Each year around Christmas I share a variation of this post. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Santa Claus — The Greatest Salesman Who Ever Lived

Why do I believe Santa is the ultimate salesman? To start, he has a couple of success stories most of us can’t compete with. First, he’s successfully run the same family business for hundreds of years. There’s something to be said for stability, especially over the long haul.

Second, Santa has a client base that expands every year — no matter the state of the global economy.

Can your business make those claims?

But those aren’t the reasons I believe Santa is the greatest salesman who ever lived. Contrary to what you might think, his success doesn’t come from his business savvy. After all, consider the obstacles he has to deal with.

• Business attire: Santa obviously doesn’t buy into the “dress for success” philosophy. Power suits are fine but a red suit and hat, both lined with fur, is a little over the top in today’s casual business environment.
• Delivery system: Santa’s remains way behind the times here. His “One Day Delivery” is literally that – you get your packages one day a year. He doesn’t seem to notice in today’s economy people want what they want, when they want it, and that usually means now. But the real problem behind “One Day Delivery” might just be his delivery method. I think you’d agree the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx, or UPS would be much more efficient than eight tiny reindeer pulling a small sleigh.
• Manufacturing: Some say Santa’s operation is too labor-intensive to survive much longer. After all, he’s competing with Wal-Mart, Amazon, Apple, and other giant organizations. In today’s marketplace, how can any business can get by without automating? Perhaps if he automated a process or two he’d have enough inventory to open this store more than one day a year.
• Efficiency: I realize Santa gives his product away for free but that doesn’t mean it costs him nothing. He has all those elves and reindeer to take care of. Food and lodging are bad enough but health care costs have to be crushing his profit margin! And, what about worker’s compensation costs? If he automated at least he’d save a little money and might be able to take Mrs. Claus on a nice vacation – somewhere warm for a change!
• Branding: All companies change their branding to fit the times and Santa might want to consider doing the same. After all, “Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas!” has gotten a bit old and stale over the centuries.
• Orders: I think Santa could fill orders much faster if only he’d set up a website. And how about replacing all those last minute letters with email, text, instant messaging, or a Twitter account? It has to be painfully slow for him to read all those handwritten letters.

So, all this begs the question, “Why is Santa so successful…in spite of himself?” In business if you continually land new customers and retain the old ones then you’re doing something right. Here are six reasons Santa continually attracts new customers and retains all his current ones:

1. He loves his job! Perhaps, “Ho, Ho, Ho,” is his corporate culture and not just some slick branding slogan.
   – Could you do the same job day after day, year after year, for most of your life, and remain so upbeat and jolly?
2. He genuinely cares for his customers. His goal is to meet everyone’s needs and all he hopes for in return is to see joy on their faces. He personifies what it means to be customer focused.
   – Do you get joy from serving your customers?
3. He gets to the personal side of selling. Granted he’s not always accessible but he doesn’t expect clients to come to him. When he’s at his absolute busiest, with his deadline approaching and delivery date nearing, he can be seen everywhere talking with his customers. How he can be in so many places at one time I’ll never know.
   – How often do you initiate contact with your customers, even when it’s inconvenient for you?
4. He creates an experience. A toy is just a toy, except when it’s from Santa. Because it only comes once a year and will be found under the tree on Christmas morning it creates anticipation and builds excitement! That’s so much better than getting something online or from some mail order catalog.
   – Do you create an experience for your customers?
5. He adds value. When people hear the word “free” they often think “cheap” or wonder, “What’s the catch?” Even though Santa gives his products away we love what he gives us mostly because it comes from him. Don’t you have a few things you value above all others because of the person who gave it to you?
   – Do your customers see you adding value?
6. He delivers on his promise. Santa does what he says and always delivers; no excuses, no extra charge, always on time!
   – Can your customer count on you to be that consistent?

So there you have it, six reasons behind the success of jolly old St. Nick. Did you notice that everything Santa does is within your power to do with your customers? That’s right, there’s no reason you can’t do the same things Santa does. And here’s some welcome news for most of you – you don’t have to wear a silly red uniform while you do those things!

