I was a fantastic salesman when it came to musical gear. I never talked anyone into anything. But I was a champ at guiding the conversation in a direction that helped my customers talk themselves into buying what I was selling.
I sold a ton of pianos. Usually dad would come in looking for one for his daughter to take piano on. I would give him some stats and figures. (That's what dads want.) But then I would encourage him to bring the wife in because this kind of purchase is too large to make without both of them involved.
When she got there, she would almost always have the kid with her. I would sit the kid down and teach him/her a song. They would freak out (in a good way) because they had just learned a real song.
While they were practicing, I would talk to mom. I would simply telk her stories avout sitting around the piano at my grandmother's house singing Christmas carols (which actually did happen). And I would just tell her that, for me, a piano just adds "warmth" to a home.
Between memories of grandma's house and her kid actually playing a song, that piano was SOLD. And I never said "You should..." or "Don't you want.....".
I would sit a play a few chords while the kid played melody. Mom n dad were a few feet away talking and watching me and the kid laughing it up.
Dad would walk up and say "We'll take it if you throw in delivery." Of course, I threw in delivery.
It worked pretty much every time.
