Like many other American children, my first taste of entrepreneurship began when I set up my first lemonade stand. I learned the basics of advertising, location, sales, and production quality. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I utilized my most effective asset: my charm. Considering the mediocrity of my product, I fared rather well.
I eventually gave up the lemonade stand and took a job as a bag boy at a grocery store. I couldn’t pinpoint the exact date, but somewhere along the line, the lemonade business couldn’t pay the bills. I grew up.
As I’ve had an opportunity to sell products and services at different stages in my adult life, I can’t help but wonder if sometimes the young boy selling lemonade would laugh at my methodology.
I can’t remember exactly how much I charged for a glass of lemonade, but I’m confident it was higher than the industry standard. My product wasn’t superior to my competitors, my location was inconvenient, and my sanitation standards were not OSHA approved. Come to think of it, my product kind of sucked, but guess what? I don’t ever remember discussing the features of my product in my sales pitch. As I contemplate why my small business operated successfully, I can only attribute it to my brand. My product sold because I was downright likeable. I was profitable because my customers were smitten. (Well, and the fact that my operating costs were low because I stole my materials from my parents.)
The moral of the story?
It’s important to remind ourselves what we knew as children. That is, we didn’t sell stuff by droning on about the manufacturing process or how unique our product was. Our product sold because we were attractive and genuine. When did we lose our way?