By Meghan Kelleher, Lemonade Day National Development Manager

Lemonade Day was the fortunate surprise recipient of a donation amounting to $751 in August of 2018 from a new benefactor: Spectrio. In fact, Spectrio is a shining example of a socially responsible corporation that devised a creative way to engage its employees in raising awareness and funds for the Lemonade Day mission, which is to help prepare youth for life through fun, proactive, and experiential programs infused with life skills, character education, and entrepreneurship.

Spectrio is one of the nation’s leading technology-enabled in-store audio and video marketing companies that provides professional content and managed services on a monthly subscription basis. Spectrio offers on-hold messaging, digital signage, WiFi marketing, and in-store music so that businesses are better able to engage, educate, and entertain their customers. (See www.spectrio.com)

According to Megan Colby, Spectrio’s communications director, Spectrio hosts a fun company-wide cultural event each month and chose Lemonade Day as its charity beneficiary late last summer.

“We like to fold in some type of charity work or collect donations whenever possible. When we were researching a fun day to support in 2018, Lemonade Day came up and we thought, ‘That would be perfect!’ However, having several different office locations and many remote employees made it tough to get everyone together to participate in one of the official Lemonade Day events in the U.S. Instead, we decided that we would set up our own in-office lemonade stands and host bake sales to collect donations at our offices in Charlotte, North Carolina; and Oldsmar, Florida (near Tampa). Spectrio management matched every donation that was collected!”

Entrepreneurial Culture

Megan noted that Spectrio is very entrepreneurial, which made Lemonade Day especially appealing as its charity of choice for the month of August. The company has evolved from a startup to a reputable organization that employs more than 230 team members.

“As a company that was founded by an entrepreneur, we are inspired by the work ethic and spirit of small business owners throughout the country. We felt that Lemonade Day was the perfect recipient for our August spotlight charity event last year because this youth entrepreneurship program sparks new generations of entrepreneurs, giving them the knowledge and support to follow their dreams. We understand the importance of giving back to our communities and as Spectrio continues to grow, corporate giving and social responsibility will continue to be a key focus of our company culture. We look forward to partnering with Lemonade Day again,” commented Dax Brady-Sheehan, Spectrio’s chief executive officer.

Father-Daughter Sales Experience

Tad Caudill, Spectrio’s sales manager based in Charlotte, and his daughter, Molly, chose to utilize the Lemonade Day fundraiser as an excellent opportunity to hone sales and customer service skills.

“Molly is seven years old and is very interested in sales. She wanted to come to the office and compete with my inside sales team to see if she could outsell them. She practiced the ‘Feel, Felt, Found’ closing approach and was able to sell over $70 worth of lemonade and cookies. Who can say ‘no’ to a cute seven-year-old girl? Even with that, I think she taught our sales reps here that if you are friendly and ask for the sale, no matter what, it’s hard for people to say ‘no,’” Tad noted.

“Feel, Felt, Found” is a classic sales closing technique used to gently change a potential customer’s opinion. The technique involves communicating to the consumer that you understand how they feel about the product from satisfied customers who initially felt the same way. Using this technique, Molly told some of her prospective customers, “I understand that you are not thirsty for lemonade right now. I’ve talked to lots of other people who felt the same way, but when they tried a glass of my homemade lemonade, it made them feel refreshed even though they were not thirsty.”

“Molly understands at a very young age that selling skills are a big part of success, and giving her the chance to practice those skills is important. Whether she chooses to be a rock star like she wants to be or becomes a business owner, an individual still has to be able to sell. I am glad she got the chance to sharpen her skills for this charity,” Tad added.

What’s Next for Spectrio and Lemonade Day?

Spectrio plans to host in-office bake sales and lemonade stands again this summer to help support Lemonade Day and will be inviting additional children to participate in the fundraisers. 

Companies can support Lemonade Day in a variety of ways, from planning their own creative fundraising events to mentoring Lemonade Day youth to sponsoring the program locally or nationally.

To partner with Lemonade Day in your city, visit www.lemonadeday.org/find-your-city. To discuss a national partnership, please contact me at meghan@lemonadeday.org.

We look forward to collaborating with your organization to support youth entrepreneurship together!