I went into five automobile showrooms, all with the same make cars, in order to choose the one where I bought my last car.

My experience at the first four dealerships, after their big toothed smile greetings, each salesperson assured me that I would get the best deal and the best service if I bought a car from them; especially if I bought it on that day.

At the fifth dealership, a very large one, a salesperson named Walt asked me, “Do you want to buy a car, or would you like me to leave you alone while you look at the models on the floor?”

I said, “I want to buy a car” and I told him which model I wanted.

He said, “Who will be driving your new car?”

I said, “Mostly me, but sometimes my wife. She is going to drive our luxury gas guzzler, and I’m going to drive the new one to and from work.”

He said, “Does she need to be in on the decision to buy?”

I said, “Yes, but only to select the exterior and interior colors.”

He said, “What kind of work do you do?”

“I’m a sales consultant and trainer,” I said.

“I wish I had some good sales training before I got into this business,” he said. “I had to learn the hard way.”

“Most good salespeople learn the hard way,” I said. “What’s the most important thing you learned about sales?”

Walt replied, “I came to realize that the prospects are always in control and they want to be treated with respect.”

Later on, when I returned to pick up the car, I asked who the top salesperson in the agency was and they said, “Definitely that would be Walt, even though he’s kind of quiet and reserved…but he’s got something…he’s got the magic.”