John Kitsco

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Sales people the world over have tools at their fingertips, from the cell phone to the desk top to the lap to to the ipad, on and on....but some of these folks are still behind the times when it comes to understanding people. The old adage: The reason why Mr, Brown buys is because you see through Mr. Browns eyes. How much more simple can it be?

The need to listen, as my old friend Al would say - that is why the good Lord gave us two ears and one mouth, so we listen twice as much as we speak. But it doesn't always work this way.  Saturday morning, its your day off and you put your family in the car and drive the old jalopy down to the local car dealer. The salesman walks over with a smirk which makes you think - what the heck is he grinning at? Then the salesman shows you the priciest vehicle and watches you squirm in your chair because he knows that you know - that you can't afford it. The credit report is lousy. You don't have quite enough cash for a downpayment for such a fancy car and do you really need the sunroof and heated seats? Aw shucks says the salesman - it looks like its going to rain. And you look outside at the blue sky and wonder what the dickens is he talking about. Could it simply be an indirect way of telling us that the deal is not going to go and we are going to have tears in our eyes. Whatever, its strange and we wish we had not come down to this dealership. The salesman tells us he is dying for a smoke and without the fix he just might collapse on the spot, leaving us sitting in a new car we cannot afford,

Does it have to be this way? A real pro might first of all get the kids settled into the dealership play area, then bring us a coffee and ask us about minor things like the school the children are attending or something that does not seem to connect to the ultimate goal of making a sale - but yet it does - in a round-about sort of way. This sales guy is the pro.
He reads our body language and makes us comfortable, he asks about what would be adequate in terms of transportation and casts a warm ray of sunshine when we get there and when we leave. And you know what, we don't even remember signing the papers. Because he knew the rule: Keep it simple. And he did.