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This is the 2nd Edition of the sales analogy and now titled: Selling Ice in ice-cold territories and making it a win-win business. The title of the 1st edition was Selling Ice to Eskimos and making it a win-win business.
This eBook is globally distributed and the 1st edition’s title was objected to by several Canadian and some US- readers and judged as being racist. Coming from central Europe I was not aware of the perception of term Eskimo in Canada and I apologize for my ignorance. There was no negative comment from countries outside North America about the term Eskimo.
As a professional sales person, I don’t just say sorry as my apology. This would be a platitude and does not change much going forward. I listened carefully to my customers adapted the title and the foreword as well as the text for this 2nd edition you are holding in your hands.
Initially, I was advised by some readers to use the term Inuit instead of Eskimo. After some research, I learnt that several peoples in specific northern regions, such as Siberia and some others, don’t consider themselves Inuit and prefer the term Eskimo.
Confused? Yes, me too. Wipikedia tells us that some people consider Eskimo offensive, because it is popularly perceived to mean “eaters of raw meat” in Algonquian languages common to people along the Atlantic coast. An unnamed Cree speaker suggested the original word that became corrupted to Eskimo might have been askamiciw (meaning “he eats it raw”); the Inuit are referred to in some Cree texts as askipiw (meaning “eats something raw”). Regardless, the term still carries a derogatory connotation for many Inuit and Yupik.
In Canada and Greenland, and to a certain extent in Alaska, the term Eskimo is predominantly seen as offensive and has been widely replaced by the term Inuit or terms specific to a particular group or community. This has resulted in a trend whereby some Canadians and Americans believe that they should use Inuit even for Yupik who are non-Inuit.
Though there is much debate, the word Eskimo likely derives from an Innu-aimun (Montagnais) exonym meaning “a person who laces a snowshoe”, but is also used in folk etymology as meaning “eater of raw meat” in the Cree language. Though the Cree etymology has been discredited, “Eskimo” is considered pejorative by some Canadian and English-speaking Greenlandic Inuit.
In Canada and Greenland, “Inuit” is preferred. Inuit is the Eastern Canadian Inuit (Inuktitut) and West Greenlandic (Kalaallisut) word for “the people”. Since Inuktitut and Kalaallisut are the prestige dialects in Canada and Greenland, respectively, their version has become dominant, although every Inuit dialect uses cognates from the Proto-Eskimo *ińuɣ* – for example, “people” is inughuit in North Greenlandic and iivit in East Greenlandic.
While the debate about the correct name continues at different depths and widths in various regions, I will use the term Inuit for ease of reading. In this eBook the term Inuit refers to all peoples living in ice-cold territories, including Siberia, plus peoples in high altitude, mountainous regions where permafrost is common.
At the end, this eBook is not about Inuits. This eBook is about sales and how to conduct a meaningful conversation with a person interested in purchasing your products and services. Thus, let’s focus on the business aspects of the sales process and focus on the learnings taken from the descriptions of selling Ice in ice-cold territories (to Inuits) and how to transfer the key topics to your individual business scenario with the goal to improve sales.
What is politically correct in one region is politically incorrect in another region. You choose your perspective. In any case, if you wish, you can request to receive the eBook as 1st Edition with the cover title “SELLING ICE TO ESKIMOS AND MAKING IT A WIN-WIN BUSINESS”. The book title of the 2nd Edition is also applicable to high-altitude and other icy regions.
Is it possible to sell ice to an Inuit? As a sales veteran I can say, yes, it is. However, we use the term “Selling Ice to an Inuit” as analogy for sales in a Business-to-Business environment. When you have developed qualified sales skills and possess a sound understanding of sales economies, then the answer is yes, you can sell ice to Inuits.
The eBook is a multi-page analogy of selling ice to Inuits, describing the B2B sales approach with a clear customer focus. Equally important are the pages following the Inuits’ story: a guideline for ransferring the Inuit analogy to a B2B setting for direct application in your next sales meeting.
An extended version of B2B sales with additional communication tactics can be found online, where several training programs by Impact4Sales are offered. These training programs are available for self-studying via a video library with content focused on communication skills to motivate your prospect to purchase from you.
Selling is to discover the general and personal motivations of your partner and satisfy these to mutual benefit
A WIN-WIN SITUATION IS CREATED
If you are a good salesperson, you can sell ice to Inuits without much hassle. A person who is well skilled in the art of selling can sell anything to anyone and generate a win-win case. Knowing how to sell is the basis to selling anything. Sales skills will determine if a business will be a success or a failure. To design a nice product or develop good service is a great start that builds a solid inventory. Yet, success in business comes neither from products nor from inventory. True business success starts by selling products and services and making a profit by doing so.
That is based on interacting with people and how well we understand the customer.
There are several sales secrets you need to understand that trigger the Inuits’ motivation to buy your ice. If you don’t know these secrets, you are missing out on a great opportunity to start closing more deals. The Inuit analogy will reveal some of these secrets and support you in your pursuit of earning more revenue.
Sales skills are not something you are born with; they are built over time. This is why you need to take your time as you go through the book. I even recommend following up with the online training offered by Impact4Sales, so that you understand and develop the right skills to sell anyone anything—even ice to Inuits.
Sourced from many successful salespeople, you will find a number of tactical tips and logical steps for B2B sales in this text. You learn how to apply the tactics and successfully motivate the Inuits to buy ice from you.
If you understand these steps and apply them correctly, you will be on the road to riches as you close deals and earn more profits. As a result, you are happy with your cash earned, the Inuits is happy with the ice they purchased from you, and you have created a win-win situation.
For easy reading, you may opt to print this eBook.
Happy reading, and may your future be full of successful selling!
Richard Baron
www.impact4sales.com
This eBook is included for free in any of the purchased modules
Chapter 1: Who Are the Inuits?
1
Chapter 2: Selling Ice to the Inuits
4
Chapter 3: How to Sell Ice to the Inuits
10
Chapter 4: Motivating Inuits to Buy Ice
15
Chapter 5: Secrets on How to Sell Ice to the Inuits
19
Chapter 6: Conclusions from the Inuit analogy
24
Chapter 7: Transferring the Inuit analogy to a B2B setting
26
Chapter 8: Question Types
28
Chapter 9: Active Listening
29
Chapter 10: Needs Analysis Questions
30
Chapter 11: Final Remarks and Definition of Sales
36