Teaching sales...

So I get a call from my neighbor asking if her 10 year old son can come over and sell me some magazine subscriptions as a school fundraiser.

He does and goes through his pitch. I buy one subscription. Then, he says, "Ok, thanks a lot."

"Not so fast. If you're going to come here and try and sell me something, you're going to get some pointers." I give him some quick basics and make him practice on me.

Of course, then I have to buy more, so I order two more magazines.

Today, I got a note from his father:

"Thanks again for your patience and kindness in helping my son. There are lots of things that we have been able to teach him, but marketing isn’t one of them. After your coaching he set off on a massive selling campaign, determined to win whatever they were offering as an incentive. He usually doesn’t get very motivated about the other school drives (selling gift wrap or candy) but I think the fact that he actually believes in the product this time has been a motivating factor. He managed to reach his immediate sales goal and seems to be looking to continue and try for whatever the grand prize is. At least it’s for a good cause, is educational, and has zero caloric content."