My First Sale

I remember my first real sale. The one that made me fall in love with this game. My first real sale where I helped someone find something that they needed to improve their life, based on their needs. It’s what made me fall in love with this job.

I left law school, and after a short and inauspicious stint at a law firm I went where no one ever goes after law school: Best Buy. This all started at Best Buy. Law was nothing like I expected (Perry Mason was not a good baseline), and I was not particularly good at it. Instead, I decided to find an interim job between law and figuring out what my next career path would be.

Luckily for me, my brother was applying to a job at Best Buy, and suggested I do the same. I decided to apply to be an overnight merchandiser. It left my days free to plan my next career move, and I could hide the fact that I was working at Best Buy (I was young and prideful and felt it was a step down for me). Instead, it ended up being the perfect steppingstone to a career I love and a lesson in being humble.

Instead of merchandising, however, I ended up on the sales floor because they felt that better suited my personality and skills. It was on the sales floor that I had the one sale I will always remember.

It was December 2003, one of the days that was cold which narrows it down to 31 of them. It had been two and a half months on the sales floor, and I had made sales, but none like this day. I had moved from Appliances to Digital Imaging (cameras weren’t just on your phones back then), then to Home Theater.

On that fateful day, I was in the large TV section. A few hours into the shift I noticed an older gentleman. Red hat, overalls, a long-sleeve shirt (I remember thinking he should have been wearing a jacket too). He was in front of a 36” TV.

I walked over and introduced myself. He told me he wanted to buy this TV and asked for one from the back. I told him I’d be happy to, but I wondered why he wanted this one. I know what it is to be overwhelmed by options and just pick one that seems good enough. I wanted to make sure he got the one that was right.

I asked him if I could ask a few questions to make sure this was the right TV for him. He said yes. I soon discovered he was buying the set to watch hockey with his wife who could no longer go to the arena. I realized this activity meant a lot to them and it was difficult for them to not be able to go to the arena anymore. I asked if he had ever watched hockey in high definition.

At the time, Best Buy was running a loop on the HDTVs. We walked over to a Sony XDR tube TV. Hockey was on.

He was blown away by the picture, but he was also taken aback because of the high price point and new technology. I felt this would be worth it to him. It was the overwhelming idea again, too many options, too many things to understand that might prevent him from getting his best outcome or solution.

I assured him if this was the picture he wanted, I would make sure he had everything he needed. I diagrammed how to connect everything, made sure he understood all the aspects of the tech, and reminded him that if he was not happy with everything, he could always return it for a full refund. A free test to see if it was his right solution.

He agreed the picture was leaps and bounds better than the TV he had been looking at, and this was important to him. He decided to purchase the set, accessories, and sign up for the HD service. I rang him up, he was on his way, and I was content with our interaction. I moved on to the next customer and didn’t dwell on it much more.

It was a few weeks later when the importance of this first real sale set in. I was helping a customer (this time one wearing a jacket), when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and vaguely recognized the face—the gentleman who wanted a TV to watch hockey with his wife. Before I could say anything, he addressed my current customer.

“Trust this man. He has your best interests at heart. A few weeks ago, I came in to buy a TV so my wife could watch hockey with me since she can no longer go to the games. He sold me an HDTV, and now we watch all the games. I make her popcorn, and we sit and watch like we are there at the stadium. I cannot thank him enough.” He turned to me, shook my hand, said thank you, and walked away.

He doesn’t know how much that meant to me. I think of that anytime I want to take a sales short-cut or feel I might know what a client needs before I ask them any questions.

I remember the importance of listening to people, earning the right to make suggestions, and getting them to the right solution.?

I think of that experience when anyone tells me salespeople are slimy. No we aren’t, not the genuine ones. Real salespeople are empathetic, strong listeners, and problem solvers whose real joy comes from finding people the right solutions.?

It’s what I realized I love to do, and while that man might be grateful to me for a TV, I am grateful to him for a career.