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This happened two years ago at the same company I work for now. I sell remodel services for a pretty well known company in the tri-state area. We get a lot of inbound web leads and we go out to people’s houses to do estimates and write up proposals.
I got a web lead from a woman who was looking for new windows and a new front door for her entire house. She lived in a fairly nice neighborhood, so I assumed budget wouldn’t be an issue. Solid lead all around.
We made an appointment and I went out there late one afternoon to take a look at the house. The house itself was a bit more run down than the ones around it but was still definitely pretty expensive given its location. The woman was very nice but a bit spacey. I made some small talk then did a walk-around of the house so I could write up my estimate.
As I was in the backyard, I heard a car door open and shut. Then a guy came around to the backyard and kind of said hello and quickly walked away. I finished what I was doing and went back around to the front. As I got closer, I heard two people arguing. It was the man I’d seen and the woman whose house it was. It was obvious they were husband and wife.
I stopped before coming all the way around so I could kind of eavesdrop, and heard him telling her that they shouldn’t be hiring a guy that looks like me to work on their house because it wasn’t safe. This, I’m assuming, is because I have a ton of tattoos, including on my neck. I like my tattoos and before this, I had never had any problem with customers because of them. This was also funny because I am just a sales rep, and wouldn’t have been the one installing their windows. At the time, I was just shocked, and didn’t even think to get pissed off.
As soon as I came around the corner, the woman looked at me and gave me a nervous smile and the guy just nodded at me and went inside. She thanked me profusely and told me to email the proposal and she would let me know. I sent the proposal and followed up multiple times, hoping to not let what happened kill the deal, but she never returned my calls. Sales Fail!
Anonymous Location withheld
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I sell cars, both new and used. A few years ago, a middle aged couple came in and wanted to test drive one of our new trucks. They looked very normal. The woman was very quiet and her husband was the one doing all of the talking.
After they got back from the test drive, we sat down to run the numbers. I was making small talk and the guy seemed to start opening up a bit, but the wife just kind of sat next to him nervously without saying anything. At one point, he said something about his son. I asked what his son was doing and what his name was just to keep the conversation going. He told me his son’s name was Dave.
Well, I happen to have a golden retriever named Dave (seriously). And I immediately told him I had a dog named Dave, thinking he would get a kick out of it. He looked at me for a while, then said, “That’s disrespectful.” Then he turned to his wife, and said, “Let’s go. We’ll find a professional dealership to buy from.” They got up and walked out the door, despite me trying to apologize on their way out.
Anonymous Location withheld
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I owned a mattress factory and retail store with my former spouse. A man and woman came into the store looking for a new mattress. The woman was crabby and old. Had a cane, gray hair, black coat. The man had black hair and was wearing a jean jacket, jeans, sunglasses, and black cowboy boots.
I attempted to warm her up as she was trying out the mattresses. The man did not lie on any of the beds. He spent his time walking around looking at everything. She eventually warmed up, and I knew I was close to the sale. As she was laying there relaxing, the man casually made his way to us. I said to the man "So, you brought your mom out today to go mattress shopping!" The man flipped his head at me and smirked, and the lady shot straight up and said, "you just lost a sale missy!"
My face was purple when I realized they were husband and wife. I kept saying I was sorry as she headed out the door. She said "I am sure you are! And you should be!" When I walked into the factory and told everyone, they died laughing. Never assume anything.
Anonymous Wisconsin
