10 Sales Lessons from Colonial Williamsburg

by John Carroll

Decisions on summer vacations in our family generate more discussion than just about any other topic. So when Lori, my wife, suggested Williamsburg, Virginia as her idea of our destination, we researched and ruminated, finally agreeing that we would find a way to enjoy Williamsburg for 10 days. I expected that we’d have done all there was to do and have five days left, wondering what to do next. Lori now enjoys hearing me say, “Boy, was I wrong.”

If you’re not familiar, Williamsburg is a small town situated between Richmond and Norfolk, Virginia. It’s the home of the world’s largest living history museum known as Colonial Williamsburg. As we moved through our 10 days in the area and wished we had more, it occurred to me that this area is steeped in sales lessons for those who take a closer look. The pointers I picked up:

1. Pay the admission – Colonial Williamsburg is an area which has free admission to those who choose to wander the streets, shop with the circa 1774 merchants and witness the occasional demonstrations of life in 18^th century colonial Virginia. Visitors also have the choice to enter through the Visitors Center, pay a nominal admission and view a short film to gain a clear introductory picture of the significant role Williamsburg and Virginia played in the process of America declaring its independence from the Crown of Great Britain. The film alone is worth the price of admission, since you can then step into the same settings you’ve just viewed in the film and get a true feeling of the history made there.

In sales, paying the admission means making it a point to get the information beforehand on your prospect. There’s absolutely no excuse these days for seeing a new prospect without having at least a clue or two as what the individual or organization does. With so many organizations using the worldwide web as an information provider, it takes very little effort to learn important facts about a company and get a sense of the issues and factors that may be having an impact upon it. Once you’ve done the initial information gathering, you come into a selling opportunity warmed up and ready to engage in what should be a reasonable use of your prospect’s time.

2. Offer options for commitment – Operated by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the historic area counts on admission fees and financial support from visitors and others to operate. With 3,800 full- and part-time employees, this large organization must continually find creative ways to fund its payroll, maintenance and historic research, among others.

One creative revenue source comes from the admission menu. As a visitor paying admission to see Colonial Williamsburg, you’re given three options. The first is a two-day pass, good for the use of buses between the Visitor Center and the historic area, as well as buses that will take you from one location to another within the historic area. The second is a pass good for one year, which includes admission to special events and performances with some dates blacked out. The third is an enhanced version of the annual pass with special merchant discounts and admission to special events any day of the year.

The magic here is that the difference in pricing between the first and second options was so insignificant that it was virtually a no-brainer to step up to the initial version of the annual pass. As we enjoyed our time in the colonial area, I took an informal survey of passes displayed on the visitors and counted a good 30 percent or more who had also chosen the first level annual pass. The difference in price seemed insignificant to me; the difference in revenue by enticing thousands of visitors to select it over the two-day pass obviously makes a huge difference in admission revenues. The annual pass also provides an incentive to return before the expiration date, which would generate additional revenues in food and merchandise on the next visit.

The reminder in selling here is one that has been drummed into me by Brian Tracy, Alan Weiss and others. When you sell, offer alternatives. Don’t count on a single version to win the day. Even if you have a single product that you sell and it has absolutely no options to it, find a way to add some value and reflect that added value in the price. Will your prospect buy the higher value? Not necessarily, but your prospect will have a choice between two or more ways to buy from you, rather than the option to buy or not to buy. Also, be ready to make your recommendation for the prospect. Just as you might ask for a dining suggestion in a restaurant, you should be prepared to assert which of the options you believe is best for the prospect and why. This shows that you’ve done your homework and thought through what would be in your prospect’s best interests.

3. Think big – One doesn’t create the world’s largest living history museum thinking small. In 1930 amid the throes of the Great Depression, Reverend Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin, rector of the church situated within the historic area, set out to restore and preserve the colonial history. With the help of philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr., scores of architects, engineers and anthropologists began work to restore, unearth and create the area that has brought history to life for hundreds of thousands of visitors from all walks of life and all corners of the globe.

In sales, you think big by finding a way to provide extreme value to your prospect or client. Some would encourage you to take the money and run before the client or prospect has the chance to change his or her mind. If long-term business is about creating and adding long-lasting value, find ways to add incredible value to the client’s condition. Applied to the concept of offering options, make one of your options a high-end, tremendous value-added option. If adding value means a longer warranty on a product with service and support and that option assures the prospect that your solution will be continuously available in a setting where waiting is not an option, make that your high-end option. We won’t get into the math of valuing a client for life here; suffice it to say that thinking big by adding huge value will win you favor with the client in question as well as those referred by that client or customer.

4. Take the walking tour – As you disembark from the bus that just brought you from the Visitor Center, the greeter invites you to take a short walking tour to get a further orientation to the area and the historic period you’re about to enter. You’re likely to get a volunteer, who will add his or her own particular perspective to the key points covered in the presentation. As eager as you may be to get out and do some independent exploration, this additional time is usually a wise investment, helping you get some additional pointers on the lay of the land as well as points of interest.

