Disneyland...The Happiest Place On Earth

For 15 years I have sold in an industry that goes into organizations offering booklets with pictures of all the members, and family portraits. We work mostly with religious organizations, and occassionally with gated communities, country clubs, and business groups. For five years, a husband and wife team, Randy and Anita Disney sold portraits behind me in the organizations I set up. I called this relationship “Disneyland” because for me and the customers they serve, it truly is “The Happiest Place On Earth”.

The Disney’s make top money in our industry. And what makes them special is that they sell portraits in a way that made it easy for me to rebook the organization every two years. They are happy every day. If sales are great they are happy. If sales are lousy they are happy. They treat all their customers with the same dignity and respect whether they buy or not. As Randy tells it, “They only have two goals: to be a blessing to that organization and to be a blessing to every individual customer whether they buy or not”. He tries to keep it a secret, but if he comes across a family who is so impoverished they can’t afford a portrait package, he takes out his wallet and buys them one with his own money.” He has one of the highest next time buyer ratio’s. In other words, if someone doesn’t want or need portraits, he let’s them go with respect and best wishes.

Another friend in my industry is Patricia Adagio. For years, she worked in the same role as the Disney team. Patricia carried many of the same attitudes as Randy and Anita and she also figured out some of her own ways to offer extra customer service and value as she sold. She was the queen of setting up a “Service Environment”. Patricia always made sure the “waiting area was set up in a “U-Shape” or as she called it a “Conversation Pit” so people could easily talk while they waited. Her personal sales table was always decorated with cheerful seasonal items. She brought toys and coloring books for children who got bored while mom and dad were buying portrait packages. She had a box of reading glasses for those who forgot to bring theirs. Lastly, she was always immaculately dressed and brought a friendly warmth to every sales conversation.

Like the Disney’s, Patricia not only was a company sales leader who pulled down industry leading money, but she brilliantly laid the ground work to come back into the organization two or three years later.

These people are Servant Sales People 100% of the time. I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with them.