I hope you enjoyed this post and that you and your loved ones have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Brian Ahearn

Brian Ahearn is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE. An author, TEDx speaker, international trainer, coach, and consultant, Brian helps clients apply influence in everyday situations to boost results.

As one of only a dozen Cialdini Method Certified Trainers (CMCT) in the world, Brian was personally trained by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., the most cited living social psychologist on the science of ethical influence.

Brian’s first book, Influence PEOPLE, was named one of the 100 Best Influence Books of All Time by Book Authority. His follow-up, Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents, was an Amazon new release bestseller. His latest book, The Influencer: Secrets to Success and Happiness, is a business parable designed to teach you how to apply influence concepts at home and the office.

Brian’s LinkedIn courses on persuasive selling and coaching have been viewed by more than 500,000 people around the world!

Across much of the world, it’s the holiday season and for many people the biggest holiday of them all is Christmas. Some celebrate Christmas as the season of joy and peace. For others, it’s the season of love. For most it’s the celebration of the birth of Jesus.

A huge part of the modern celebration of Christmas is Santa Claus, Christmas trees, and holiday music. In some stores Christmas music started around Halloween! Of course, the holiday season represents the bulk of sales for many retail stores, sometimes accounting for as much as 70% of their gross revenue!  A successful holiday season is a matter of economic survival for many businesses.

Gift Giving

All of this leads to another Christmas tradition – gift giving. The television show The Big Bang Theory had an excellent holiday episode on the exchange of gifts. Sheldon feels pressure because Penny got him a Christmas present and here is some of their interaction:

• Sheldon: You bought me a present?
• Penny: Yes.
• Sheldon: Why would you do such a thing?
• Penny: I don’t know, because it’s Christmas.
• Sheldon: No Penny, I know you’re thinking you’re being generous but the foundation of gift giving is reciprocity. You haven’t given me a gift, you’ve given me an obligation.
• Penny: Honey, it’s okay, you don’t have to give me anything in return.
• Sheldon: Of course I do. The essence of the custom is that I now have to go out and purchase for you a gift of commensurate value and representing the same perceived level of friendship as the gift you’ve given me. Gosh, no wonder suicide rates skyrocket this time of year.

The skit nails the rule of reciprocity. A powerful principle of influence, reciprocity alerts us to this reality – we feel obligated to give back to those who’ve given to us. We are taught this rule in early childhood. Someone did something kind for you and mom or dad said, “What do you say?” You responded, “Thank you.” And the conditioning began! Sheldon wasn’t responding to Penny out of the goodness of his heart but rather a lifetime of conditioning when he felt the need to match Penny’s gift.

We also see reciprocity at work powerfully in another of the Christmas traditions – exchanging holiday cards. Have you ever received a card in the mail from someone not on your list? How did you feel? If you’re like most people you probably responded in one of two ways:

1. Got a card in the mail to the other person pronto, or
2. Added the person to your mailing list for next year.

Why Do You Respond?

Why do you respond this way so often? Because it would be socially awkward next time you saw the other person if you didn’t reciprocate and they noticed.

In fact, we’re so conditioned by reciprocity that we often respond when we don’t really want to. Here are some examples:

• You’re at the mall and someone from a kiosk shoves something in your face and begins asking you questions. You respond, “No thanks,” even though you’re not thankful they accosted you.
• You get mailing labels in the mailbox and you respond to these “gifts” by sending the charitable organization a small donation.
• You’re out with friends, have had enough to drink and are ready to go home, but you stick around to buy a round because you don’t want to be seen as having drinks but not paying for a round.

Some Uplifting News

But there’s good news in all this. Sheldon wasn’t 100% accurate. He said suicide rates skyrocket during the holidays but that’s not true. According the NYU Lagone Medical Center, “The media often links suicides during this time of year to the ‘holiday blues.’ However, various studies have shown no relationship between depression and suicide, and the holiday season. In fact, researchers found that depression rates and suicides actually drop during the winter months and peak in the spring.”

Conclusion

While it may be the season to reciprocate, don’t buy gifts and send cards this time of year under penalty of death. But beware, you might feel awkward around some people for a time if you break the rule of reciprocity.

