Teaching children how to sell helps financially and w/ self esteem

Teaching children how to sell helps financially and w/ self esteem

One of the reasons poor people are poor is because they have nothing to sell. The fact is that the minute you have something to sell, you can start making money. The art of selling is a skill that can help children financially and even with low self esteem issues.

I know what you’re thinking; putting a fragile child to sell products does not help with low self esteem issue – it would only hurt a child to have to face rejection. First lets be honest – selling is just part of every day life, so is rejection and how you deal with rejection.

I use to frown upon the girl and Boy Scout organization because they exploited children to sell cookies to raise funds. While I still believe their being exploited, I believe the experience can be a positive plus when it comes to life. Every person on earth is always selling something, selling themselves to potential friends, schools, colleges, jobs and vice versa, every day we are faced with rejection. Rejected in love, work promotion, friendships and more – how we deal with rejection and the skills we have when it comes to selling is what really makes some people stand out more than others.

Shy children need to learn how to sell

While I am not advocating some emotional training here, I am stating the fact that “selling” and I mean learning how to sell and overcoming rejection – can help a child with low esteem and could definably help a child’s financial future.

As I wrote this, these two children walked into my office looking to sell some candy bars to help raise funds for a scholarship. I knew what they wanted because this is the third group that has come by here. The minute I said that a group had already come by here one of the girls said “Well you could give us a donation too” the second girl burst into a loud grunting compliant “Ah man dog, this sucks, this is a lousy Christmas….” Ofcourse It did not seem like they suffered from low self esteem, but their attitude [ as if entitled ] to receive something from me only proves that their lack of “selling skills” is what inhibits them from reaching success – a sale.

My daughter is generally a shy girl, she can be loud, boisterous, a regular pre-teen, but ask her to talk to strangers and she emotionally shuts down. As I have mentioned before in my blog I am trying to help her convert her hobby of making jewelry, into a jewelry business. This Christmas I told her that during Christmas break we [ meaning her and I will just accompany her ] were going to go door to door to try and sell her jewelry. She freaked, she said she could not do it. Apparently unbeknownst to me the last day of school was half a day and she was spending most of the day with her mother at work. My wife, always the "sneaky" individual decided to take the jewelry with her to work and she and my daughter sold all but one set and made $27 dollars in 40 minutes.

I would have preferred for my daughter to have done all the work by herself, but the lesson I was trying to instill in my daughter was successfully made. That while the fear of rejection can hold you back, the sweet smell of success will drive you even farther forward. At first she didn’t want to face rejection, she said “who would buy my jewelry”, but when I arrived home that night, she could not stop talking about how people liked her stuff and how much money she made. While this is just her first step in selling a product, it is a good first step. I have always taught my daughter that she had to be her own person, to believe in herself. This helped bring that lesson home, it was not just dad, but total strangers who approved of her, of her work and paid cash as proof.

Selling is a skill to be learned, honed and practiced


I do not have the space to go over all the techniques about how to sell, how to deal with rejection. But selling, understanding how to deal with people and rejection changed my life. I was a shy kid and even a more shy adult – I called it being a loner, but in reality it was my inability, my fear of dealing with people and having low self esteem [ lack of confidence ]. I was forced to sell when the only job I could find was in the retail business selling shoes. Then over the years retail [ selling ] has seemed to have stuck with me. Selling is partly knowing how to converse with people - many people today lack the simple skills to carry a conversation with others.

The basic’s of selling:

#1 - Know your product, is it good, do you believe in it?

When it comes to self-esteem, do as I did, I taught my child that she was special, not because she was better but just one of a kind. No one, no one at all can be her equal because there is only one of her, being different, unique, one of a kind keeps her special.

Does not matter what you are selling – the question should be, do you believe in it?

#2 – It is a numbers game do not take it personal.

A sales person should know and understand that not every one will love, accept and buy your product. Be that product a cell phone, a car or you yourself. People are different and have different wants needs and likes. A good sales person knows he/she has to offer a product 4, 7, 10 times before getting one sale. You have to keep trying.

#3 - Because they said no today they may say yes tomorrow?

People have needs and those needs change with time, often times it takes people a bit of time to even realize that they need something or that something they rejected is of use or to their benefit. The old saying is try, try and try again - never give up.

