Some readers of our Sales Tweets have asked me questions about Ernest Seller.
I sincerely want to answer the questions and clear up some of the confusion.
After pinning Ernest down with a pot of coffee and a plate of donuts, I think I have made some tremendous headway here. However, I am sure you will be the better judge of that than I.
Is Ernest Seller a real person?
The quick answer is, “Absolutely Yes”. In fact, a quick search of the internet will confirm there are numerous Ernest Sellers out there. To be crystal clear - when I write about Ernest Seller I am not writing about any of those individuals. I am writing about another guy. Please accept that as a full ‘disclaimer’. [If you want more disclaimers then please let me know…there are plenty more where that one came from.] At the risk of a flogging...Our Ernest Seller is a totally different character than any of those other Ernest Sellers. The key point is – Yes, Ernest Seller is real. I see him regularly…perhaps that’s because I am looking for him? He is easy to spot because he always wears 2 things: (1) a great big smile and (2) a bright plaid jacket. To learn a little more about Ernest Seller’s wardrobe, check out the 1st footnote below.
Is Ernest Seller really a Seller [a Salesperson]?
Here’s where we start to get into a bit of a ‘grey zone’. When we ask Ernest Seller that question he proudly embraces that noble profession as his own. He considers himself to be a natural-born salesman…like all the great ones. I asked his boss – ‘The Boss’, “Is Ernest really a salesperson?” I received an incoherent but emotional response…somewhere between soft laughter and a loud sneeze. In an effort to find a tie-breaker, I asked to see Ernest’s business card. Unfortunately, Ernest forgot to carry any business cards again. Check the 2nd footnote if you are interested in learning more about The Boss.
Is Ernest really earnest?
Certainly! Ernest gives it all he’s got. Now, some folks, including Mr. Kaye, Ernest’s #1 Client, will argue that all he’s got isn’t monumental or anything close to that. But [if you twist his arm hard enough] even Mr. Kaye will admit Ernest is earnest. While no one has actually tested it, probably takes a few hundred foot-pounds of arm-twist to get that sort of compliment out of Mr. Kaye. On the other hand, Mr. Kaye volunteers a lot of other feedback to Ernest. See the 3rd footnote below to experience a bit of the buyer-seller action between Mr. Kaye and Ernest.
I know Ernest raises more questions than answers…he also raises more eyebrows than answers…so, I will work on this. In the meantime, I sure hope this clears things up a bit.
Footnotes: