A Salesman – Par Excellence

Once, a salesman listed the names of potential clients ones that other advertising solicitors had failed to impress. His list consisted of twelve names.

On the first day, he closed sales with three of the twelve “impossibilities.” By the end of the week, he made sales to two others. By the end of the month, he had opened advertising accounts with all but one of the merchants on his list.

For the ensuing month, he made no sales because he made no calls except to this one obstinate merchant. Every morning when the store opened, he was on hand to interview this merchant and every morning the merchant said “No.” The merchant knew he was not going to buy advertising space, but this young man didn’t seem to understand that. When the merchant said “no” the young man pretended as though he didn’t hear it. On the last day of the month, having refused thirty consecutive times, the merchant said:

“Look here young man, you have wasted a whole month trying to sell me something; now, what I would like to know”