This morning, a radio personality asked two representatives of a car dealership how he could get a car with wood paneling. One of them replied that his science grades weren't great when he was in school, but he could try constructing a time machine. The other rep said that he could find someone who would put a vinyl wrap around the car to give it that retro wood panel look. The host joked that perhaps he could nail some two-by-fours to the car.
Both answers reinforced two evergreen sales principles: Accommodate the customer, within reason, if you can, even if it means doing something you wouldn't do for most customers. If you can't accommodate the customer within reason, don't respond with an immediate, hard "No!"
In all likelihood, that's probably why the car dealership the host consulted has been in business for decades.
