It started with thunder.
One of those stormy Saturday mornings when you know no one in their right mind is coming to shop for a trailer.
Except someone did.
A guy pulled up in a lifted diesel with an out-of-state plate and fire in his eyes. Before I could even say “good morning,” he was out of the truck and halfway across the lot.
“You sold me the wrong plug!”
I didn’t recognize him, but I listened. Turns out, he had bought a trailer from us two weeks prior and had driven three hours that morning—with his rig already loaded—only to realize his truck and trailer weren’t communicating.
No lights. No brakes. No chance of making it home legally.
He was frustrated. I didn’t blame him.
He had a long haul ahead, a deadline to meet, and a shop full of guys waiting on delivery. This wasn’t just a convenience issue—it was a business interruption.
But here’s the thing…
The plug was right.
His truck’s socket? Wired backward.
Instead of proving him wrong, I did what I always try to do in the field:
- Stayed calm.
- Listened fully.
- Offered a fast, no-cost fix.
We swapped the trailer plug, rewired it on the spot, and threw in a 7-way adapter just in case his next hookup had the same issue.
He didn’t apologize. He just stared at me for a second and said, “You didn’t have to do that.”
He was right. I didn’t.
But in trailer sales—and in leadership—doing what you don’t have to do is what separates you from everyone else.
That’s the kind of real-world sales leadership that turns one-time customers into lifelong advocates.