Harshaw Motors
Seattle, WA

It was a good day to be indoors sipping coffee. That was what kind of day it was. The drizzle and cold outside almost insured that today was not going to be a good day for selling cars. Dave Summers sipped his coffee from a paper cup and continued to look at the mist and slight rain gather on the showroom window. He turned to see the other salesmen chatting in groups, except for Tom who was leaning on the reception desk trying to talk Nat into going out with him. At least the sales manager wasn't on a rampage, probably because he was busy at an on-line gambling site.

That was when Dave Summers saw the Mini pull into the lot.

"C'mon Kels, just one more stop," Holly Wood said, climbing out of her car. "We're almost done."

"That's what you said at the LAST place," the blonde woman countered. Kelsey Foster followed her friend toward the lot full of wet vehicles. "Here comes the sales weasel," she said, catching a glimpse of the man in the overcoat approaching them from the showroom.

"Be nice and smile," Holly said, turning on her own charm.

Summers knew he was being overly aggressive by not letting the pair wander the lot for a bit. There were two factors governing his decision: he was bored stiff, and he knew that once any of the other sales staff got a look at the two, they'd be clamoring all over each other to assist them. Strike quickly, rather than not strike at all. "Lousy day, huh?"

The brunette turned and smiled, "Yeah. Sorry to drag you out into it. We're just looking."

"No reason to apologize. I'm Dave, and to be honest with you, I was looking for an excuse to get out of there," the salesman said, glancing over his shoulder toward the showroom.

Holly and Kelsey turned toward the sales building and saw several men in short sleeves and ties starting to notice the activity in the lot. "Slow day?" Kelsey asked, almost sympathetically.

"That's a bit of an understatement," Dave offered with a smile. "Actually, this is the slow season. Most people like to buy cars when the weather is nice." Dave paused for a moment. "Hey, can I get you some coffee? It's not the best, but it's hot. Should keep you warm while you look around a bit."

"Sure. That'd be nice," Holly said. "Oh, sorry, I'm Holly and this is Kelsey," indicating her friend with a gesture.

"Nice to meet you," the salesman said, shaking hands professionally with each. "Cream and sugar?"

"Good for both of us," Kelsey said, warming to the man a bit. He was in his early thirties and married, if the band on his finger was any indication.

Dave Summers walked toward the showroom to get the coffees. He looked up and saw the faces of the others not-quite pressed up against the glass looking at him and his prospects. Like fish in a bowl, he thought. With a slight smile, he imagined bulging eyes and mouths agape.

Holly walked over toward the wagon she had come to look at. Kelsey followed and watched as her friend ran her hand across the waxed finish with the beaded water on the surface, all the while looking at the window sticker.

"Again, why do we need a car?" the blonde asked.

Turning, the brunette said with a smile, "We don't. The company does," emphasizing the word company in order to make the distinction. "Your car is too small, and mine," Holly said looking over at her red Cooper Mini with white racing stripes, "has LESS room than my purse. We need hauling space."

"Why not just rent a van when we need to?"

"Because financially, it’s a better tax advantage for us to have company assets. Depreciating assets."

"That's why you're the business major, Hol," Kelsey admitted.

"'I've got the brains, you've got the looks. Let's make lots of money,'" Holly said with a laugh, quoting a silly pop song from her grade school years.

Kelsey joined in the laughter as Summers approached. "Well at least someone is having fun on a gloomy day," he said with a warm smile, handing the coffee over and keeping a third cup for himself. "I saw you looking at the Outback. Anything you want to know?"

Kelsey sipped her cup, peering over the edge at the business partner. Here it comes, she thought.

"Dave, I do have a question for you," Holly said with a smile, pausing to sip her not-as-bad-as-she-thought-it-would-be coffee. "Why should I buy a car from you?"

The salesman was taken aback at the bluntness of the question. "As opposed to not buying a car from me or not buying one at all?" Dave Summers countered.

"As opposed to buying a car from a competitor," Holly answered.

"What cars are you looking at?"

"The Volvo XC-70 and the Saab 9-5 wagon."

Summers smiled slightly, "You'll spend less on the Outback. The interior is only slightly smaller than the other two models, but the horsepower is substantially better."

"But the Volvo is a five-cylinder All Wheel Drive." Holly responded with a grin. She was in her element. She lived for negotiation and deal making.

Kelsey Foster stood back and watched the volleys fly back and forth as she sipped her coffee.

"Sure, and for that extra cylinder, you get poorer gas mileage and pay seven-grand more. The Outback," Summers said, pulling a brochure from beneath his coat, "has All Wheel Drive, almost twenty percent better horsepower, and a Limited Slip Differential, which means..."

Holly cut the salesman off, "Which means that on a lousy day like this when the roads are slick, you still get power to the wheels that have traction."

"Yep," Dave Summers said with a sip of his coffee. He paused to consider the two young women. "Plus the Outback has a CD changer, the other two don't."

"I'm sold," Kelsey said with a smile at Summers' last comment.

Holly Wood locked eyes with the salesman who was confidently sipping his coffee. "How soon can you have the 2.5 XT here in the Satin White Pearl?"

"Manual or Automatic?"

Holly Wood blinked first. "Automatic," she said with a nod to Kelsey.

"A week, probably sooner. I need to check availability," Dave Summers glanced over toward Holly's Mini. "Are you looking to trade her in?"

Holly grinned widely, "You wish. I have a checkbook in my wallet that says we are not paying any more than twenty-six-five."

Dave Summers gestured toward the showroom. "Let's go inside and make some arrangements to get your Outback."

"This will only take a few minutes, Kelsey," Holly promised. She shivered slightly. "We'll grab some lunch after."

"Sounds good," Kelsey said, exhausted from her ride in the whirlwind that was a Holly Wood negotiation.

"Then we'll go look at some business parks for a space," Holly added, keeping stride with the salesman a few steps in front of her.

Kelsey groaned at the prospect.

Dave Summers held the door open for the two young women. As Holly passed, he added, "We should talk about extended warranty." He tossed his empty coffee cup into a waste bin just inside the door.

With a grin he looked at the other salesmen in the showroom. Coffee is for closers.

 

END.

 

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