In sales, taking this walking tour is akin to planning the sale. While many sales professionals are keen to jump into the sales discussion, there’s wisdom in knowing how you’ll approach the opportunity by considering your options. This planning can and should include preparation of questions beforehand, questions pertinent to your prospect’s current condition. Prospects consider elementary questions, one after another a waste of their time. Shooting from the hip or allowing the prospect to take control of the sales conversation is the mark of an inexperienced or otherwise unsuccessful person in sales. Before you go into the actual selling situation, consider where the discussion might go and have tools ready to move it in the direction that will help your prospect see value in the solutions you offer. Think it through, reflect on it and even write out some key questions you’d ask to get the discussion back on track. This added time and attention to planning will pay off in more positive responses from your prospects and better sales numbers for you.

5. Stay in character – Among the employees in Colonial Williamsburg are those who play actual historical characters from the period. One such character is Benjamin Powell, a builder of the time who hosts visitors of all ages in his home. From demonstrating to children the currency of the day to showing adults his line drawings of the wide variety of staircases and fireplaces he can add to their homes, he is colonial in dress, speech and mannerisms, ever remaining in character. You can also count on his farewell mantra, “Remember, no house is too big for Benjamin Powell.”

Staying in character in sales means that you find ways to stay on the topic at hand and focus on the needs and value of the client. As political races heat up, school districts attract controversy and religious denominations find their way into the news, it’s all too easy to fall into the trap of sharing your views with someone who is considering buying from you. Don’t do it. Don’t allow the conversation to move into such a mode, because your politics or views may conflict with those of your prospective buyer. If such a question is posed to you, answer it briefly and without emotion and move the topic back to the opportunity at hand. Use questions such as, “Why don’t we look at the options I’ve prepared for you?” or “If you like, why don’t we focus on your desired outcomes from any investment you would make in new production equipment?” By sticking to the topic at hand, you prevent the potential falling out that can happen when ideologies clash.

6. Ask questions – In my mind, one of the greatest things about touring a living history museum in Colonial Williamsburg or anywhere is the ability to interact with humans and ask questions. Having been to static history exhibits, even those with buttons to push and recordings to view or hear, nothing quite replaces the touch of an individual who can address the question directly. For example, consider the use of FAQs (frequently asked questions) on hundreds of thousands of web sites. If you’re like me, you’ve come up with questions that no one has asked yet or you could find a needle in a haystack more easily than you can locate your question. Call it impatience; there’s nothing better for me than an answer to a question, even if it’s “I don’t know, but I’ll find out and get back with you.”

In sales, asking questions is one of the most basic and underrated elements of selling. Those who sell in an unplanned, unprepared way simply ask the next question that comes to mind and are likely to walk away with incomplete information, rendering them unable to make a compelling case for buying anything from them. For example, if your product or service involves high-ticket items or a long-term relationship with a customer or client, you should read and learn SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham to understand the value of a prepared questioning process. If not, think through the two or three questions you can ask a prospect that demonstrate your focus on the needs and value of someone who would benefit from your product or service. Don’t assume that you know those needs. On the contrary, you ask questions to determine their specific needs and values and tie them to an offering that fills the need and creates genuine value.

7. Know where your heart is – As we witnessed the people who work in and around the colonial areas of Williamsburg, it was plain to see that people seemed to enjoy what they were doing. More and more, it’s painfully obvious to me that precious few individuals have found life’s work that makes their hearts sing. I realize that there are those who work in positions to support their families and themselves and derive their pleasure and fulfillment from other areas of their lives. Nonetheless, it’s a special experience for me to watch a woman fully outfitted in the multi-layered dress of the period and out for a midday stroll, gracefully handling questions in temperatures too uncomfortably warm for most people to venture outdoors at all. Carrying oneself in this way requires a certain love of what one is doing.

Knowing where your heart is in selling means that you should know why you’re in selling and how it makes your own heart sing. If you don’t have that feeling that you’re exactly where you belong, consider the possibility that selling itself is not for you. It’s certainly not for everyone. On the other hand, you may be a great sales professional and would feel more fulfilled by selling a different product or service. Either way, you could be doing yourself a disservice by spending time in an area other than where your true gifts lie. While selling is a learned skill, not everyone would want to master it. There are those who love selling because they enjoy the elements involved: thinking strategically, planning, goal setting, contacting, networking, interviewing, fact finding, presenting solutions, handling prospect questions and objections and taking the risk that someone won’t buy from them today. If your heart isn’t in selling, it may be reflected in your results. Do some soul-searching and determine if you’re where you truly belong. If you are, congratulations! If you’re not, think on paper and decide where your gifts may be better applied for a professional life that is challenging and fulfilling. Life is too short for the drudgery that comes with doing something you don’t truly love to do.

