It was a slow Tuesday morning at the new car lot. The salesmen sat around drinking coffee and waiting for the next customer to pounce on. The sky was gray, there was mist and the showroom was empty. Very empty. Since the Great Recession had begun, selling cars had been tough. To quote one salesman, “The car business isn’t for wussies.”
“I need one more car to get my goal for the month, ” the athletic salesman boasted. “I’ll bet you $100 that I get a sale before anyone else!” Several voices cried out in unison, “You’re on.” You could cut the cockiness in the room with a knife.
A forty-something lady walked through the door. The salesmen were on her like fleas on a dog.
Over in the corner sat a brand new salesman. His name was Scotty and had recently graduated from college. The other salesmen teased him and called him “kid.” They laughed at his trusting nature and positive outlook. “You’re too honest, kid!” He constantly fell victim to their pranks and practical jokes.
Scotty noticed an elderly man walk through the double glass doors. He was white-headed, a little overweight and wearing a pair of muddy overalls. The sun had damaged his skin, leaving a field of wrinkles on his face. His boots were worn and he walked with a slight limp. A quick scan of the room showed that the rest of the salesmen thought he was a waste of their time — especially since he was looking at the most expensive sports car in the middle of the showroom.
The athletic salesman said, “Someone show him to the used lot to get him an old beat-up truck.” The other salesmen chuckled.
Scotty got up out of his chair and walked over to the man. “May I help you?”
“Yes, I’d like to buy this car.”
Ralph smiled and said, “Then I can help you.”
At that moment, the old man pulled out a checkbook and wrote a check. “Is this enough?”
The man, the richest man in the tri-county area, wrote a check for the price of the car. The rest of the salesmen’s jaws dropped.
“My wife and I need something sporty to ride to church in. The check’s good. If it bounces, you can have a 1,000 of my acres.” Both Scotty and his customer laughed.
After the paperwork was filled out and the car had driven off the lot, Scotty walked past the athletic salesman and said, “I’ll take a check for that $100 — no wait, better make it cash. I can’t tell by looking at you if you can afford it. Maybe someday you’ll learn that you can’t judge a book by its cover.”
The stunned salesman gave Scotty his money. The rest of the salesmen in the showroom just looked at the kid in silence.
Scotty sat down, looked at the $100 bill and laughed to himself. On that gray Tuesday morning, he had sold his uncle a car. And his cocky coworkers were none the wiser.
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