The children filed back into class on Monday morning, buzzing with excitement. Their weekend assignment was to sell something and then give a talk on productive salesmanship.
Little Mary went first. "I sold Girl Scout cookies and made $30," she said proudly. "My sales approach was to appeal to the customer's community spirit, and I credit that for my success."
"Very good," said the teacher.
Little Sally was next. "I sold magazines and made $45," she said. "I explained to everyone that magazines keep them abreast of current events."
"Very good, Sally," said the teacher.
Finally, it was Little Johnny's turn. He walked to the front of the classroom and dumped a box full of cash onto the teacher's desk.
"$2,467," he announced.
"$2,467!" cried the teacher. "What in the world were you selling?"
"Toothbrushes," said Little Johnny.
"Toothbrushes?" echoed the teacher in disbelief. "How could you possibly sell enough toothbrushes to make that much money?"
"I found the busiest corner in town," Little Johnny explained. "I set up a 'Dip & Chip' stand and gave a free sample to everyone who walked by. They all said the same thing: 'Hey, this tastes like shit!'
Then I would say, 'It is shit. Wanna buy a toothbrush?'"