Frank's Chat with Santa
Everyone is busy this time of year, but Santa and his North Pole Industries team feel the most pressure. I knew Mr. Claus would be very busy, but I needed to talk to him.
Using the “Dialing for Dollars” process outlined in my latest book, The New Sales Guy Project, I decided to make a call. I only had North Pole Industries' address – no phone number and no email. Oh well, time to practice what I preach on getting hold of people. I jumped over to Google and searched for a direct number for Santa Claus. My search results were many, so I tightened up the search by adding “Santa Claus” and “phone number”. Hidden in the first three results was a mention of his number (605-313-4000 don’t believe me give it a ring).
Entering the number, I ended up with, you guessed it, voice mail. I left this message:
“Santa this is Frank Hurtte of River Heights Consulting. You probably remember that we spoke briefly about this time last year. I would like to capture about 10 minutes of your time to talk about distributors. This won’t be a sales pitch, and no I am not trying to convince you that I haven’t been naughty this year. Please call or email me.”
Of course, I provided my direct phone number and email address at the end of the message.
I sat back and waited. A couple of days went by, and I reached out once more. Nothing happened. Here’s where many salespeople make the mistake of giving up. The Dialing for Dollars process calls for six or seven calls spread over a couple of weeks. Following the process I had just made my fifth call when a text from a strange number appeared on my phone.
The text said, “Hey Frankie Boy! I got your message and I can spare a couple of minutes tomorrow morning. Let’s meet at that coffee shop down by the Village of East Davenport. I can only give you 15 minutes, but I hear their hot chocolate is delicious.”
When I walked through the door, the place was packed. I glanced around looking for the familiar red suit but saw nothing resembling my old pal Santa. I got myself a coffee and continued to wait, but as I sat down the lovely lady at the counter called me over and said, “Are you looking for someone special?” I nodded and she ushered me to the back room of the shop.
There, in a room filled with boxes of cups and other clutter, was a solitary table. Santa was busy with his phone. I assume he wasn’t playing the latest version of Solitaire or some other time waster. Looking up, Santa laughed and motioned for me to sit down.
Seated and taking a swig of his hot chocolate, my red-clad friend looked up and said, “What’s on your mind this year Frankie Boy? It better not be something about your behavior, because I’ve got an elf dedicated to that kind of minutia.”
I started with a stammer, “Santa, I mean Mr. Claus, I wanted to grab a few words of wisdom to share with all the distributors who read my articles. You, sir, have the largest and most sophisticated distribution operation in the world. I know they would appreciate your thoughts.”
Starting with his signature, HO, HO, HO, the Jolly one made a deep sigh and wandered off in thought. Finally, he said this:
“Frank, this year has been a tough one for all of us. If you think supply chain issues are tough for your pals, just imagine what it’s like to find the front wheels for those little red wagons kids are still asking for. And every time a sweet child asks for a dolly with red hair I cringe. We are months behind in getting a supply of red dolly hair. Sometimes even I have to deal with customer disappointment. Hopefully, next year will be better.”
After a quick wink, he went on with these comments.
“After nearly two thousand years of business, we have learned that customer trust is our biggest drawing card. The same holds for your distributor buddies, especially the new sellers you seem to be writing a lot about. We practice straight talk, when kids come to sit on my lap, I tell them Santa will try to bring them the right stuff. If the delivery is in question, we tell them. Even more, we tell them if we can’t bring exactly what they want, we will bring them something else we are sure they will approve of.”
Nodding along, I started to ask a question, but Santa cut me short:
“You said you would only take 10 minutes of my time. We have just a couple more minutes so let me close with this. North Pole Industries always makes everything about the kids. It’s my job to continually focus all the elves back toward our customers, the kids, or at least those who aren’t on the naughty list. Your distributor pals will benefit from my personal list.”
With this, the Jolly Red One handed me a note card.
Handwritten on the card was the following message:
Santa's Sales List for Distributors
1. Value-Added Services
- Highlight the extra goodies you bring to the table, not just the products.
2. Strong Relationships
- Build trust and understand your customers like Santa knows his reindeer.
3. Adapt and Learn
- Keep up with the changing times, just like Santa updates his sleigh.
4. Continuous Education
- Stay smart, and keep learning—knowledge is the magic dust of sales.
5. Scientific Approach
- Use a methodical approach to get to know your customers’ needs.
6. First Impressions Matter
- Make a memorable first impression, as if it's your only chance to get on the Nice List.
Wishing you a successful and jolly sales journey!
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