#4 - Presentation is key, likeability is a factor.

People never think of how they look, speak, act or even how they present themselves to others until it's too late. The first time most teenagers ever realize that how they present themselves is important is when they are trying to get accepted into a college or applying to a job. Ask any young man who is trying to impress his new girlfriends Dad, presentation, likeability, personality - it is very important.

#5 - Look, listen, understand then SPEAK?

One of the things they first taught me when I started any job or profession that required selling a product or myself was these simple tips: look, listen, understand then you speak.

If you want to start a conversation with some stranger [ to sell a product or make a new friend ] you have to:

a- look, if in a home at the decor, pictures so forth, if not in the home, at the person how they dress, act, speak present themselves.

b- Listen, be slow to speak and quick to listen. Listen to what they are talking about, get to know who they are, what they like, what interest them.

c- Understand; try to understand what and why they say what they are talking about. Understand their point of view and try [ it's a guessing game ] but try to keep their topic of conversation going if you know and understand it. Never try to pretend to know something you do not - people can tell a fake. Be honest and genuine about learning if you do not understand, most people like to know things and teach others.

d- Speak, people like to talk, and usually they speak too much. Learn how to look, listen, understand then speak. Plus always try to stay on topic, with in the current conversation. One of the flaws of most sales people is that 2 minutes into the conversation and they are throwing out their sales pitch. You have to learn about the people, let them get to know you to get comfortable with you and then you slowly begin to sell them.

Ofcourse there are some sales situations where a quick sales pitch is necessary - shoe store, cell phone, home depot and so forth. But in general with real estate, life insurance and making general friends it is best to follow the steps mentioned: look, listen, understand and then speak.

Why would my child ever need this selling technique?

You are probably wondering why a child would need to learn these "selling techniques"; he/she does not need this to help them make friends or to help them over come shyness.

Think of it as you like, but this would give your child a step up on all his/her friends. Even if your child is at ease and makes friends easily, what about college, job interviews, selling cookies or high school prom queen? One day your child will have to sell him/herself in order to sell a product or get a product or service. Maybe your child will need these techniques to simply win out a colleague at getting a scholarship, promotion or some other prize.

It's up to you; after all it is your child.

When 5 Cents is worth more than 5 Cents

When 5 Cents is worth more than 5 Cents
Helping children learn about money

Parents are always running into a brick wall when it comes to the subject of money and children, I mean teaching children the value of a dollar that is. It’s one of the reasons I started my blog: Money and Kids.

One hot topics is on Allowances.
Parents are tossed between giving a child an allowance, fearful of having a child believe money grows on trees or having the child earn his/her allowance which seems unfair to child and others who believe in the policy that we are a family of citizens and depend on one another to survive, therefore we should not pay our children to do what is already expected of them as part of the family [ chores ].

Whether you want to have your child earn his allowance or give it to them freely does not, in my opinion, really teach a child the value of money.

When is 5 cents worth more than 5 cents?

In order to teach a child [ for that matter most adults ] about money, you have to understand money. Many people quote the bible in saying: "My people suffer for lack of knowledge." But many of those same people who promote study and education - learn little to nothing about money.

How can you expect to teach a child about money by simply making them work? All your doing is training them to be good employees for the rest of their lives. And if you try to teach them how to budget, how to live beneath their means - what does that say about you, all your unfulfilled dreams and wants? So if you give them allowance [ money ] free or if they earned it - what did you really teach them?

Open your mind to More than what you see
Here is a tip to help teach your child to grasp some knowledge and understanding about money.
There are a lot of things we have to teach our children about money. How to make it, what it is really worth, what happens to money, how to manage money and best of all - how to make money work for you.

But lets start with this: When is 5 cent worth more than 5 cents?

Find yourself a nickel with a date of 1964 or later [ sometimes they are hard to come by, and there is a reason why ].

Then sit your child down and ask them which would they prefer: would they prefer to have the nickel or a quarter?
** Chances are all children with the basic knowledge of money will choose the higher "face" value money

Then ask them why they would prefer to have the quarter verses the nickel?
** Normally they will say that the nickel is worth less than the quarter.

Then take the time to explain to them why you would prefer the “Nickel” over the quarter.

