Host: Hanna Campbell

Hanna: [00:00:02] Welcome to All Together Now, Fridays with The Moth. I'm your host for this week, Hanna Campbell. I'm also the senior manager of The Moth's Education Program. 

Most of my work at The Moth is about creating space for people, especially young people and educators, giving them space to share their stories. This work brings me so much joy. It brings me so much joy, in fact, that I even do it in my spare time. 

About three years ago, for my 31st birthday, I hosted a mini-Moth StorySLAM at my family's dining room table. I invited my mom, my dad, my aunt, my uncle and even my cousin to share stories. Of course, I timed them and I gave them feedback. The prize was a ticket to be my plus one at an upcoming Moth StorySLAM. And the winner was my Aunt Hope. Auntie Hope and I arrived at the Bell House in Brooklyn and she put her name in the hat. To our delight and surprise, her name was pulled to tell a story. 

So, this week, our story is from my aunt, Hope Wade. The theme of the night was Control. Here's Hope, live at The Moth.

[cheers and applause] 

Hope: [00:01:18] So, I don't know how it started. I don't know if it was a big argument or what. But my friend Sam bet me that I couldn't get a job as the female salesperson in a car dealership. I was like, "Why not?" He said, "Well, I've never seen a woman as a car salesperson." I was like, "Okay, fine. I can do that." And then, he said, "But if you don't get the job, you got to cut off your hair." And I'm like, "What?" Now, I have to get the job, because I'm black and my hair does not grow too quick. [audience laughter] So, anyway, I decided, “Okay, fine, I got to get the job and I had to get the job in one week.” 

So, I put on this really nice red suit, a short skirt, you know, men like short skirt, high heel shoes. My hair tied all the way back with red lipstick and a big flashy smile. I walked into this Hyundai dealership and the manager came over to me, thought I was buying a car. And I said, "No, I just want to work here." And he was like, "Do you have any skills in sales?" I said, "No, but I worked at a love store when I was in college." He said, "That's not enough." I said, "Well" 

So, anyway, he looked at my resume and says, "Yeah, you're in the Cooper Union. Why do you want to work here?" I'm like, "Why not?" Well, he gave me the job and I was like, [excited] “Yes.” [audience laughter] So, now, I started working. This really short guy, his manager, really good looking, so it's easy on the eyes. And so, he decided he was going to put me on his arm and he was going to basically show me the ropes. So, we were selling used cars, doing good. Then one day, this client came in, he wanted to buy a new car. And I was like, "Oh, my God, I do not remember everything." He said, "Do not worry about it, just do as I tell you." “Okay, fine.”

So, there I was. I made my presentation, I walked around the car, opened the hood, showed him the dipstick. DOHC. "Look at this engine. Look at the back. Oh, my God, you do not have to open the trunk. You can open the back and the front and you can look through. If you are on a long-distance journey, you can just get somebody to open the back and you can get your sodas." And he was like, "Wow, this is great."

So, anyway, he says, "Let’s go for a test drive." A test drive, right? So, we are driving and I am talking a mile a minute, because I am nervous. When we got back, he was like, "You know, I really think I like this car." I said, "Great." Then he said, "I have a trade-in." And I go, "What?" He said, "A trade-in." I am like, "Oh. Okay, where is your trade-in?" So, he shows me the car and it is a Hyundai XL. I said, "Okay, Farmer, how much do you want for the trade?" And he says, "Well, for this deal, I need $2,000." 

So, I did not know. So, I go to my boss. I said, "Here are the keys to the car. Go check the car. He wants $2,000." My boss says, "Come with me. Let’s go." So, he looked at the car, he goes, "$2,000? Listen, tell this guy $500." I said, "No, no, no, listen, listen, listen. He said $2,000. There is no way I can tell this man $500." He says, "Hope, listen to me, listen to me carefully. When you go over to him, you are going to look him in the face and say, 'Did anybody die in an accident?’” I said, "What?" He said, "Do as I say, and then be quiet." [audience laughter] 

So, now I am nervous. I am like, "I have to control this customer. I have to control this deal." So, I walk over to the man, I press my hand really hard on the desk and I go, "Did anybody die in this accident?" He goes, "What?" I said, "Your car, who died?" He said, "Oh my God, no, no, no nobody died. It was a big accident, but insurance took care of the car." I said, "That car is a rat. I do not even know if I can give you $200 or $300 for that car. Are you serious? Forget it. Get out of here. Maybe $500, that is if I can convince my boss." 

So, now I am thinking, [audience laughter] I have to control the deal, because now I am nervous. [audience laughter] So, I said, "Okay, fine." The first thing my boss taught me about a deal is, when you are going to finalize a deal, look in the customer’s face, tell him and then shut up. [audience laughter] The first person who speaks, loses. [audience laughter] So, he is looking at me, and I go, "Look." So I grab the paper, I write $500 and circle it. [audience laughter] I am nervous. The back of my throat is dry. I am trying to inhale.

