Two for a nickel, three for a dime

The earliest entrepreneurial activity I remember was selling seashells to tourists with my cousin George.

"Two for a nickel, three for a dime," was our pitch as we displayed our wares, moving up and down the beach from person to person. We'd easy make a few bucks in an hour or less - a fortune for 5 year olds.

Wait, "two for a nickel, three for a dime" makes no sense! Why would anyone buy a dimes worth when a nickels worth was a much better deal. Why not just buy two nickels worth?

But most people bought a dimes worth!

I realized then that emotion sells. Logic and common sense had nothing to do with it!

I also learned you need to ask for the sale. Approaching and asking specific people worked wonders, while just displaying seashells was a bust.

I'm slowly relearning what I knew as a child . . .