Engraving - It All Starts and Ends with a Sale

The Hammer Story - an Unbreakable Sale

This one little story can change your business, or maybe your life!

There was a glass company with a large national sales force. Most of the team were seasoned pros, usually poached from other glass companies. But every now and then, they’d hire a college grad—mostly as a gamble.

After an exhausting hiring process, John—fresh out of a small Midwest college—was added to the sales force. He was seen as the new guy. The backup plan? If he flamed out in sales, his accounting degree might let him shuffle into a cubicle somewhere. John wasn’t flashy. He wasn’t polished. He was just an honest, hard-working, middle-American kid with good roots.

Coincidentally, at the same time John was hired, the company launched a new product: “unbreakable glass.” Some of the old-timers were excited. Others shrugged. John didn’t know any better—or maybe he knew exactly what he was doing.

When the first month’s sales numbers rolled in, John had tripled the next closest senior salesman. John was a star.

Naturally, management panicked. They called John back from a sales trip a few states away. He was racked with anxiety. "Why are they calling me in? Did I mess up? Am I getting fired?"

He showed up at headquarters, briefcase in hand. A half-circle of managers stared him down. Then came the question:

"What gives? How are you selling this glass?"
Without saying a word, John opened his briefcase, pulled out a piece of unbreakable glass, grabbed a small hammer, and smashed it against the pane.

The room fell silent. Then came the barely concealed grins.

John was dismissed. Back to the road.

Weeks later, at the national sales meeting in a fancy hotel ballroom, the tables were all set. Notepads. Pens. Water glasses. And a hammer.

A sales manager took the stage.

“Here’s how you sell the unbreakable glass,” he declared. “You bring it out... and you hit it with the hammer! People are so impressed, they’ll buy on the spot.”
John knew exactly what had just happened. His trick—his insight—had become company gospel. He didn’t complain. But he noticed.

So he went back to the field and sold even more.

Sixty days later, same pattern. Sales exploded. Call from corporate. But this time, John wasn’t so naive.

Before he opened his briefcase, he said:

“I’m happy to share what I’m doing... but this time, let’s talk bonus.”
Management agreed to terms. Then John reached in, pulled out the glass, and the hammer—and made one little change.

He handed them the hammer.

Now, instead of just seeing the demo, the client participated. And that changed everything.

 
Moral of the story?

Sometimes the untrained, not-yet-jaded salesperson is the real innovator.

Of course, now your mind’s racing. You’re thinking about your own pitch, your own product, your own clients. And you should be.

Because here’s the truth: A business that doesn’t sell goes out of business.
Everything starts with a client and ends with a sale.
And sometimes... the difference is just a hammer.

Disclosure:  This was a story I heard in a sale confrence more than 30 years ago.  It was supposed to be true but I could not find anyone to give credit to.   Good Products can be great but "Great Presentations" lead to record sales.  Are your clients partispating in the sale?