Brian Ahearn

Brian Ahearn is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE. An author, TEDx speaker, international trainer, coach, and consultant, Brian helps clients apply influence in everyday situations to boost results.

As one of only a dozen Cialdini Method Certified Trainers (CMCT) in the world, Brian was personally trained by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., the most cited living social psychologist on the science of ethical influence.

Brian’s first book, Influence PEOPLE, was named one of the 100 Best Influence Books of All Time by Book Authority. His follow-up, Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents, was an Amazon new release bestseller. His latest book, The Influencer: Secrets to Success and Happiness, is a business parable designed to teach you how to apply influence concepts at home and the office.

Brian’s LinkedIn courses on persuasive selling and coaching have been viewed by more than 500,000 people around the world!

This week, Americans will be celebrating Thanksgiving. The holiday’s origins go back to the 1600s with the arrival of the Pilgrims on the continent. However, it wasn’t until Abraham Lincoln that Americans formally acknowledged the lastThursday in November as the day of celebration.

Franklin D. Roosevelt altered the date in 1939, when there were five Thursdays in November. FDR declared the fourthThursday to be the official day, and the Senate ratified his decision in 1942, officially making the fourth Thursday Thanksgiving in the United States.

While we have an official day of thanks, we should be thankful every day—multiple times each day—because there’s much to be grateful for.

If Viktor Frankl could find reason to give thanks while imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps, then we can all find reasons to be thankful each day. Unfortunately, it’s human nature to take things for granted, so it’s not until something is missing that we truly appreciate it.

Don’t Do This

Speaking of being thankful, here’s an example of the wrong way to go about it. Many years ago, a colleague needed help with something. What they asked for required not only my time but the time of several others as well. It forced us to put things on hold for other people, but nonetheless, we “stopped the presses” and accommodated the request.

My associate got what they needed and then went about their business the next day. What stood out to me was this—the individual never thanked us. I remember thinking, “I don’t work for thanks. I get paid well to do my job.” But I also knew in my heart that I wouldn’t extend myself for that person again, and I certainly wouldn’t ask others to do so.

I don’t think I’m different from most people in this regard. When I go out of my way to help someone—even when I’m paid—if I don’t receive some acknowledgment of appreciation, I know I won’t try as hard the next time. Contrast that with people who offer genuine thanks and appreciation. I bet you’d go above and beyond for those people.

Reciprocity in Action

Giving thanks is a form of reciprocity. The principle of influence tells us people feel obligated to give back to those who first give to them. According to the French social psychologist Marcel Mauss, every human society teaches its people the way of reciprocity. We see this as we raise our children because one of the first things we teach them to say is “thank you” after someone has done something for them.

Because we’re all brought up in the way of reciprocity, most people are somewhat offended when someone they’ve helped doesn’t take a moment to say thanks. Beyond feeling offended, people become less willing to help thankless individuals as time goes by. It’s a natural human response.

Why Thankfulness Matters

When you express sincere appreciation, people are more likely to help you in the future. Think about this: you help someone, they express gratitude, and you feel good about the action you took. You’re naturally more inclined to repeat behaviors that make you feel good. And don’t forget, the person you helped is more likely to help others too by “paying it forward.”

As we approach the day that commemorates giving thanks, pause to reflect and see if you’re someone who regularly expresses appreciation when others do something for you. If you don’t—or don’t as regularly as you should—make a commitment to start. I think you’ll be amazed at how people respond to you, and you’ll be thankful you changed your ways.

I hope you and your loved ones have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Revised and Edited with ChatGPT (11/26/25)

Brian Ahearn

Brian Ahearn is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE. An author, TEDx speaker, international trainer, coach, and consultant, Brian helps clients apply influence in everyday situations to boost results.

As one of only a dozen Cialdini Method Certified Trainers (CMCT) in the world, Brian was personally trained by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., the most cited living social psychologist on the science of ethical influence.

Brian’s first book, Influence PEOPLE, was named one of the 100 Best Influence Books of All Time by Book Authority. His follow-up, Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents, was an Amazon new release bestseller. His latest book, The Influencer: Secrets to Success and Happiness, is a business parable designed to teach you how to apply influence concepts at home and the office.

