Selling Is About People, Not Products

When I think back to the beginning of my sales life, I always smile a little.
Not my electric career, not machines and cables — I mean real sales, driving with the car, visiting people, drinking coffee, sometimes too much coffee.

I was very young.
It was in the 1980s.
I worked for a company called Firma Erwin Klein. We sold spare parts for cars and trucks. Tools. Screws. Many screws.
Nothing sexy. Just things people really need.

Every week was the same rhythm:
Five days.
Five routes.
Always the same customers.

At that time, I still thought selling was about products. Prices. Lists. Delivery times.
But one customer changed this completely.

There was a company in Bremerhaven, an end-customer, called Johann Kipp.
Underground work. Sand, cement, stones. Building houses. Hard work.
The boss was a typical North German man — few words, no time for small talk.
He hated salespeople. For him, a salesman was someone who talks too much and wastes time.

I drove there often. Always polite. Always short.
And then one day, he was ill.

Instead of him, there was another man: Björn.
We talked about cars. About tuning. About engines.
Not about prices. Not about weather. Not about streets.

It was easy. Natural.
At one point, Björn said:
“Come, we go to the warehouse.”

That was special.
Normally, nobody takes a salesman into the warehouse.
But there we were, walking between shelves, talking like normal people.

Later, when Johann Kipp came back, Björn said:
“These things — we need them.”

No big show. No pressure. Just trust.

That was the first moment I understood — maybe not with my head, but with my feeling:
Selling is eye to eye. On the same level.
It’s personal. Human.

Many people have a bad opinion about salespeople.
I understand why.

Some salesmen look like vacuum cleaner sellers.
Like encyclopedia sellers.
They ring the bell, talk and talk and talk, and never listen.

I even had fun with one once.
Thirty minutes he talked how good his product was.
Then I said:
“Sorry, I’m already a customer of the competitor.”

These people destroy the image of sales.

Later, in another company, I saw it again.
A salesman who promised everything.
“This is no problem.”
“That is easy.”
But it was not good — not for the customer and not for us.

That kind of salesman makes sales dirty.

For me, sales is simple:
If it’s not good for both sides, it’s not good.

One of the most important relationships in my life started when I was very young.
I was 16 years with one customer.

The company was Walken Industriebedarf.
The main buyer was Heinz Wilbers.

He was… difficult.
Smoked a lot.
Worked in the warehouse.
Had his own office because only he was allowed to smoke inside.
Unshaved. Glasses. Strong personality.

In the beginning, it was formal. Very hard.
But slowly, over the years, something grew.

When I started, I made maybe 400,000 Deutsche Mark with him.
When I left, it was one million euros. (2mil Deutsche Mark)

But it was not about the money.

We did actions together.
Diamond blades.
Meals at the harbour.
Christmas parties.

Once, we even went together to Schalke 04 football — on a Saturday.
And exactly that Saturday, my phone rang.

Heinz.

Angry. Very angry.
He accused me of cheating his company. Fraud.

I was shocked.
Biggest customer. Biggest problem.

The reason was simple — and stupid.
A price list.
Six items had lower prices because of a mistake.
He only saw these six items.

For six months, we did not speak.

But he still ordered.
More and more.

Why?
Because he trusted the products.
And deep inside, he trusted me.

When we talked again, I said:
“We must talk about this.”
He said:
“No, we don’t.”

I said:
“Yes, we do.”

Honesty is not always good for business.
But it is always good for relationships.

After that, we became even closer.

In hindsight, it was one of the best lessons of my life.

He retired at 65.
He lived only three more years.
Too much smoking. Too much drinking.

That also changed me.
In 2008, the doctor asked me:
“Do you want to live — or not?”

I stopped smoking.
After 34 years.

Trust in sales is everything.

Trust means honesty.
Even when it hurts.
Even when it costs money.

Sometimes you must say:
“No. This is not good for you.”

Customers remember how you treat them, not only what you sell.

I always say:
“When I sell tools, I must bring my person to the other person.”

You must look people in the eyes.
Try to read between the lines.
Feel what they need — and what they don’t want.

I look at the walls in the office.
Photos of children.
Hobbies.
Little signs.

Coffee helps too. I like coffee.

You must be professional — but also personal.
Not a friend.
But close.

And sometimes, humor can destroy everything — if you don’t understand the culture.
A joke in the wrong moment can break trust in seconds.

Sales is feeling.
Not scripts.
Not tricks.

So what is my philosophy after all these years?

A good salesman understands people.
He listens.
He is honest.
He treats people with respect.

The product is important — yes.
But people are more important.

Selling is not pushing.
It’s understanding.

And in the end, it’s simple:

People don’t remember what you sold them.
They remember how you made them feel.