MDC Group Inc’s Blog

Is It A Problem - Or An Opportunity?

By Zig Ziglar

Randy Males is a furniture salesman. In furniture stores the salespeople alternate with their “ups.” (They take turns serving customers as they come in the store or “come up.”) One day a fellow salesperson, muttering under his breath, said, “I can’t sell people like that!” Randy asked what the problem was and the salesman told him that the man was blind and deaf and the wife was almost completely blind and deaf. The salesman emphatically stated that he would not waste his time trying to sell them and he would not allow them to be counted as his “up.” Randy asked if it would be o.k. if he talked with the couple. The response was, “Yes, if you want to waste your time.”

Randy approached the customers from the front because the lady could make out forms and things held directly in front of her. He spoke to them and the lady signed to him that she was deaf. Randy took a pad and in big letters wrote, “Be right back.” He returned with a large writing pad and “talked” with the couple using the pad. The couple left with a sizeable purchase and huge smiles on their faces. The next day Randy received a call from the translation service for the deaf, thanking him for his courtesy. Randy was pleased but quickly pointed out that he was no saint. He was simply a salesman willing to go the extra mile.

Since that time, several of the couple’s friends have come in and purchased furniture from Randy. Because he went the extra mile, Randy turned one salesman’s problem into his opportunity.

I share this story with considerable pleasure because the message has real value and because Randy, a former ditch-digger, was inspired by my brother, the late Judge Ziglar. The message is clear. Be nice to people. You might be able to render service to those who need it most and benefit yourself in the process. Think about it, and I’ll SEE YOU AT THE TOP!