Brian’s LinkedIn courses on persuasive selling and coaching have been viewed by more than 500,000 people around the world!

Privilege is a word that’s kicked around quite often these days. If you look at various sources, you’ll see definitions that include words like benefit, advantage, favor, or special right that a person or group may have. Much of the time the privilege someone enjoys has little to do with their choices. 

When you think about it, privilege is about comparisons. The thing that might be a benefit or advantage for me when compared to you, could be a disadvantage when compared to someone else.

Wealth is often considered privilege because of the advantages it affords. If wealth is privilege, then no matter how many people you’re better off than, you’re always less privileged compared to someone who has more. 

I certainly don’t have the same access and opportunities as Elon Musk, LeBron James, Oprah Winfrey, or ex-Presidents because I don’t have their wealth. However, I also know I have more privilege than the vast majority of the world because I live in America and our standard of living is so good.

We all have some privilege

When it comes to discussions around privilege, it surprises people when I remind them they’re among the most privileged to ever walk the face of the Earth. 

Why do I write that? Because no one before us has ever lived in a safer, more prosperous time than today. That’s not my opinion, that’s according to statistical records as cited by Harvard professor and cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker in his 2017 TED Talk, Is the world getting better or worse? A look at the numbers. 

Of course, progress is not a given and the pandemic (a hundred-year anomaly) may mean a step back on some of Pinker’s stats. Despite that, with all of the advances in technology, medicine, safety, etc., I’ve yet to find anyone who would go back 25 years, 50 years, or more, if given the chance. Things are far from perfect, but we have it much better than our ancestors. We enjoy privilege.

Privilege isn’t going away

Jesus told his followers, “The poor you will always have with you.” He didn’t say that to discourage helping those who are less fortunate. His observation was simply stating a fact. 

In today’s language we could say we will always have privileged and disadvantaged people. While we should work to reduce inequality gaps of any kind, let’s not fool ourselves, we won’t get rid of all of the gaps. No matter how hard we try, we won’t usher in utopia. 

Knowing that each of us has a position of privilege as compared to our ancestors, we need to exercise humility and extend grace. After all, being born at this point in time was none of our doing and much of the good fortune we enjoy are the results of lucky breaks.

As we look back on our ancestors and see many are being canceled because of things they said, did, or believed, we need to be humble – but for the grace of God there go I – and extend grace. 

It’s folly to think if we’d lived sometime in the past that we would have made different decisions than those people. You can only think that way from the privileged point of view thanks to decades, centuries, and millennia of societal evolution. Without that progress it’s not likely you’d have the views that you hold today.

Humility and Grace

It’s easy to think, “If I were alive then I would have [fill in the blank].” But the reality is, you don’t know what you would have felt, thought, or done. To insist otherwise isn’t grounded in reality. 

An attitude like that reminds me of a certain religious leader Jesus mentioned. The pious man stood before the altar, looked at a poor man, then gave thanks that he wasn’t like that beggar. 

Many people today, from a privileged point of view, look down on those who came before them, thanking God that they are not like those people. 

How does that square with the rich man and poor beggar? The beggar, not the rich man, was considered more righteous. 

Each of us has been the rich man and poor man at different times in our lives. Recognizing that, we could all use a dose of humility when it comes to whatever privilege we may have.  

In humility we need to extend grace, not condemnation, to others lest we find ourselves in the judgmental position of the pious man at the altar. Never forget, casting judgment isn’t a matter of privilege, it’s an attitude of the heart that can be directed at anyone. 

Brian Ahearn

Brian Ahearn is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE. An author, TEDx speaker, international trainer, coach, and consultant, Brian helps clients apply influence in everyday situations to boost results.

As one of only a dozen Cialdini Method Certified Trainers (CMCT) in the world, Brian was personally trained by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., the most cited living social psychologist on the science of ethical influence.

Brian’s first book, Influence PEOPLE, was named one of the 100 Best Influence Books of All Time by Book Authority. His follow-up, Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents, was an Amazon new release bestseller. His latest book, The Influencer: Secrets to Success and Happiness, is a business parable designed to teach you how to apply influence concepts at home and the office.

