The wine lands of Stellenbosch are very different in many respects to the surrounding areas of Cape Town. We live in a cocoon of beauty and tranquility, vineyards all around, easy access to the mountains and a wonderful sense of community.
The one thing we do however, have in common with Cape Town and in fact other parts of South Africa is convenience of shopping at the traffic lights. Granted you can't quiet do your entire month end shop between red and green, you can certainly cross off a fair number of essential basics
What impresses me however, is not the the speed of this retail experience, but rather the skill and tenacity of the sales people, coupled with their enthusiasm for their products. I have done a little service training in my time so I know what it takes to motivate people, but these guys are amazing.
We all know their stuff is junk, but we buy, not because we hope that the quality might have improved, rather we are taken in by the enthusiasm and energy of these informal traders who have 3 minutes to make a sale, they combine all the text book qualities of a great sales man, and I ma sure none of them have ever read, "How to make friends and influence people"
Can you imagine the stress of having to sell under these conditions, you have to talk through a closed window, your customers is suspicious of you and your product, you have to keep on eye on the traffic around you so you don't get knocked over, and you have tops, 3 minutes to make the sale.
I want these guys in my business!