My worst sales call

Last Tuesday was a complete disaster in our Edinburgh office. I was trying to reach a new client for our top seller office chairs, but I dialed the wrong number by mistake. A very angry man answered the phone and shouted that I was interrupting his busy morning. I wanted to apologize immediately, but he kept complaining about background noise.

While he was shouting, I was looking at the wrong proposal on my screen. I told him that his company needed our new accounting software, not office chairs! The man laughed loudly and said his company made wooden furniture, not financial reports. It was a terrible misunderstanding, and I felt like a total beginner.

Suddenly, the conversation took a very strange turn. The man stopped being impatient and asked about our chairs instead. He explained that his workshop in Glasgow was expanding and they needed twenty new chairs right away. He was searching for a reliable supplier all morning.

We spent ten minutes talking about prices and delivery times. I quickly prepared a quote while we were chatting on the phone. He was very impressed with our fast service and signed the contract before lunch. My first call that morning was a complete weakness, but it brought us a great achievement!

Every sales rep knows that bad lines and wrong numbers can happen at any time. You just need to keep talking and stay positive. Sometimes a terrible mistake is just a new opportunity waiting to happen in disguise.

Read again and choose the right answer

Where is the author's office located?

• Edinburgh
• Glasgow
• London

What product did the author offer by mistake at first?

• Office chairs
• Accounting software
• Wooden furniture

What did the man's company actually make?

• Software
• Wooden furniture
• Office chairs

How many chairs did the client order in the end?

• Ten
• Twenty
• Fifty

Sources: photo by MART PRODUCTION on Pexels