Proving wisdom comes with age

George Miller is probably Britain’s oldest working salesman. The 83 year-old is a sales rep for Pricemaster and still travels the country in his company car, selling adhesive labels. George says: “They’ll have to shoot me to stop. I don’t want to retire.”

Now George is writing a book about his long career, giving advice on successful selling. He has five top tips to impart.

To begin, he says: “First impressions are always correct. You should always make a good first impression.”

And, if you were considering trying to screw your customers, don’t. As the wise old man says: “There is no point ripping off a customer.”

Good contacts, he says, “can be a lifeline to you and your business. It’s good to keep in touch.” Oh, and: “The customer is always right, even if he isn’t. You must always put up with your customers.”

On the subject of punctuality and reliability, George boasts: “I have hardly ever been late for an appointment, and I was 79 years-old before I took a single day off work.” But, best of all, and something perhaps forgotten by many a salesman (and woman), is the importance of the brain. “If you are a good salesman, your best tool is your brain,” he says.