This is a horror story, of sorts, for any budding car salesperson:

I recently went to a dealership to accompany my relative who wanted to buy a new car. He was all abuzz about this vehicle, and I had helped him do the initial market research and pricing. He was so excited about getting it, that from the moment he solidified his decision, he took just one working day to secure the financing and get an appointment at the dealership.

When I got to the dealership to meet him, he was already signing papers with his mother (he needed her name and papers to get the credit rating, but he was paying for the car), he was pretty happy. Medyo high pa nga on expectations.

Half an hour later, he was pissed as ****. He asked the salesperson: "Do you see this check!?! Do you want me to give it to you or not?". He made comments about going to ***** to buy a ***** instead. "First job mo ito, ano?!?" he asked the salesperson. Finally, the manager stepped in and managed to calm him down. But he still went out the door in a VERY foul mood.

And the cause of the problem? Xerox.

The sales rep needed a xerox copy of the official documents of the mother (which they had brought from the house already), and the office was locked. He requested THE CUSTOMER to get a photocopy (at 6pm? and where?) of the documents... and this is where the problem started.

My relative is a businessperson and a perfectionist, and this really rankled on him. What didn't help was that the manager and security guard were still there, and they likely both had keys to the office. After asking them (which he didn't), the salesperson should have volunteered to go out and photocopy the documents himself, or asked if they could finish tomorrow. His inexperience showed, and it had cost him his commission.

Almost.

My relative still wants the vehicle, and he and the agent both apologized to each other afterwards.

Hopefully, the agent now knows that "making the sale" means going far far FAR out of your way to get the customer and to make them happy, and MORE IMPORTANTLY, KEEP THEM HAPPY, because even the simplest thing can cost you that ONE BIG SALE.

Peace out, peeps. :D