My Demo Scooter Still For Sale - 2 1/2 Years Down The Road

Apparently no one wants a deal on a to all intents and purposes new Rascal 306. I bought it as a new demo when rascal folded in 2011, it had been used as a demo once, a guy I met on 1st moving to Calif. actually the owner of the rental agency where rented a car, was thinking about starting to rent scooters. He's located across Harbor Blvd from Disneyland, and he kept seeing tourists who'd rented Pride scooters from another business tip over in the middle of Harbor. At least that's what he told me.
I explained to him that the Rascal 600B 3 wheel was almost incapable of tipping over because of the way it's designed. Rascal moved the tip wheels forward to where they're next to the front wheel and made them bigger. When it turns too fast or is on an uneven surface the tip wheel on that side touches down and it becomes a 4 wheeler. Now, I told him, it's not impossible to tip, but in a year and a half or so selling them to the VA I never saw one tip over, and in the beginning when demoing to the VA I offered 20.00 to anyone who could tip it and some really tried, but no one got 20.00. Unfortunately he turned out to be a flake, lots of talk no action, and Rascal went toes up a couple weeks after the demo.
Unfortunately as you can tell from the title, I still have it. The good news is I don't have to carry my laundry to the washing machines and I have a comfortable seat while I read and wait.
I have had at least a couple dozen, mostly from craigslist, offer lowballs of 3-400. thinking I'm going to give it away, not even one came to check it out and see if it fits.
I'm asking less than the retail (3900) a lot less, but I'm not giving it away. Right now it's sitting in my studio apt, in the way, the handlebar is a great place to hang a jacket, but there it'll stay until I get the reasonable price, or I need it for myself, which isn't impossible either, but not yet. I'll only sell at any price, to someone that comes here to Fullerton, and tries it out to make sure it works for them.
If someone reading this could use it, comment or email an inquiry.
FYI my job has kept me from posting on either blog as much as I'd like, so I want to thank those who keep coming back, I really appreciate it.

Lee

The Art of Cross Examination - Would you believe a great book for salesmen...and women???

I have a secret, I've mentioned to just a few people over the years I've been in sales.  It's a book that teaches lawyers how to ask effective questions.  One thing many, if not most, average salespeople just don't get is that their commissions ride on asking effective questions too.
Successful salesmen and women, like successful litigators, ask the right questions that lead the prospect  to the answers that the salesperson desires.  This book, The Art of Cross Examination, written by Francis Wellman in 1903, teaches you how to do that.  Of course there are other books that do the same thing, and there are some people, both lawyers and salespeople, who have a natural ability, but they are few and far between. Contrary to popular myth, salespeople are made not born, as a rule. 
Asking effective questions is not easy, especially in the face of a reluctant or hostile prospect who's primary goal is to get rid of you, rather than be tricked into buying from you. You'd be amazed how many people, even...especially, those who need your product, consider you a trickster who's only after their money. Unfortunately the sales field is well populated with exactly that ilk. They've created an image over many decades that those of us that are honest, and sell good products honestly, are forced to live down. 
I, as you know, sell the Rascal. It's in my opinion the best machine out there, but it's not cheap. There are many that would tell you a scooter is a scooter, and be happy to sell you a cheapie. Then you never see them again.  Until in a year or two you need another one.  I on the other hand will show you the benefits of buying the best once, and paying a bit more, rather than buying over and over every few years. I do this by asking questions, questions that determine if you need a scooter, or a powerchair, or perhaps neither. Questions that determine which model is right for you. Questions to find out if you can afford a Rascal. And answers, to your questions, of course.
The key to helping a person that needs a scooter, is asking the right questions at the right time, and this book teaches you how. Of course if a prospect reads this perhaps they should read it also.

Lee Murray

The Art of Cross Examination

Winners and Losers

Watching TV just saw a commercial for a program about an olympic swimmer, Victor Davis, who "had the hopes of an ENTIRE NATION riding on his shoulders, as stated by a woman in the story." Can you imagine the pressure? You must win at any cost, winners are hero's, and losers are...well losers, and who even remembers them, let alone their names? It started me thinking...
This is a mindset that exists, unfortunately, not just in "sports," but even more so in life. Being in sales, I've seen dozens, hundreds of guys, and gals, that subscribed to the same philosophy, winning at any cost, make the sale any way you have to, lie cheat, anything to make the sale. It's usually not by choice, although I know there are those out there who think this way naturally. That aside it's usually an aquired mindset, endorsed, taught, and pushed by over-aggresive, greedy, (or sometimes afraid for their jobs or don't know any better), sales managers who put dollars into their own pockets, everytime a salesperson makes a sale, however they made it, and learned by basically honest people who believe what they're told, that it's the only way that they can earn a living. After all, buyer's are liars, ask any sales manager. Personally that one never made any sense to me, how can a buyer be a liar? Looky loo's are liars, that I get.
When I was selling solar water heating in the mid 80's I worked with a guy named Jeff, or it may have been Geoff, who was literally the top salesman in the office, and also VP of sales. He looked like Michael Douglas from some angles and George Hamilton from others with a great tan. He had a condo in I think Balboa, and a house in Newport Beach for his ex. She also had the Rolls and Jag. Poor guy, he was stuck with the Porsche Turbo. From what he said about half his income went up his nose, and still he lived like a king, making half to three quaters of a million per year. How, you ask? I know I did. I saw literally the best salesman I've ever met, but he didn't believe it. I saw him work, as I said, and with all his skill and talent, if it took telling the prospect that the sky was purple, or that they'd recoup their investment in six months or kicking back x dollars, he'd do it to make the sale. He had entire housing developments where if a house was sold, someone would visit the new owner and suggest that they talk to Jeff, I was a ridealong on a couple of these, they were true laydowns. He told me that he kicked back $4-500. per referral. He was convinced that winning however he did it was key to survival, he didn't care what he had to do, he would win, and the prospects would lose. Losing, not making the sale, to him was completely unacceptable. There were about 15 of us in that office, and most of us would bring in 12-13 sales a month, Jeff normally brought in 40 to 50 every month. He had a 50% fallout ratio and still outsold everybody else. The reason was that while yes he was probably technically  no better than the best of us, getting the sale, bringing home the gold, winning, was vital, more important, to him than to us.
The sales manager that demands honesty is rare indeed, they are out there, but few and far between. The same thing applies to salespeople, those with honesty and integrity are there, and are more common that most customers would ever believe. I am one of those and so are most if not all of the salespeople I work with at Rascal. Yes, there have been those that I describe above, but for some reason they don't last in the VA div., perhaps it's selling to the VA that's the reason.

Lee Murray