A regular customer at the grocery store, marveled at the sales
clerk's quick wit and intelligence. "Tell me, young man," he asked,
"What makes you so smart?"
"I wouldn't share my secret with just anyone," answered the sales clerk, lowering his voice so the other shoppers wouldn't hear, "but seeing as how you have been a loyal customer all these years, I'll tell you. It's fish heads. If you eat enough of them you'll be positively brilliant!"
"Do you sell them here?" asked the customer eagerly.
"Sure," said the sales clerk, "I can bring some to you form our cold storage area in the back. They will be four dollars each."
"Great!" said the customer. "I'll take three."
A week later, the customer returned to the store to complain that the fish heads were disgusting and he wasn't feeling any smarter.
"That's because you're not eating enough," said the sales clerk.
So the customer bought another twenty fish heads.
Two weeks later, the customer was back at the shop and this time he was very angry. "Hey! You!" he barked at the sales clerk. "You've been selling me fish heads for $4 a piece when I can buy a whole fish for $3! You've been ripping me off!"
"See?" replied the sales clerk. "The fish heads must be working. You're smarter already!"
Moral of the story. True sales professionals know that in order to succeed at sales you must try to generate repeat business. This is possible only if you treat customers fairly. If you rip them off, they will start to smell something "fishy" and eventually they will find out the truth. Word of mouth will "school" the local marketplace to avoid your place of business altogether. Or worse, the local "scales" of justice will see that you're "fin"ished for good. So leave playing the angles to professional anglers, and always treat your customers with the utmost respect.
There's a "fine line" between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot."
- Steven Wright
"I wouldn't share my secret with just anyone," answered the sales clerk, lowering his voice so the other shoppers wouldn't hear, "but seeing as how you have been a loyal customer all these years, I'll tell you. It's fish heads. If you eat enough of them you'll be positively brilliant!"
"Do you sell them here?" asked the customer eagerly.
"Sure," said the sales clerk, "I can bring some to you form our cold storage area in the back. They will be four dollars each."
"Great!" said the customer. "I'll take three."
A week later, the customer returned to the store to complain that the fish heads were disgusting and he wasn't feeling any smarter.
"That's because you're not eating enough," said the sales clerk.
So the customer bought another twenty fish heads.
Two weeks later, the customer was back at the shop and this time he was very angry. "Hey! You!" he barked at the sales clerk. "You've been selling me fish heads for $4 a piece when I can buy a whole fish for $3! You've been ripping me off!"
"See?" replied the sales clerk. "The fish heads must be working. You're smarter already!"
Moral of the story. True sales professionals know that in order to succeed at sales you must try to generate repeat business. This is possible only if you treat customers fairly. If you rip them off, they will start to smell something "fishy" and eventually they will find out the truth. Word of mouth will "school" the local marketplace to avoid your place of business altogether. Or worse, the local "scales" of justice will see that you're "fin"ished for good. So leave playing the angles to professional anglers, and always treat your customers with the utmost respect.
There's a "fine line" between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot."
- Steven Wright
