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Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Define "qualified buyer"

I was speaking with a salesperson at a furniture store, recently, who shared a rather ironic story about some “qualified buyers” who had visited her store:

“A family had come into the store with the goal of buying the makings for a wonderful home theatre. They had already purchased the screen and projection system, and were looking for some cabinetry and theatre-style seating. During the course of our conversation, I learned that the family had recently lost their home to foreclosure. When it became clear that they would lose their house within months anyway, they stopped all attempts to make a house payment and started socking that cash away… presumably to help pay for their transition to apartment life. They saw a home theatre as a good investment… cheaper than the weekly dinner and a movie, especially when you consider the cost of a babysitter. ”

“The gentleman confided that they had felt “rejected” by a salesman at another store. When the clerk at the previous store learned of their housing situation, he assumed them to be an unqualified shopper, and became dismissive. As it turns out, they were the biggest cash customer my store had that day.”

Implications: How do you define “qualified buyer?”

Are you sure?

Mike Anderson

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