The Fiery Boys (A Sample)

I even matched the nasty comments they'd made to me. One of them had attempted to steal a customer by pointing out that it takes more than a skirt to sell a car. So on payback day, I interrupted him and pointed out to his customer that it takes more than a cheap suit to be a car salesman. This started a round of ribbing that quickly escalated. I stayed calm, but the gent totally lost it. And after a few insult volleys, the customer walked away. Of course, I followed him, apologized for the outburst, and offered him an extra discount. The man agreed, and bought the car from me.

The gents kept up the fight all day long, using every tired trick that I'd seen for weeks. But I was beyond their games, and I already knew how to play. Their attempts to steal my customers backfired royally.

Did I really need to go that far and be that nasty? Probably not. I could compete fairly with any of those losers. But they were the ones who had declared war, so I rolled out the heavy artillery. I sold quite a few cars, and by the end of the day, had outsold the three gents, combined. They were supremely annoyed.

I made them honor the bet, and I never let them give me grief again. We agreed to stop sabotaging each other's sales and to talk to each other only when there weren't any customers around. This was exactly what I wanted: to be left alone to do my job. Good thing Ed was on my side.

Back on the sales floor, I wondered how many customers would be Fiery Boys fans. Would my job still be normal? The Fiery Boys had a young audience, and the people who could afford these cars were usually older. With any luck, I'd be able to escape my life as a Fiery Boys contest winner for a few hours each day.

Soon, a nice-looking family came into the dealership, Mom and Dad strutted proudly while their children played hide-and-seek. Dad pointed to some of the cars, and Mom nodded. A serious couple-I could tell they were ready to buy. I watched them carefully, noting which models each of them favored while I leaned against a car, waiting for Dad to notice me. When he finally did, he smiled, but thankfully didn't recognize me. I smiled back, sauntered over, and sold another luxury vehicle.

The guy barely bargained with me, and I scored a hefty commission. Hell, I could have made that sale in my sleep. I wondered if I had. After my crazy weekend, I still wasn't sure I was fully awake. But it was nice to know that I didn't need to be the famous contest winner all the time. I could be my old self when I went to work. Life could be normal.