LIFE IS ABOUT SELLING YOURSELF NOT YOUR PRODUCT
I did learn this the hard way, as a child growing up i had this thought that one can sell anything to anybody. I did times without number and i was good at it so i thought. Bought stuffs of people and tried to make good profit, well massive profit on my products.
I had a friend in school that i managed to convince to buy a pair of loafer from me after wearing that very loafer for over 2 years. I purchased it from another dear friend who needed cash at a cut-throat price. My friend was so happy that I sold it to him because I made it look like I was doing him a big favour.
I must have sold it to him over 10 times the price i bought it, he was more than grateful that he came back again to purchase the inner shoe of the shoes. It was such a clean deal and i was over the top feeling smart as always even bragged about it always to other friends.
My friend in question wore the shoes the next day and was made fun of, he was so mad that he promised to never buy anything from me or exchange money for anything but i knew and was so confident that I could and will sell to him.
Days and weeks passed and i knew i had to make a sale soon again. Luckily for me I had to come to Lagos again. I went shopping, looking for the thing i could to sell to my best customer who happen to be my friend
I managed to purchase this lovely Lee jeans trouser in Lagos Island. I am sure anyone who remembers Lagos Island then, it wasn’t a place you want to be caught dead doing your shopping.
Went back to school and i just couldn’t think of approaching my guy to buy the jeans from me but I had to come up with a plan which I finally did. I gave the jeans to another friend who I had explained to that I was going to approach him for the same jeans but he would pretend to be the seller. I promised him commission and he accepted and i told him to be very difficult in trying to sell to me.
I waited until my friend who promised never to buy anything from me was right in the same room then he brought it out. I snatched the jeans and begged the seller that i wanted it and i was ready to even pay extra money on top of the selling price. He insisted he didn’t want to sell but i could see the shoe guy checking the jeans and he joined the conversation as well. He eventually offered more than i offered. We had a bidding contest and at the end he won.
He proudly took the jeans and made mad fun of me, i pretended to be upset. He went straight to his room and brought out cool cash paid the seller and went away.
I knew i had it in me, i felt so proud and happy i could sell even to the Eskimos.
He wore the jeans to class the next day and was welcome with a round of applause. I walked up to him and whispered hope the jeans fit because i had another one just incase. Well deserved victory but i knew i had lost a true friend because of my hungry selfish ways.
This went on for awhile and i hurt friends, family and people but i never knew i did. I just thought i was selling until i grew up and i knew its your name you are selling not only the product.
To all my victims so sorry o!
