"Why not?" asked the man. "I don't need a whole lettuce!"
"But I don't think I can sell you just half a lettuce," replied the young sales clerk.
"We're not getting anywhere," said the man firmly. "Go get me your manager."
"So the young sales clerk went to speak to the manager. "There's some **bleep** out there who wants to buy half a lettuce." Just then he was aware of the man standing next to him. Without missing a beat, the young assistant added: "And this fine gentleman would like the other half."
When the matter had been resolved, the manager had told the young assistant: "I was impressed with the way you handled things back there. You got yourself out of a tricky situation. Where are you from?"
"Minnesota," replied the young sales clerk.
"Why did you leave?" asked the manager.
"They are all just really ugly women and hockey players up there," exclaimed the young sales clerk.
The manager frowned. "My wife's from Minnesota."
"You don't say!" replied the young sales clerk. "Which team did she play for?"
Moral of the story. True sales professionals know that in order to succeed at sales you have to be able to handle all sorts of situations. But lettuce remember that situations with customers are the most important. Always be respectful, and never assume that the sale or the groceries are in the bag.
"Lettuce is like conversation; it must be fresh and crisp, so sparkling that you scarcely notice the bitter in it." - Charles Dudley Warner