Why would you choose the nickel over the quarter?

The reason why you would chose the nickel over the quarter is because in truth the nickel is worth way more than the quarter. This should start the jaw flapping and questions flying.

Answer: In simple terms when coins were originally made they were made from “GOLD” or “SILVER”. Money was not the paper we have today and money was not the coin - money was based on the amount of silver or gold and the weight as it was related to it’s value in gold and silver.

So after 1964 coins were no longer made of precious metals like gold and silver but of copper, nickel-plate and other non-value metals. So if I took this 1964 [ or later date ] nickel to the bank, they would say I have a nickel, only 5 cents. But if I took this 1964 or later dated nickel to be sold as silver, I would be told it is worth 97 cents - almost a dollars [ as quoted in silver prices during December 2009 ].

1942 - 1945 Nickel / silver value 0.97 cents
1946 - 1964 Roosevelt Dime / silver value $1.25
1932 - 1964 Quarter / silver value $3.12
1948 - 1963 half dollar / silver value $6.25

I don’t know about your kids, but when I explained this to my kids, their idea of money changed, the way they treated coin changed. They went for days first looking at the date on coins before they ever put it away in a piggy bank or to buy something at the store. They realized that money is not just money, that there is more to it. I believe that is a good lesson to start with. Plus, we now are storing our 1964 and later dated silver coins in a jar as Silver and not as coin.

* Since the dollar is debase and losing value, silver helps fight inflation and increases in value.

Below I have included my resources and I believe it will help you to better understand what I wrote about above so you can use it to help your children learn the true meaning and value of money.


90% silver cionage

Traditionally, all United States coins have been dated in the year of their production. This policy was interrupted, though, because of the coin shortage and the speculation in rolls and bags of coins that took place in 1964. As a result, Congress passed legislation so that after the calendar year 1964 coinage was produced, the United States Mint could still use the 1964 date. Starting in 1965, therefore, all denominations of United States coins continued to be struck with the 1964 date.

When the Coinage Act of 1965 was passed, it became mandatory that the Mint continue to use the 1964 date on all 90 percent silver coins (half-dollar coins, quarter-dollar coins, and 10-cent coins). Therefore, all of the 90 percent silver coins that the Mint manufactured in 1964, 1965, and 1966 bears the date 1964. The last of the 90 percent silver quarter-dollar coins was struck in January 1966, the last of these 10-cent coins was struck in February 1966, and the last of these half-dollar coins was struck in April 1966. The Coinage Act of 1965 also made it mandatory that the clad coins be dated not earlier than 1965. Therefore, all of the clad coins actually manufactured in 1965 bear the 1965 date. All of the clad coins made through July 31, 1966, bear the 1965 date. The first clad 10-cent coin was struck in December 1965, the first clad quarter-dollar coin was struck in August 1965 and the first clad half-dollar coin was struck in December 1965. In December 1965, the decision was made to change the 1964 date on the five-cent coins and the one-cent coins to 1965, as one step in catching up on normal coin dating. From December 1965 through July 31, 1966, all one-cent coins and five-cent coins were struck with the 1965 date.

http://www.usmint.gov/faqs/circulating_coins/index.cfm?flash=yes


The Mystery of Banking

How debasement profits the State can be seen from a hypothetical case: Say the rur, the currency of the mythical kingdom of Ruritania, is worth 20 grams of gold. A new king now ascends the throne, and, being chronically short of money, decides to take the debasement route to the acquisition of wealth. He announces a mammoth call-in of all the old gold coins of the realm, each now dirty with wear and with the picture of the previous king stamped on its face. In return he will supply brand new coins with his face stamped on them, and will return the same number of rurs paid in. Someone presenting 100 rurs in old coins will receive 100 rurs in the new.

Seemingly a bargain! Except for a slight hitch: During the course of this recoinage, the king changes the definition of the rur from 20 to 16 grams. He then pockets the extra 20 percent of gold, minting the gold for his own use and pouring the coins into circulation for his own expenses. In short, the number of grams of gold in the society remains the same, but since people are now accustomed to use the name rather than the weight in their money accounts and prices, the number of rurs will have increased by 20 percent. The money supply in rurs, therefore, has gone up by 20 percent, and, as we shall see later on, this will drive up prices in the economy in terms of rurs. Debasement, then, is the arbitrary redefining and lightening of the currency so as to add to the coffers
of the State.6

Money: Its Importance and Origins 11
6This enormous charge for recoinage is called “seigniorage,” payment to the seignieur or sovereign, the monopoly minter of coins.

