The two salespeople during my haircut

Okay, I’d like to tell you about two salespeople who called on a barbershop in my town, earlier this week.

I got a haircut the other day, as one does, and i was witness to two sales conversations. One was someone who called the owner of the barber shop (not the guy cutting my hair), who was trying to sell him merchant services. 

You see, the barbershop only accepts cash, no cards. The owner told the guy, “Sure, the equipment is free, but then you’re going to take 2.5% of every head we cut. We do a lot of haircuts each week, who is going to make that up?”

He looked at us after the call, those of us in the shop, and we all just shook our heads. “Every couple of years, I’ll take a look. It’s the same thing. They’re taking money they don’t earn. And for what? I have an ATM here. People can get cash. It works.”

The second sales call was a woman who walked in to talk to the same owner about getting seasonal designs painted on the window. The owner’s demeanor was completely different. “Oh yeah, you did that one store up the street? And that other one? They are great. I’ve been meaning to call you. Yes, we want this. And you also did that other store?”

“No,” she said. “That third store was just them doing it themselves.”

“Oh, trying to be you!” said one of the barbers. Her reply? “It looks great, they did a great job. The more the merrier.”

The owner finished up with, “I’m really glad you walked in here today. I’ve been wanting to get in touch. Let’s get this done.”

And she said, “And we can update it for the holidays, and then again in the spring…” And the owner just nodded enthusiastically.

What’s the point I’m trying to make?

One person was selling something unnecessary, that was trying to take from him and his business. The other was selling something the owner wanted and was happy about, and happy to pay for.

Everyone knows that merchant services are predatory. They do the same thing whether it’s a $1 sale or a $1000 sale. But they don’t charge a flat rate, they take a percentage. They aren’t charging a fair price for a solid service. Any business owner I know is fundamentally unhappy with the setup. 

We’re happy to pay for services we need, and we’re unhappy to just give these people money out of our pockets in what feels like unfair robbery.

I think most small business owners don’t see how their customers and clients are rooting for them, and they actually want to hear from them. In a world that is increasingly disconnected, and surrounded by larger corporations that are increasingly predatory, to connect with someone of integrity, doing good work, who is not trying to “get one over” and who is a small business, actually feels good  to the buyer.

I also think it was remarkable that she didn’t have to sell him on her services, because he had already seen her work elsewhere. This is the power of word-of-mouth, of human connections, of referrals.

I like to remind people of something I learned many years ago. In English, the word “sell” comes from the Old English “selja,” which originally meant, “to give voluntarily in response to a request.”

If you asked me for a drink of water, and I gave it to you, that would “be selling.”

Heart-centered selling is rooted in this beautiful understanding of the web of care that we are all held in. We need each other. Instead of seeing selling your services as transactional, see them for what they are: helping to weave tapestry of care.

You provide something that people deeply need or want, and they are happy, in turn, to see you supported.

When I write this email, or shoot a video, I’m not picturing someone who is unhappy that I’m calling. Folks like that, if they are unhappy with me, I hope they don’t let me fill their inbox.

Instead, my heart is full of the folks who are happy to hear from me, because they need the care I’m providing, the same way I’m happy to hear from so many others, because I need the care they are providing.

This is surprisingly important business advice. This is not “soft” – this is incredibly practical. I have hundreds of people over the years tell me how impactful it is to shift their awareness in this way.

Let this lesson sink into your heart. Let yourself immerse in the love and the care that you and others bring. 

When you go to sell your services, please remember you are NOT the one selling predatory merchant services that we were all shaking our heads at.

You are the woman the shop owner was happy to see. Let us be glad to see each other, glad to support one another, and glad to provide care that we all need.

with love,

Mark Silver, M.Div.
Heart of Business, Inc.
Every act of business can be an act of love.