I’d like to share a story about a great sales experience I had recently. The farmer’s market in Scotch Creek has an assortment of vendors, and our family’s favourite is the person we lovingly call “The Pie Lady”. Not surprisingly, she makes fabulous pies! Her husband, however, is the ultimate salesperson! He gave us his business card (he’s a contractor) and recommends we place our order on Saturday, since the pies always sell out on Sunday morning, often before the market officially opens!
As we’re admiring all the baked goods on display, he tells us about the scones and muffins baked at 5:00 am that day and boasts about the gourmet cookies. When we last picked up our pie and other baked goods, he pointed out their freshly picked grape tomatoes and bags of basil, and his wife quickly chimed in to show me her recipe for penne with tomatoes, basil, and brie. (It’s delicious and the recipe is at the end of this article.) The recipe was covered in a plastic page protector, so it could be easily filed away.
As I collected my goodies to take to the car, the Pie Lady’s husband offered to carry my pie to make sure it made it safely to the car. As he passed it to me, he commented on the weight of all the fruit that’s in it, reassuring me that it was a good buy.
Selling is really quite a simple process. First you need to be passionate about what you’re selling. Then make it easy for the person to buy. Upsell and your customer walks away happier than if you hadn’t suggested the extra products. And finally, provide great after-sales service and reinforce the client’s buying decision. Easy, isn’t it?
Penne with Basil & Brie
Penne, cooked & drained
½ c extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
¾ c fresh basil leaves, chopped
freshly ground pepper
1½ c cubed Brie cheese
8 roma tomatoes, cubed
In a large bowl, combine olive oil, minced garlic, red wine vinegar, basil leaves, pepper, brie and tomatoes. Let mixture stand, covered, at room temperature for 1-2 hours. Toss warm or cold pasta with mixture. Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and pine nuts.