The Idiot Sign Salesman

A salesman for a sign company named Signtronix shows up at our store today.

He asks if he can demonstrate his sign technology. I am momentarily elated, "ooh, new!", are my thoughts.

My wife and I agree to a demonstration.

He goes out to his vehicle and brings in a strangely shaped black bag and a stand to set it upon. My wife helps him get access to an electrical outlet.

Then the salesman starts talking and asks me some technical question about signs to which I simply answer, yes, I have heard about that. I don't remember what it was, and it didn't reaLLy matter. The sign is still in the bag. I can't see the sign.

He mentions something about some high official, maybe it was the founder of the company being from Borger. And I get suspicious then, thinking, isn't this a Torrance, California based company? What are the odds? I will have to check this out later.

He keeps talking. --- And talking. --- And talking.

I am starting to unlisten.

After a couple minutes I am very irritated at the sound of his voice. He sounds artificial. I don't know why, there is just something bombastically used car salesman nauseating about it, like I'm being forced to listen to a classroom lecture or a funeral sermon for someone I don't like. I kind of raised my hand just a little bit and he stopped talking momentarily enough so I asked this question,

"Can I just see your sign?"

He turned around and quietly walked back to his dark suitcase looking thing-on-a-stand and instead of unzipping the cover, he unplugs the power cord from the wall and begins to roll up his extension cord.

I asked him, "Are we not going to get to see your sign?!?!?"

He turned around and quickly replied, "I asked for ten minutes of your time and it seems you only want to give me three."

There is this quick flash thought that I have interrupted a magician in mid stream and his secret was revealed to the audience, and now he is pouting, taking his toys, and going home.

So I replied, "So, you are just going to get mad and leave?!?!?"

He replied, "I'm not mad ..." and said something else I have now forgot.

I am thinking, this idiot is more concerned with giving his presentation AND hearing himself speak, than he is in making a sale. I messed with his flow, and he became flow-strated.

I asked him to leave.

I think my wife was irritated with me.

Lesson: When you are a salesman the most important thing to do is make a sale, not talk.