Ice and Eskimos

In the old days, to describe someone with sales skills people would say things like “He could sell ice to an eskimo.” That phrase was used to describe sales acumen, especially overcoming objections. But selling has changed. You would never sell ice to an eskimo. He doesn’t need ice. Selling someone something they really don’t want, don’t need, and can’t benefit from makes you selfish, self-oriented, and manipulative.

If you want to make a sale to an eskimo today, you sell him a vision, a factory, and transportation so he can do something with the ice already surrounding him. That’s a bigger, more valuable sale for both you and your proverbial eskimo.