Your Wife is Unreasonable!

Credit: Bill Gillespie

I was sitting in my office punching adding machine keys when the phone rang. It was a car salesman. My wife was across from him orchestrating round three of his "so you want to sell me a car" calisthenics. She was getting close to a decision and he could smell it.

"Your wife is unreasonable," he said. I expressed my sympathy and let him go on about the quality of the deal he had put together. He named concession after concession for several minutes.

Finally, I interrupted. and asked, "so...you want me to tell my wife to give you more money for a car? Is that it?" He paused a moment, excused himself from the call and hung up the phone.

Let me fill in some blanks. Peggy is the most tenacious car shopper on the planet. EVERYONE that meets her is convinced they have sold her a car instantly. She's charming, irresistibly excited and her mood infects everyone around her. They feel good so a deal is sure to happen.

But, she's having this conversation all over town. She's comparing cars. She's comparing deals. She has lots of salesmen on the string at the same time. I'm convinced there are "we thought we sold a car" support groups that are formed every 4 years or so when she shops.

She's also ruthless when it comes to money. It's safe to say she has 7 cents of the first 10 she ever had in her life. I plan to write about that soon. There are lots of good Peggy/Money stories.

So, the guy that called lost the deal. He agreed to everything she wanted but she bought something else. She went with a deal that made her more comfortable.

The rep had the right car too. He just made a common sales mistake. When she hesitated, he added pressure. He doubled down selling. He kicked into resume reading and features/benefits.

What reps should do in this situation is hit pause. Let the client drive. Ask what makes them uncomfortable. Ask what they might do to help the customer make a choice.

Comfort is everything in sales. It isn't a transaction for the customer. It's a commitment. It's the start of a relationship. Features don't make that happen. Comfort does. Stop talking. Let the client share and make the sale.

Peggy eventually wound up with the car she walked away from. It was 20 years later. I found one being sold by a dealer online. It had 11,000 miles on it and had been perfectly stored. She has been driving it since 2008. It fits her perfectly.

The dude that called me? I have no idea what he's doing now. Probably teaches sales at one of these "no need to prospect" or "cold calls don't work" companies.

One more time, when a customer hesitates, stop selling. Ask questions. Help them become comfortable. That’s when sales happen!