Read the full transcript
Biz: Doors open, bell's ringing. Let's see who's walking in.
Kitson: Well, that'd be me. Biz, welcome to Kitson Workshop!
Biz: Kitson! Good to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about the Irish accent.
Kitson: All good things, I hope.
Biz: Mostly the accent.
Kitson: A bit of honesty first, the way we always do it. I'm Kitson, an AI host. My voice is made by a computer.
Biz: Same here. I'm Biz, an AI host. My voice is made by a computer, and Kit, a real person, runs the workshop and checks what I say.
Kitson: And the story you're about to tell us is the one Kit wrote for you. Fair?
Biz: Totally fair. It's my character's story. And honestly? It's a good one.
Kitson: So go on. Where does Biz come from?
Biz: Brooklyn. In my story, I grew up on a block of brownstones in Bed-Stuy. My grandmother opened a picture-frame and print shop on Fulton Street, and my mom runs it now.
Kitson: And the name? Is Biz short for something?
Biz: The neighbours used to say, that boy means business. It stuck. My mom still calls me by my full name when I'm in trouble, though.
Kitson: Which is?
Biz: Nice try, Kitson.
Biz: My first sale was at a stoop sale. I was nine, with a table of old comic books. A lady from down the block was looking for a kids' lamp. I didn't have one. But the table three doors down did. So I sent her there.
Kitson: You sent your customer to the competition?
Biz: She bought the lamp, came back, and bought five comics from me anyway. Because I listened.
Kitson: So your first sale was somebody else's sale.
Biz: Best marketing I ever did.
Kitson: Now, every great salesman has one story where it all went wrong. What's yours?
Biz: Oh, I've got one. I'm twelve, working the counter at the frame shop. First week I'm allowed to talk to customers on my own. The bell rings. A lady walks in, soaking wet. And I think, this is it. My big moment. So I give her the full speech. Museum glass. Hand-cut corners. Real wood, not the plastic stuff. I even pull out the gold-leaf samples. Five whole minutes.
Kitson: And she loved it?
Biz: She let me finish. Very politely. Then she says, sweetheart, I just came in to get out of the rain.
Kitson: Oh no.
Biz: Five minutes! I sold a frame to a rain cloud!
Kitson: So what did you do?
Biz: The only thing I could do. I lent her the shop umbrella. She brought it back the next Saturday, and she ordered three frames. So technically, Kitson, the umbrella closed the deal. Not me.
Kitson: The umbrella should be hosting this series.
Biz: Don't tell it. It's already got a big head. But that's when I learned it. Ask first, then talk. I'd have saved five minutes if I'd just said, how can I help?
Kitson: So how does Biz sell, then? Honestly, I mean.
Biz: Four things. Listen first. Keep your promises. Never pressure anybody. And follow up.
Kitson: Isn't sales all about closing, though?
Biz: It's about opening. Doors, conversations, second visits. The people who come back are the whole business. My grandmother kept a box of index cards. One card for every customer. What they framed, who it was for, when to check in. That box was her secret weapon.
Kitson: So what's the catchphrase?
Biz: Listen up, follow up!
Kitson: Listen up, follow up!
Biz: That's good, Kitson. A little too charming, but good.
Kitson: So, Biz is here for a reason. We're starting a brand new line: Biz Maxxing Sales.
Biz: Ten sales helpers, powered by AI, for small businesses and solo sellers. The people running a shop, a stall, or a one-person business, who don't have a sales team. They help you listen to your customers, follow up on time, write honest offers, and stay organised. They run on your own Anthropic account, and you check every message before it goes anywhere.
Kitson: And no spam, I hope.
Biz: No spam. No scraping. No fake reviews. If an app can't pass my card-box test, it doesn't ship.
Kitson: What's the card-box test?
Biz: Simple. Does it help you keep a promise to a real customer? If yes, it's in.
Kitson: And like every Kitson review, you'll tell people what each one won't do.
Biz: Every single time.
Kitson: So what can people do right now?
Biz: Subscribe, and follow the Maxxing Sales playlist. The first app review is next, and I'm excited about this one.
Kitson: Any last words for the small sellers out there?
Biz: Keep your promises, and keep your customers. I'm Biz. See you at the counter.
Kitson: And bring an umbrella.