Brian’s LinkedIn courses on persuasive selling and coaching have been viewed by more than 500,000 people around the world!

What is selling? How about negotiating? What’s your definition of persuading? I often hear salespeople say, “We’re always selling.” Of course, negotiators like to say, “Everything is negotiable.”

Where I worked for decades, we had an internal slogan, “Everybody Sells.” It was a great reminder that everything we did mattered. From the mailroom to the boardroom, every action and conversation was building a case for, or against, insurance agents choosing to place their best business with us.

But I must confess, despite working with salespeople and negotiators, I don’t believe we’re always selling, nor do I believe every conversation is a negotiation. The old saying, “When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail,” seems applicable here.

Definitions

How you view selling and negotiating in daily life depends on how you define each. When it comes to selling, the best definition I’ve come across is from sales guru Brian Tracy. Tracy says selling is, “The process of persuading a person that your product or service is of more value to him or her than the price you’re asking.”

Looking at sales through this lens, I’m not trying to “sell” my wife on my ideas. Rather, I’m trying to persuade her to my way of thinking. No goods, services, or compensation are exchanged in those benign, daily conversations we have..

Negotiating is the process of give-and-take, the compromise that’s often needed to reach an acceptable solution between parties. It can occur during a sale, or sometimes it takes place entirely outside of making a sale.

What I appreciate about Brian Tracy’s definition is that he highlights three important truths about selling. First, selling is a process. Second, persuading people is at the core. Third, it’s about demonstrating value.

Process

Selling isn’t winging it. Good salespeople follow a process. The process may look very different depending on what you’re selling but it’s safe to say, almost all selling involves eight steps.

Each step is distinct and merits attention on its own, but many steps can happen at the same time. The steps in the sales cycle include: prospecting, first meeting, qualifying, presenting, dealing with objections, negotiating, closing, and getting referrals.

Persuasion

According to Aristotle, the famous Greek philosopher, “Persuasion is the art of getting someone to do something they wouldn’t ordinarily do if you didn’t ask.”Persuasion is about changing behavior and it is something you do every day. 

A baby doesn’t know what persuasion is, but babies are always trying to change parent’s behavior to get their needs met. If you pause to think about it you’ll realize, we’re all persuading every day, from womb to tomb.

Now consider this; there’s no step in selling where persuasion doesn’t come into play. You’re persuading when you attempt to negotiate. You are not going to close a sale if you’re not persuasive. Getting referrals is much easier if you know how to influence someone’s thinking. I could go on but you get the point. Persuasion is the foundation of each step in sales. It won’t matter how good your process may be if you can’t persuade people.

Value

The final consideration in Tracy’s definition of selling is value. As he rightly points out, if somebody believes what you’re offering is worth more to them than the price you’re asking, they’ll view the transaction as a good deal. That makes closing a sale much easier.

It’s incumbent upon salespeople to show the value their product or service has for prospective clients. You can’t always get that understanding by reading a brochure or comparing product specs. Different aspects of influence come into play when demonstrating value, especially how you make comparisons.

Conclusion

I think we need to be careful when we make pronouncements like “We’re always…”, be it selling, negotiating, or something else. Sometimes the people you’re interacting with don’t want to be sold. Many people don’t want to feel like they’re always having to negotiate with you. This is especially true with friends and loved ones. 

Even when it comes to persuasion, you shouldn’t always be looking to do that. Sometimes people just want to have a conversation, a give and take of ideas and experiences.

Brian Ahearn, CMCT

Brian Ahearn is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE. An author, TEDx speaker, international trainer, coach, and consultant, Brian helps clients apply influence in everyday situations to boost results.

As one of only a dozen Cialdini Method Certified Trainers (CMCT) in the world, Brian was personally trained by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., the most cited living social psychologist on the science of ethical influence.

Brian’s first book, Influence PEOPLE, was named one of the 100 Best Influence Books of All Time by Book Authority. His follow-up, Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents, was an Amazon new release bestseller. His latest book, The Influencer: Secrets to Success and Happiness, is a business parable designed to teach you how to apply influence concepts at home and the office.

Brian’s LinkedIn courses on persuasive selling and coaching have been viewed by more than 500,000 people around the world!