Chapter Six: Lesson 6
She stiffened. “Are you saying I should go to school to learn to sell?”
I nodded.
“You aren’t serious, are you?”
Again, I nodded. “What is wrong with that?” I was now back-
pedaling. She was offended by something, and now I was wishing
I had not said anything. In my attempt to be helpful, I found myself
defending my suggestion. “I have a master’s degree in English
Literature. Why would I go to school to learn to be a salesperson?
I am a professional. I went to school to be trained in a profession so
I would not have to be a sales person. I hate salespeople. All they
want is money. So tell me why I should study sales?” She was packing
her briefcase. The interview was over.
On the coffee table sat a copy of an earlier best-selling book I wrote.
I picked it up as well as the notes she had jotted down on her legal pad.
“Do you see this?” I said pointing to her notes.
She looked down at her notes. “What?” she said, confused.
Again, I pointed deliberately to her notes. On her pad she had
written: “Robert Kiyosaki, best-selling author.”
“It says best-selling author, not best-writing author,” I said quietly.
Her eyes widened.
“I am a terrible writer,” I said. “You are a great writer. I went to
sales school. You have a master’s degree. Put them together and you get
a ‘best-selling author’ and a ‘best-writing author.’”
Anger flared from her eyes. “I’ll never stoop so low as to learn how
to sell. People like you have no business writing. I am a professionally
trained writer and you are a salesman. It is not fair,” she fumed.
She put the rest of her notes away and hurried out through the large
glass doors into the humid Singapore morning.
At least she gave me a fair and favorable write-up the next morning.
The world is filled with smart, talented, educated, and gifted people. We
meet them every day. They are all around us.
A few days ago, my car was not running well. I pulled into a garage,
and the young mechanic had it fixed in just a few minutes. He knew
what was wrong by simply listening to the engine. I was amazed.