Hurrah for the salesmen<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Parties are usually laid back, where liquor and
\ngossip flow freely. Somehow, this party was stuck.<\/p>\n
Luckily, Samur, the spark, joined us at this point.<\/p>\n
\"Oh, It is about salesmen, is it?\"<\/p>\n
Samur was an old saw, the \"Don't ask, he will tell\" type.
\nHe did not wait for an answer.<\/p>\n
\"Well,\" he continued, \"I came across a very interesting
\nsalesman. He was dynamic; rather surprisingly smart without
\nalienating.\"<\/p>\n
\"Get to the point, Samur,\" said a grouch.<\/p>\n
His recent encounter with a salesman was in connection with
\nbuying a vehicle, a current model. After the usual haggling a
\ndeal was clinched.<\/p>\n
\"It will be delivered from the showroom, sir\" said the
\nsalesman in his trumpet voice.<\/p>\n
The next day he arrived with the vehicle. It was a grime ball,
\na dead beat. \"I was suddenly skeptical of his words and ways,\"
\nsaid Samur.<\/p>\n
But the salesman was up beat and rose to the occasion.<\/p>\n
\"Don't you see the red license plate, Sir? That means the car
\nis new.\"<\/p>\n
With a forced indulgence I asked, \"When was it new?\"<\/p>\n
Unfazed, the salesman went on. \"You would be shocked, sir, if
\nI told you how careless they are in the showroom.\"<\/p>\n
My wife was impressed with the word showroom from the very
\nbeginning. It was not every day one got a car from the showroom.
\nSo, the unbridled-half pitched in, \"The red plate will make
\neveryone think it is a new car. Must you be insufferably nit-
\npicky?\"<\/p>\n
\"Yes Samur, your wife is right.\" said Salim. You will not get
\na new car for the same price. It is top salesmanship to give you
\na used car and still make others think you have a new car.<\/p>\n
And Salim went on to narrate what a neighbor in his country
\nhad told him.<\/p>\n
His neighbor was very troubled by bedbugs. He tried many
\nremedies, even expensive insecticides. He was desperate for a
\ncure and so were many others. There was a clear bedbug-
\neradication-market. One day a salesman appeared canvassing orders
\nfor a very special product, a permanent cure for bedbugs.<\/p>\n
When anyone asked to have a look at the remedy or see a
\ndemonstration the salesman would reply, \"Oh no. The inventor has
\nto jealously guard the cure because, though it is patented, it is
\neasy to copy. So, sales before the product launch are crucial.\"<\/p>\n
\"What guarantee do you give?\" a reluctant buyer queried.<\/p>\n
\"Simple. It is so cheap that you will think it is worth a
\ntry,\" he replied disarmingly.<\/p>\n
Lulled, everybody thought that there was nothing much to lose
\nanyway. \"The product got the benefit of doubt,\" Salim added
\ndramatically.<\/p>\n
So, the salesman collected heaps of orders and, as he had
\npromised, the parcel was duly home delivered. The delivery boy
\nwas practically hugged. They had waited a long time to get even
\nwith the bedbugs.<\/p>\n
Eager hands tore open the parcel to find two smooth stones
\nnestled inside a bed of straw. The instructions read: \"Take a
\nbug, place it on one stone, and quickly smash it with the other.
\nDon't allow it to escape, it will warn others.\"<\/p>\n
The postscript warned: \"As there are no chemicals involved,
\nthe bedbugs won't acquire any immunity against this decimation.\"<\/p>\n
Their embarrassment quickly passed and everyone laughed. Who
\nwould not admire enterprise, especially one that bordered on
\nrascality?<\/p>\n
-- G.S. Edwin<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/hurrah-for-the-salesmen-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }