A car salesman is the epitome of sleazy and untruthfulness in the eyes of many and Jim was no exception for he lived two lives. “Good morning ma’am. Your presence has brightened up my day,” said Jim as he approached a single mother with her two children. “How may I serve your family today?”

The mother was caught a little off guard. Jim had a way of catching people’s attention. I suppose it can be attributed to his calm demeanor, gentle smiles, and a dialect that was uncommon for the area. He came off as a gentleman from an older generation, yet his facade appeared as if he was in his mid to late thirties. It took the mother a little while to shake off her initial reaction.

“I am looking for a family car. I am low on budget and cannot afford an expensive car. Gasoline prices have skyrocketed. I am looking for a car with good gas economy. When I am not driving to and from work, I am driving around doing errands, picking up the kids, or taking them to their different activities.” Jim looked at her with such an interest and sympathy that she paused and took a deep breath. It seemed as if she was not used to someone listening to her anymore. With all the responsibilities on her plate, she was used to living life for her children that she had forgotten how someone paying attention to her felt. “Umm. Could you provide me a recommendation?”

Jim put his right hand on his heart and slightly put his head down. He was well aware of how the different messages body signals conveyed. He purposefully put his right hand on his heart to show sympathy to his new client and to send a subconscious message to her about his promise to serve her right. His head down signaled respect. He started looking down and right, and humming to show he was deep in thought and memory recollection. The mother slowly started to feel he was looking out for her best intentions.

Jim’s true calling was sales and he is in sales because it allows him to use his personal and business skills in a way that would maximize his revenues. I almost forgot to mention he was the highest ranked salesman in electric vehicle sales in the southern region. Yet, he never advertised it in his dealership. The front of his lot was filled with low priced, used gas cars. His backlot was filled with new electric vehicles. Jim was so effective at electric vehicle sales because of his strategy.

“There are plenty of used cars here with pretty decent gas mileage. You could probably get one of those. You will get a low monthly payment. The gas will be a little expensive.”

“How expensive?”

“You mentioned you drive a lot. It will be around the same I suspect.”

“That won’t do. I am having trouble paying gas as it is and with a monthly car payment it will make a my financial situation more difficult than it already is!”

He extended his hand over her shoulder without touching her. He gave her a nonverbal cue inquiring whether it was okay for him to put his hand on her shoulder. When she acknowledge with a nod, he put his hand on her shoulder lightly.

“I will make sure you leave here with a monthly car payment and gas payment that will work for you. Let me see.” He hummed, put his hand under his chin and started to massage his chin. “I just got a new electric vehicle yesterday. I took it for a test drive and it drives beautifully. It has nice seats for the children. It came with a mounted bike rack. It has a good size trunk since there is no transmission. Somebody cut me off as I test drove it and was impressed with how quickly the brakes worked. Gotta keep the family safe you know.”

“I don’t know. I don't know much about these cars. Aren’t they expensive?”

“They are not as expensive as people think. You will get a government and state rebate when you buy. If you lease, we give you the rebate up front. That’s free money. You never have to pay for gas. You would usually get this card for free charging for one hour a day up to two years. I will give you the special card that will give you free charging with no limits while you own the car.”

“Why thank you. Not worrying about gas will help. But… but… but what about the monthly payment?”

“How is this? We will set you up with a loan that matches your gas bill. You are probably paying at least $150 per month in gas? We can give you a nice lease as low as $150 per month. You will never have to worry about a gas payment. You can charge the car for free while you are shopping. Most shopping centers have a charging station that accepts the charge card. You will have a brand new, safe car to drive your family around. How does that sound to you?”

She thought about it hard. As she looked at her kids and the faded green clunker she parked around the corner because she was embarrassed about having a car where she needed a screwdriver to start the ignition, the interior seats had house pillows as seat cushions, and a trunk that never closed shut. When she looked back at Jim her heart started to melt when she saw his sympathetic eyes that seemed to give her a warm hug letting her know that everything would be all right. She hugged him and agreed to look at lease terms.

“Your family will be happy with this car.” He pulled out a white card and started to hand it to her. Before she grabbed it, he quickly took it away. “I am so sorry. I was about to give you the regular charge card. You deserve better.” Jim pretended to look for the special charge card and eventually found it. He handed her a bright red card with a gold trim. “You deserve this special card. Look at other people charging and I bet you will find it hard to find another driver with this card. But when you do find one, wave and say hello.”

He signalled with his hand for the entire family to enter the lobby where he would sit her down with the finance person and give the children popcorn, chocolate milks and candies, and serve the mother a latte with a chocolate croissant. As the family walked in with excitement, the sun hit gold trim of the red card and shone so beautifully as the family entered the lobby.

Before You Go

A Note from the Author

This Was A Preview of a Short Novel from the "Black Hat Chronicles" Series
First Edition

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Main Image Credit : The awesome piece of artwork used to head this article is called 'Delorean' and it was created by graphic designer Vic López.