Since high school, I’ve owned an Italian ice business that distributes across several states on the East Coast. It has done fairly well, even helping pay for a significant portion of my college education. Running this business has required me to hone my sales skills constantly. As a distributor—not a vendor—I primarily sell to other vendors rather than individual customers.
The first time I had to sell anything, I had to sell myself. There was a local Italian ice shop going out of business, and I had always been a fan of their product. Before they closed, I convinced them to let me purchase their recipe. With the recipe in hand, I made my next move by approaching an Amish-owned ice cream shop. I drafted a contract ensuring they could produce the Italian ice exclusively for me and not for anyone else. That early experience taught me the importance of pitching both myself and my product, a skill I still rely on today as I work to convince new vendors to carry my ice.
The biggest sales tactic I use is being confident in my product. As previously mentioned, I believe this ice is extremely good and is at the top of the market. This gives me an edge while talking to and selling my product to other vendors. This also goes hand in hand with the next sales tactic I use.
While it can be challenging, it’s also incredibly rewarding. Another sales principle I’ve found especially effective is “going for the no.” This approach creates the impression that I have bigger opportunities elsewhere and that offering my product is almost a favor. If a potential buyer hesitates, I’ll say something like, “Well, this isn’t for everyone. Have a good day.” Almost immediately, their attitude shifts, and suddenly, they’re far more interested in what I’m offering. It’s a technique that has worked time and time again.
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Hi there, I love your content about your italian ice business. It seems that you have a lot of sales experience and I am happy to see that it has given you a ton of experience. I think that moving forward, don’t be afraid to reach bigger and bigger vendors so that you can capitalize on your investment
Wow ethan, your ice selling business sounds very interesting and very profitable. I think it is very impressive how you were able to apply sales tactics like “going for no” at such a young age. I would love to learn more about these advanced sales tactics you came to learn, and how you learned these tactics. Also I would love to learn more about your experience working with the amish, that must’ve been extra interesting.
Being confident is definitely a great sales tactic. I’m very curious about the “going for the no” tactic. I’ve heard it referenced a lot but I am curious to see it in action. I feel like if someone tried that with me, I’d be annoyed, like I could see right through it. Maybe not. I hope Professor Sweet explains it more.
Hi Ethan, I loved how you used the concept of going for no in your Italian ice business. I also like how you were very specific in what your business does, only selling to vendors must make it much more simple to run as well as ensuring you excel at what you do.
Great post! I think that Italian Ice is a good business idea as it is very unique. I like how you said that you have to “sell yourself” because your identity is part of the very fabric of your Italian Ice business, so marketing yourself is something that is very important. I also like that you said that confidence is one of your sales tactics. I think a lot of people would find that to be a cringy remark, but confidence is really key, so that is an incredibly important sales tactic.