I count, two, three, four. I want to exhale, but it is going to be too loud. I don’t know, my neck is going to get bigger. [audience laughter] He is going to know why I am nervous. He is looking at me, and he is looking at the car in the showroom, and he is looking at me and looking at the $500, he is looking at me and I am going, "Dear God, please, I need this deal. I really, really need this. I need this money for my rent." 

He looks at me and he goes, [chuckles] “Look.” I am silent. I am like, "I have all day to be quiet." [audience laughter] And then, he said, "Look, [chuckles] If you can give me the $500, we do the deal. I go, "Oh, great." So, I thrust my hand in his hand, this big, fat, juicy hand, and I shake it [audience laughter] and I go, "Okay, great. Let me have your credit card. You are taking this car home today." So, I pull the card from him, and I walk up to my boss and say, "I did it." My boss said, "I knew you could." I learned something that day. To get a deal and to control the deal, you say what you want, you shut up. [audience laughter] The first person who speaks, loses.

[cheers and applause] 

Hanna: [00:06:46] That was Hope Wade. Hope is a graduate of Cooper Union College. She is also the producer of Rockland Fashion Week, and owns Hope Wade Designs, a fashion company. 

Auntie Hope told me that she and Sam, her friend from the story, would often get into debates. One day, Sam was talking about how there were certain jobs that women just did not have, and Auntie Hope did not agree with that. He said, "Well, have you ever seen a woman selling cars?" Auntie Hope admitted that she had not, but she definitely could. Sam bet her that she could not, and the rest is history. 

One positive outcome of the pandemic for me, is that I have had more time to connect with my family. For a while, it was a lot of video chats and phone calls. Once it was safe to start moving around again, I actually visited my family. They live about an hour outside of New York City. During that visit, I got to catch up with Auntie Hope and learn more about her story. 

Okay. Hi, Auntie Hope.

Hope: [00:07:51] Hi.

Hanna: [00:07:52] So, your friend, Sam, who challenged you to the bet, what did he say or think when you told him that he lost and you won?

Hope: [00:08:02] Well, the first thing he said was, "Hahaha, I knew it." "Knew what?" Well, he said he knew because of the challenge that it was very difficult for me to lose, because I am so competitive. So, he knew I was going to somehow get the job done. He was hoping I would not hit the one-week mark, but I did. So, the funny thing about it, is that I ended up being in the car industry for nine years because of this one bet.

Hanna: [00:08:29] What eventually made you leave?

Hope: [00:08:32] Well, the car business was pretty lucrative. But a lot of the car dealers, their marriages were not very good, because it takes a lot of your time. You go into work at 8 o'clock in the morning and you are still there until 09:00. Or, if you have a day off and a client decides that that is the day they have to pick up the car, it means that you have to come in to deliver the vehicle. The delivery takes an average of about two to three hours.

So, I observed that many wives had to literally bring kids with them to show them the dad, because she was not home. I made a decision, when I get married and I have a child, I am not going to be in this business. It did not matter how much money I was making. And so, I quit exactly two weeks before my child was born. I said, "Bye, y’all."

Hanna: [00:09:20] So, Jasper, your child, my cousin, is 19 years old now. So, that was 19 years ago. So, what have you been up to professionally since then?

Hope: [00:09:30] I was a stay-at-home mom for about 9, 10 years. And then, I have always been a designer and then I decided, "Okay, fine, I have to go for this thing full time." I have been a fashion designer since. One of my pieces is in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum. It was worn by Darlene Love on the last Christmas performance of the David Letterman show. 

So, I have been designing for the Miss Jamaica Universe, Miss Jamaica World, and various clientele and that is what I have been doing full time. And now, I do masks because we are in COVID-19.

Hanna: [00:10:04] Is there any parallel between selling cars and designing clothes?

Hope: [00:10:11] Absolutely. There is negotiating. For example, I will say, "Okay, a wedding dress starts at $2,000," and a client may say, "Well, that is a little above how much I would like to spend." Then I have to show her what the product is in terms of the quality fabric that we use. It could be that a business wants to order a large inventory, for example, masks. And they say they want to be at X dollars per item. I will go back and forth with them. And in some cases I will tell them a price, I will shut up, and whoever speaks first loses. Usually, it is the customer. [chuckles]

Hanna: [00:10:47] That was Hope Wade. You can check out some photos of Auntie Hope and I, her dress that made it into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and more in the Extras for this episode, head to our website, themoth.org/extras. 

Sharing stories is a beautiful way of building relationships. It can help create new connections with strangers or deepen your connections with friends and family. Here are some prompts to get you thinking about stories of your own. 

When was a time you found yourself on a surprising path? How about a time you won a bet? When was a time when you spoke first? You can also find these prompts in the Extras for this episode on our website, themoth.org/extras. 

Until next time, from all of us here at The Moth, have a story-worthy week.

Julia: [00:11:45] Hanna Campbell is the Senior Manager of The Moth's Education Program. Her work focuses on building supportive spaces and a national platform for young people and educators to share their stories. She loves her family and is proud of her Jamaican heritage.

Hanna: [00:12:01] Podcast production by Julia Purcell. The Moth Podcast is presented by PRX, the Public Radio Exchange, helping make public radio more public at prx.org.