Check this out. Two weeks ago my wife and I were at Home Depot. This girl with a clipboard noticed we bought a tube of caulk so naturally thought we should get a FREE in-home estimate from one of their remodelers. While my wife was giving them our information the lady asked when would be a time we would both be available. I know how to speak “hard sell” so told her we would not be making a decision on the same day.
Her reply was, “Just tell that to the guy who comes out there right away.”
More than anything I wish I would have gone with my gut instinct to ignore her.
This gentleman comes over to our very modest house with a pinstripe suit and cufflinks. He even had that sink napkin you put in your pocket. By damn, he was going to close the deal.
We were looking for a FREE in-home estimate.
He started off by saying the range of their remodels was 20-57 thousand and could go up from there. Which was totally out of my price range but my wife wanted to get the estimate for the kitchen of her dreams, maybe I should have sent him away then and there but I figured he came all this way…
We did some measurements picked out what types of cabinets and countertops we wanted and designed an amazing kitchen. However, when we weren’t prepared to sign immediately he became visibly agitated and it became very uncomfortable very fast.
What I should have said the moment he walked in the door was “No matter what, we are going to sleep on this.” And with that, he could say “I don’t want to work that way” and leave. But, in reality, he drove all this way, why not work up a price. if nothing else it would be a good experience. I might purchase down the road, who knows. Surely leaving someone with a good impression would be more likely to gain a sale later on than the man who was so furious he was shaking.
This goes beyond dealing with salespeople, however. When you are dating, think of how much easier things would be to say I am looking for something casual and they are looking for marriage, maybe it’s not a good fit. Maybe you wouldn’t get too many dates but there would be a lot less heartbreak and hurt feelings. Your karma score would certainly rise.
If you are in a relationship and you want to party and the other person wants to focus on their career let those intentions be known. Maybe there is a happy medium you can come to. Perhaps it is time to walk down your separate paths.
Of course in life, there are some things you have to do despite what your intentions are. If I told my wife it was my intention to always leave the toilet seat up and she can deal with it I wonder how far I would get.
But when you let your intentions be known it gives a starting point for other people to work with.