8. Allow sufficient time – In the past, our family’s vacation style has been one of bouncing around; let’s get through this so we can move quickly to the next attraction/destination/event. As of our visit to Colonial Williamsburg, that has changed, and for the better. As I mentioned earlier, we spent 10 days in an area where I thought five would suffice. I had even resigned myself to the idea that I’d make happy faces whenever anyone would ask how I was doing. To my complete and utter surprise, I found myself wanting more even as we were departing. There was so much to learn and explore and so many more special moments to be found in this place that I wasn’t ready to leave. I felt enriched, entertained and refreshed by a vacation in a way that I hadn’t experienced in many years.

In sales, allowing sufficient time applies to several areas. These include spacing your sales appointments appropriately to allow for travel time resulting in early or on-time arrival. Prospects appreciate punctuality as a sign of your respect for their time. They don’t care how busy you are and how difficult it is to be you. They are preoccupied with themselves and appreciate others who have a high regard for their priorities.

Allowing sufficient time also applies to putting some thought and preparation into your presentation. Even when you’ve done this particular presentation so many times that you could recite it in your sleep, you should prepare. You know that professionalism demands preparation, particularly for you to tie what you sell into the value that your prospect perceives. Preparation also gives you the edge should something unexpected happen in your meeting with a prospect. By being sharp on both your product or service and your prospect’s needs through focused preparation time, you have a greater chance of rolling with the punches and hitting your objectives.

9. See it through the eyes of a child – One of the many activities in Colonial Williamsburg involves the rental of colonial dress for a child, who then is given written instructions for several tasks and errands as his or her assignment for the day. Since children were expected to handle considerable chores in a household, these tasks and the interaction with the actors involved were valuable insights into the life of a child in Virginia in 1774. Since this was the ultimate in dress up and pretend, our daughter Jodye was very excited and took full advantage of the opportunity, speaking with a printer, a gardener and the kitchen workers of a prominent citizen of the time.

Seeing selling through the eyes of a child may come from something as simple as the lemonade stand in a child’s front yard. If you haven’t lately, make it a point to stop and buy a cold drink, even if it’s not very cold or isn’t your favorite flavor. Make it a point to see what you can observe from a child learning his or her first lessons in free enterprise. Selling concepts certainly apply, and you get to see firsthand a bit of what your prospect may see in you, a young child in an adult body, hoping that someone will buy and enjoy whatever it is that you’re selling. Witnessing from this perspective may help you appreciate what you do and how challenging the world of selling truly is. Watching a child sell and service enthusiastically could also infuse a needed dose of energy to your own approach.

10. Have dinner at The Inn – When I shared with a friend and colleague that we would be vacationing in Williamsburg, he strongly encouraged me to take Lori and have dinner at The Williamsburg Inn. He said his own evening there was one of the finest five-star dining experiences of his life.

Since we’ve worked hard as parents to teach our children proper manners when they eat in public, we decided to put it to the test. When I was the first to fumble a utensil at the table, I earned a subdued round of nervous giggles from the family. Since this was our first five-star experience as a family, I spared no expense and ordered a bottle of wine, knowing that we’d be unable to consume that amount. We ate and drank, while we were made to feel quite at home by our waiter who seemed to anticipate our every wish and respond in ways above and beyond the norm. A great dining experience coupled with a celebrity sighting (Lori was able to meet and get the autograph of Richard Chamberlain, one of her all-time favorite stage and screen actors.) made this an evening and a memory to cherish. In fact, for the balance of the vacation, if anything at all seemed to go wrong, one of the girls would quickly remind Lori, “But, Mom, you got Richard Chamberlain’s autograph.” To which Lori would respond with a faraway gaze and a contented, “Yes, I did, didn’t I?”

In sales, having dinner at The Inn means rewarding yourself for a job well done. You should make it a point to reward yourself and your family for the hoops you jump through in your chosen profession. If reinforcement earns repeat behavior, then you should make it a point to find ways to reward yourself and those dear to you when you get positive results.

You can enjoy the moment of getting a fresh cup of coffee after you’ve made those first five prospecting calls of the day. You can keep your eye on the prize of that special reward that you’ll buy for yourself and/or your family when you hit a certain level of sales. Keep the prize or reward equal to the level of accomplishment and you’ll find yourself doing more of what you need to do to be successful. This is sales self-management at its finest. When you require no reinforcement or reward from a sales manager for a job well done, any that you get is gravy and you can prosper in a system where many others will fail without the constant attention and encouragement of that manager. As a low-maintenance sales professional who needs little or no coddling, you’ll also be a highly desirable addition to virtually any sales organization.

John Carroll is a professional speaker, author and consultant as well as President of Unlimited Performance, a Mt. Pleasant, SC, firm specializing in high-performance cultures to help leaders and organizations win the game of business and life. He is the author of Sales Illustrated: 68 Sales Lessons from Everyday Life. Contact him at 1-800-672-4277 toll-free, e-mail at jcarroll@uperform.com , fax at (843) 881-6746 and find him on the Web at www.uperform.com.