Appearances

Do appearances count? Events of this past week lead me to think they really do.


Last Saturday, I visited the car dealership to look at cars. I was dressed simply with jeans, a jacket and shoes. The dealer concentrated on the mid-priced cars, just dismissed the basic car with few accessories. I just thought he was being a salesman and pushing the more expensive car.


Today, I visited another dealer. Because I planned on walking on a nearby track, I was dressed very casually with sneakers, and a knit exercise outfit. This salesman showed me the basic car which he seemed to be pushing. I received very little information on the mid-priced car, I even had to ask for his card.


He took my phone number, but so far I've received no follow-up in contrast with Saturday's dealer who called me Saturday evening to follow up and again give me his phone number and suggested a way I could buy a car before I hear from my insurance company. He called me again today, but that's another story for another time.

I guess the salesman today felt that I couldn't afford more than the basic car because of my more casual appearance, while on Saturday I did look more put together, more like I meant business. On Saturday, the salesman did seem more willing to deal, while today, there was no mention of special deals or discounts.

I guess the moral of this story is to always look your best and most put together when getting ready to make a deal.