I was three weeks into my job selling Chevys, and already I knew I was lousy at it. I was working 70 hours a week, cold calling everyone, and still getting nowhere. I'm not good at putting on the pressure. But a slam-dunk walked in the door. A customer had a mildly used Silverado, wanted a new one, and took almost no convincing. We got all the way to finance, and I could feel the hope bubbling. Then the finance manager walked out.

 

Unfortunately, he said, we weren't going to make this work. The guy owed $40,000 on a truck that was worth around $25,000, had a 430 credit score, and no cash to throw on the pile. He was deeply underwater, and no one else in the showroom was surprised.