The Process, Part 4

from a white family. A white salesman will even be more likely get coffee, pie, whatever from a black family. It is not that they feel below him at all. They are actually, honestly, trying to be hospitable. Oriental familes usually won’t give anybody anything. Remember, this is real. This is not some Kumbayah fantasy but instead how it really works. Oh, and Mormons have been known to offer the salesman fresh produce from their garden.

The salesman will spend from 30 minutes to even a full hour just bonding with you. Time is of the essence. He has all the time in the world. He is looking for weak spots in your armor. He is listening for hints at your finances and the amount of cash you have on hand. He is also listening for hints that there might be a “wizard” hiding in the shadows.

A “wizard” is the person you will call just after the salesman has left with your signature on the bottom line of the contract. The “wizard” is the person you trust to have had some experience with such things as home improvements and you will call them to confirm that you have done the right thing in purchasing this product. The “wizard” is BAD. He will tell you that you made a big mistake and that the product, the very same product you understand, is selling at your local home store for one fifth as much. The salesman must find your “wizard” quickly. And destroy him.

Did I say he has all the time in the world? He does. He will not leave your home until you have signed that contract or tossed him out. That is his commitment to himself.

He will stay five hours if that is what it takes. Some will really stay ten hours. The chances of you later canceling the deal go up tremendously as the hours tick away. You might sign the contract just to get rid of him and then cancel the next day. Don’t worry, he has his plans to fix that too.

And remember, he may have made his sales pitch thousands of times, maybe ten thousand times. How many times have you fought off somebody like him? Probably never.

You are in really big trouble.

Now he starts his pitch. He will never call it a “pitch. He will call it a “presentation."

First, he will confirm what product you need. If you don’t have a clue why he is there, you had been told about an energy survey, then he will talk about your windows and exterior coating (what normal people call paint).

He has already looked at your home and knows that your windows are fine. You have a