesome.  They were also all-natural, scented with essential oils.
• Product knowledge - Unlike some bath and body manufacturers who go from making a product to wanting to sell it in a week, Lisa demonstrated that she'd done her research.  She knows her ingredients and possesses information about shelf life and essential oil properties.
• Awesome personality - Lisa was working the crowd.  She cooed over babies, warmly welcomed customers into her space and engaged people.  Her magnetic personality was a great draw.

If you're going to sell products to anyone, it's important to remember that you're selling part of yourself with each product you sell.  I'll talk more about the prostitution of entrepreneurship in a later post.

What attributes do you think are important in selling your goods and services?

Related articles

• Meanings and Uses of 10 Common Essential Oils (brighthub.com)
• It's a Sweet Time to Take a Bath (statesofluxury.com)
• What Do Essential Oils Do? (brighthub.com)