I’ve never worked in sales. The prospect of such a job fills me with dread, but many people tell me I have the gift of the gab. Maybe I should be more open-minded?
Would you buy a used car from me?
Oz writes: “I can see you talking about Japanese IQ scores while trying to sell a Toyota.”
Chaim Amalek writes: “And why not? Who would you rather built that new car you are about to commit spending 30K on: a high I.Q. Japanese manufacturing battalion, or some drunken Irishmen (or worse)?”
I’ve been trying out the slogan, “At Ford, quality is job one”.
Phig: “Would be an awesome tagline for you to end dates with.”
Steven: “There’s a Ford in your future!”
The boss says to me: “You’re a living legend, but what kind of legend?”
So in a recent job, I asked the boss if I could make fun of him and he said yes, and I did, and then there was no more work for me. Hmm. Correlation?
Another boss complained that while my memory of the naked twister story is impeccable, when he has asked me to do some elementary things, I was all confusion.
I asked my rebbe for advice and he said: “The only answer I can come up with off the top of my head is that you write a serious book that is not about you (sorry!) but perhaps about some big topic. And you have plenty at hand. But do you have the discipline to write about such a topic?”
Oy, I started my day being completely wrong about the location of something (I said another bloke had it when it was in my cabinet).
Great technique for dealing with difficult people. Say, “I’m confused when you say X…” Only elucidate if you think they can hear you. Otherwise just say, “Hey, my confusion is my problem.”
My favorite saying when I get caught: “This isn’t what it looks like!”
The past is never past. It lives with us each day.