A Game can Change a childs life Financially

A Game can Change a childs life financially

A game can change a life; it can be a window to the future, a portal to a fairytale world or a downward spiraling staircase leading you to destruction. Or atleast that is what people believed when you talked about the dungeons and dragons game.

I remember the first time I played the board game “The Game of Life”; it gave me the sense, the hope of a better future. Growing up in poverty living in the ghetto, apartments upon apartments filled with hopeless people all dependant on the government and the welfare system. The game of life board game taught me that my future could be different, could be better. Then ofcourse I moved on to Monopoly and then on to video games, but in the end – these games were more than just games to me.

Games as a Teaching Tool

Because of these games like “the Game of Life” and “Monopoly”, I knew that there was more to life than what my eyes could see in the projects I lived in. When I played these games I hated losing because it meant that my hope for a better life could be impossible.

Today my children have a better life compared to what I had as a child, but I still believe that they can learn to do more, be more, by playing games.

I try to have a family game night atleast once a week. It’s the best way I know to insure that the family has fun family quality time, but I also use it as an opportunity to teach my children about finances, about thinking outside of the box. If you have read some of my blog post, you’ve read how I have been reading “Rich dad Poor dad” with my twelve year old. How I’ve been encouraging her to start a business with her home made jewelry hobby.


You have read in my blog how I purchased the “Cash Flow Game” for kids. It’s a big hit at my house, we’ve even had some of my daughters friends play the game and my son who is only five years old simply loves it. Recently I purchased the Monopoly city board game, even though it is a hard game to play and not intended for ages under eight, it’s all my son wants to play. Cash Flow or Monopoly city, that is all this five year old wants to play.

Yes, my son plays video games, with his toy soldiers and runs around the house pretending to shoot enemy soldiers. But if you ask him what does he want to play for family night: the answer is always cash flow or Monopoly city.

Changing the mind with Games

If you want a simple way to reach your children, a way that engages their minds and captures their imaginations – play a game.

I know that with all the technology we have today it is very hard to sit with your kids and play a board game, especially when they would rather play the Nintendo Wii or there Xbox 360. And while there are video games out there that can teach them about business and so much more – nothing compares to a board game, the interaction of playing a game face to face with other people.

My daughter wanted me to buy one of the other monopoly games because it came with a credit card machine so she wouldn’t have to count out the cash and do the math – but I said no. Why, because the point of the game [ from my point of view ] was to involved her brain, cause her to think, to exercise the biggest muscle she needs - brain matter.

I have watched as my five year old who could not stay still for two seconds to read a book, can sit still for two hours to play cash flow for kids. I’ve written in my blog posts how my son has a desire to learn to read because he wants to read the game cards from the game on his own. As we play my twelve year old and my five year old are secretly learning about finances, budgeting, leverage and other business principals, while playing a game.

Making The Game Real

Now I know that just playing a game is not going to change the life of a child. But it’s an opening for a parent, an educator to teach a child more because the game sparks an interest for things a child would customarily find uninteresting.

A few days ago I was talking to my wife about some of our finances and like all children my daughter was listening in, she just jumps into our conversation and says “yeah mom, just like the game …” and started explaining what she believed we should do based on the principals she learned from the game. Mom was not happy she rudely interrupted us, but I was proud that she was thinking, learning from the game.

When I take my children out, when I talk to them or when the opportunity for me to show them that what happens in the game happens in real life – I make it a point to teach.

I remember when we were driving to my son’s flag football practice and we drove by this small community, my daughter asked me “why would someone build homes way out here?” I took the opportunity to explain to her about basic real estate principals, renting, location, and city building planning. How builders see what the future plans are of a city and build accordingly, in order to take advantage of a cities growth today.

I am sure that most of it went way over her head, the name of the game is to teach. Little by little she is learning, as long as we keep them interested and learning - the sky is the limits for our children.