Here’s a true story I received from my mom earlier this month:

Steven, I just had to tell you about a couple of little girls from a local elementary school who came to our office to sell candy for their fundraiser.

One girl was kind of shy and didn’t say two words.  The other one, small but confident, was as memorable as any little salesperson you ever met.  They came in the door and several of us who had seen their school bus pull up went to the reception area to see what was going on.

They came in with their rather large bags filled with boxes of candy.  The small girl introduced them, noted the school they represented, and asked if we would buy candy for their fundraiser.  One of my co-workers said, “I don’t have any money with me today, sorry.”  Not missing a beat, the girl said, “We take checks!”  That was sale number one as the woman made her selection and went off for her checkbook.

Another said, “I’m on a diet and can’t eat candy.”  The girl immediately said, “We take contributions!” and received a $5 bill.  As others came up with excuses, the little girl enthusiastically overcame their objections.  So original and refreshing!

Then she turned to me and I asked what she would win if they sold the most candy.  Her face lit up and she said, “I get to help the special children board their bus to go to camp!”  I bought $20 worth.

Enthusiasm and belief in your cause… amazing how it shines through!

Thanks mom!  And to those readers who might dismiss this example as applying only to $2 fundraiser products, be assured that the same principles apply whether selling candy bars, bottles of wine, hotel rooms, or jet airplanes!  Enthusiasm and belief in your cause sells!

Want more proof?  Read about how Cowbell Sandy’s enthusiasm increased add-on sales by $11.50 per hour at the Paradise Bakery & Café she managed.  Here’s the post.

I recently brought my car in to Discount Tire here in Denver to purchase a new set of tires.  The rep suggested a suitable tire and then began to put together a deal.  This included a credit for my old tires, a road hazard warranty, free installation, and free quarterly rotation and balancing for the life of the tires.  So far, so good.

Then, before presenting me with the total, the rep asked me a question: “Mr. Curtin, does your wife ever drive this car?”  I said, “Sure.”  He then said, “Would adding a feature called ‘siping’ to the tires in order to provide extra safety by increasing road traction while decreasing braking distance by 200% be important to her?”  Naturally it would.

Although I’d never before heard of siping, I added the $10 per tire treatment and increased the amount of the sale by $40.  It turns out that siping involves scoring the tire with tiny grooves that increase the tire’s elasticity and grip on the road.  Now, some of you skeptics may think I was taken but that’s not the way I see it.  From a psychological standpoint, I feel assured that these tires will do the best possible job of gripping the road in the elements and braking to a stop quickly when necessary.

For me, safety is a priority when buying tires.  Guess who else knows that safety is a high priority for me—and most of its customers?  That’s right: the people at Discount Tire.  Now I don’t know what their profit margin is when this feature is added but I imagine it’s pretty high.

Now consider your own customers.  What’s important to them?  Safety?  Comfort?  Speed?  Accuracy?  Convenience?  Something else?  Think about the products and services that you offer.  What sort of value-added enhancements might you make available that your customers will feel good about purchasing?

Not every customer will bite but if it’s positioned correctly and matches one or more of the priorities of your target customers, enough will to make it well worth your while.

Earlier today I brought three of my children, ages 3, 5, and 7, to the dentist.  We’ve been going to the same pediatric dentistry office since our oldest child turned 3 and was scheduled for his first “Happy Appointment!”  (That’s the nickname the dental hygienists give to a toddler’s first experience at their office.)

From the moment the kids arrived, they were entertained by an oversized aquarium stocked with the cast from Finding Nemo.  A raised platform surrounds the base of the aquarium in order for the really little kids to enjoy the same perspective as the bigger kids.  As their appointments came up, each child was greeted in the reception area and escorted back to the roomy, well-lit patient examination area complete with electric chairs that go up and down, loads of stickers, pencils, and those plastic rings that kids can’t get enough of…

Today, all three kids had their teeth cleaned.  During the cleanings, I heard the hygienists refer to each of their instruments by descriptive, kid-friendly names.  For example, the bright overhead light was “Mr. Sunshine.”  The suction straw was “Mr. Thirsty” and the high-pressure water jet was “Mr. Windy.”

Afterwards, all the little patients got to select their prizes and choose from a wide selection of themed toothbrushes, toothpaste, and floss ranging from dinosaurs and action figures for the boys to ponies and princesses for the girls.

During the appointment, I had a chance to ask one of the dentists how the current economy was impacting his practice.  He said, “You know Steve, I’m really concerned.  Only about half our patients are completely covered by dental insurance.  The other half either don’t have insurance or the insurance they do have covers 50% or less of the cost of the visit.  If the procedure is going to require much out-of-pocket expense, it’s easy for people to rationalize delaying a previously scheduled appointment by six to twelve months.”

I then asked another question that I felt I already knew the answer to: “So, you’re probably already seeing this sentiment reflected in your own business, right?”  To my surprise, he said, “Well, actually no.  But we’re sure worried about it.”

In reflecting on that conversation, I realize why I shouldn’t be surprised that his practice is still prospering in spite of the economy.  Did I mention how memorable the visits were for the kids?  Everything from the fish to the floss is geared toward making positive memories for the kids.

These memories not only fuel a desire to brush well and return to the dentist regularly.  As it turns out, they also insulate the practice from the negative effects of a sluggish economy we’ll call “Mr. Grumpy Pants.”