To sell successfully, take care of demand, supply will follow. The most successful business owners and sales people don’t just push products—they create demand, and therefore, sales, in ways others never imagined. These 3 sales and business success stories showcase real-life examples how.
From manufacturing demand before a product even existed to turning a cattle dip into a tea sales breakthrough, to leveraging TikTok to sell life insurance without ever making a cold call, these examples prove that sometimes, the best sales strategy isn’t selling—it’s shifting perception, creating curiosity, and making the market come to you. Business owners can borrow from these sales and business success stories.
The illusion of demand: how a non-existent flour brand took over shelves
“I knew I was getting into a fiercely competitive market and so had to rethink my entry,” a successful small business entrepreneur once told me. “The top six players had more than 80% market share, with only three, 50% of it. So, I chose to create appetite for my maize flour which was largely only an idea in my head. I hired 15 individuals to pose as retailers and wholesalers to frequently go ask for my (non-existent) unga from several distributors.
Of course, all of them said they had never heard of it. But the buzz could not be ignored. To amplify the effect, I branded a Probox with the product name and strategically parked it in high-traffic areas.
We went into production when the request for the brand was as at fever pitch. The rest is history. Today, our award winning brand continues to grow in popularity in leaps and bounds. Suffice to say, top supermarkets that had initially declined to stock us now send their trucks straight to our factory in rural Kenya,” he said with a grin. If you live in Kenya, you probably know the brand.
Brewing success: The tea that won over Mt. Kenya at a cattle dip
This second sales and business success stories is also from the FMCG industry. “I was going to be fired. I knew it. After all, it was six months in and our new brand of tea was flying off the shelves across the country except in my Mt. Kenya region. I worked for a multinational manufacturing entity and so you can imagine the marketing onslaught that had been unleashed. Even the kiosks were stocked with preferred packet sizes (SKUs) for the region. The blame lay squarely on sales. Me. The Territory Manager.
Six months of little to no sales later, I had to think differently, if I wanted to keep my job. And so, I stopped pushing the retailers (kiosks) to woo buyers to try my tea. In any case, it wasn’t working. I figured I try pulling customers. In essence, I moved from the supply, to demand side. Now I knew if they just tasted my tea, they’d he ‘hooked’. But how to get them to do so en masse?
Then, inspiration struck—the cattle dip.
The next scheduled dip was a week away. On the day, as farmers arrived at 4 AM in the freezing Mt. Kenya cold, they were greeted by the rich aroma of (my) tea brewing in a sufuria over three stones and firewood. Dressed in a branded apron, I served out steaming cups of tea to shivering farmers.
The results? Sales skyrocketed in the next quarter. Not only did I keep my job, I also earned the highest bonus ever. Even the CEO took notice, and, in fact, my innovative approach was shared across all regions.”
Selling life insurance without knocking on doors but doors opening for you – another sales and business success stories
“Did you know that you can successfully sell life insurance remotely? I do it every day—and I’m the top-performing life insurance salesperson at my firm, by far.
Instead of chasing leads the traditional way, I chose to sell whole life insurance with a different approach. I position it as ‘leaving an inheritance for your loved ones,’ reframing it from an expense to a lasting legacy. Life insurance is notoriously difficult to sell, and agents often struggle with a negative reputation. To sidestep these challenges, I took my business online.
I create TikTok videos that educate and engage potential clients, demystifying whole life insurance and making it relatable. The result? I lead the sales pack by a mile—without ever making a single cold call.
If you know any life insurance agents, they’ll tell you exactly who I am and which company I sell for.”
Sales and business success stories
Sometimes, the smartest sales strategy isn’t the most obvious one. If you are wondering how to sell anything, just know that it might just take an unconventional approach.
So, which of these tactics do you think would work, or adapted to do so, in your industry?
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