"Mike Rapoport" wrote in message
link.net...

It is probably too late now but when asked for financial information that
I
think is unjustified, I have always jsut said: "No, I am not going to
provide that". I am fairly certain that nobody with any real net worth
would disclose their financials to a salesman.


I work in sales. One of the first things you do, whether you're selling
cars, houses, or corporate software, is figure out whether the guy you're
talking to can spend the money to buy your product. The more it costs you to
dance with him, the more you want to qualify it.

You can usually tell one way or the other if someone has money. I once
worked in a fancy retail store and saw this guy walk in wearing ripped jeans
and a dirty T-shirt. No one else paid any attention to the guy because he
looked like a bum. As I walked past him I glanced at his wrist and saw a
Swiss watch probably worth more than the BMW that the guy in a suit next to
him drove. Needless to say the "bum" nobody wanted to deal with left with
$1000 of cigars. Shoes are another big giveaway. The average observer sees
three guys in suits. The skilled one sees one guy wearing Bally loafers and
two guys in department-store shoes.

There's also plenty of psychological "tells" that a smart salesperson knows
to look for. Do they look comfortable and at ease, or are they anxious
because they think they might be out of their league? How long do they take
before asking the price? If they ask right away they're either totally
serious or totally tire-kicking. I don't mind tire-kickers who know they
are, because they won't cost me valuable time. If I'm not busy I can chew
the fat with them for a while, then blow out if a real customer shows up.
It's the guy in between who spikes me. He spends an hour looking at it and
then decides in the end he needs to spend the money on new siding instead.

In real big-ticket items like cars or real estate, it's not unusual that you
really don't even see the smart and or wealthy buyer face-to-face until the
deal is closed. If they're buying a car they do it by faxing or calling the
sales manager directly, and if they're buying property, they often do so
through a buyer's agent. The biggest money is often the quietest.

-cwk.