Yesterday, I overheard a salesperson selling. Well, selling may not be the right description. Overselling might be a better word. It was at one of those furniture stores; you know, the ones where they pounce on you the second you walk through the door? Then never leave you alone to wander through and look?
But hey, they had a great price on couches so, against my better judgment, I went. I walked in and when the first salesperson pounced, I (very politely) explained that I wanted to look and if any salesperson came within 20 feet of me for the ten minutes, I would leave immediately. The salesperson was so shocked, she must have told the manager there was this really ornery guy over there. Nobody came near me.
But I came within earshot of a salesperson describing all the features and benefits of the mattress he was showing. On and on he droned while the customer stood there with his checkbook open, his pen in his hand, ready (begging) to buy the darned mattress! Talk about missing buying signals!
I couldn’t help but stand there and watch how long this comedy would last. 12 minutes!! “Blah, blah blah, blah blah blah blah …”
Then the customer put his checkbook back in his pocket and left. I followed him out of the store and caught up with him in the parking lot. I explained I had overheard and observed his conversation and asked him why he left.
“Because the guy was more interested in showing me how smart he was than why the mattress would be good for me.”
Yup.
I believe it was Mark Twain who said, “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”
About Don Phelan More than 22 years in real estate, Member: RE/MAX International Hall of Fame, Graduate, Realtors' Institute (GRI), Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR), Electronic Marketing Professional (e-PRO), Three-Time Editor's Choice Award Winner, International Library of Poetry.
