The Ultimate Sales Guy

Hardcore Pawn's Les Gold shares secrets

in a new book.

I

Harry Kirsbaum
Contributing Writer

p

art autobiography, part business
book, part negotiation manual for
the squeamish, and one good read,

For What It's Worth: Business Wisdom From
a Pawnbroker by Les Gold, Detroit's most
well-known pawnbroker, has hit the book-
stores, if you can still find one.
Gold and his family are the stars of
truTV reality show Hardcore Pawn, which
celebrated its 100th epi-
sode in April.
"It's not just a business
book; it's filled with life
lessons," said Gold from
behind his desk, deep
in his vaulted office at
American Jewelry and
Loan in Detroit, which
he started in 1981 after
breaking away from his father. "It talks
about fear and about all the problems peo-
ple have to go through in business, and how
to overcome them:'

It becomes pretty clear that his verbally
and psychologically abusive father gave him
the drive to succeed, and his beloved grand-
father, pawnbroker Sam "Popsie" Rubin,
gave him the tools.
Gold made his first sale — a hydraulic
jack for $10 at Sam's Loans — when he was
7 years old, and started his first business
venture when he couldn't finish the pizza he
had delivered to his United Hebrew Schools
class and sold his friends the remaining
slices.
Gold can buy and sell anything, and he
tells you how to do it.
"You have to think like a pawn broker," he
said. "You can never expect tomorrow to be
the same as today.
"If I'm a camera salesman, I'm only sell-
ing cameras. As a pawn broker, I'm selling
cameras, diamonds, electronics. I'm buying
and selling everything. And I have to make
sure I have enough money to satisfy all the
customers:'
The book's chapter "Negotiate like a
Pawnbroker" is the most informative for the
squeamish among us who are afraid to ask
for a deal.

"When you walk
into a department store, you have to
not be frightened," he said. "Don't expect
anybody to give you anything if you don't
ask for it:'
He says to ask if the item is going to be
on sale anytime soon. If the answer is yes,
follow up by asking if you can get the sale
price now
"The worst you can hear is 'no,– he said.
And being a good salesperson is being a
good performer, and it's good to know how
to pitch the sale from different angles until
you hit the right one, he said.
"When I'm selling something, I try to
forget all about what I paid for it or what I
think of it. My goal is to put myself in the

Mobilizing To Aid
The Motor City

Repair the World initiative seeks to hire
community fellows for 10-month effort.

Leslie Spector
JN Intern

R

epair the World, a national orga-
nization that mobilizes the Jewish
community to serve, is looking
for passionate young adults who want to
help improve the quality of life in Detroit
through its Repair Communities initia-
tive.
The initiative will build partnerships
and resources to enable Jewish young
adults and others to volunteer more fre-
quently and with greater impact. As part
of the initiative, Repair the World is look-
ing for full-time community fellows age
21-26 to participate in a 10-month pro-
gram beginning in October 2013.
Community fellows will live and serve
in five pilot cities, including Detroit, and
should be eager to explore how Jewish
values, history and customs inform the
responsibility for creating a better and

REPAIR

THE WORLD

more just world. Each fellow will
receive a stipend of $600 per
Be a superhero, with Repair the World's Community Fellowship
month as well as health insur-
program.
ance.
"We have been doing great
will plan service projects and programs
work in Detroit for a few years," said
that address critical needs by working
David Eisner, president and CEO of
with key partners within and outside the
Repair the World. "We are ramping up
Jewish community in different areas of
and are looking to build a hub where we
focus.
will expand our programs and deepen our
"This initiative is a vehicle for the
partnerships with Jewish organizations:'
goodwill, passion and optimism people
Eisner views fellows as the main driv-
have for the city," said Ben Falik, Repair
ers of the Repair Communities initiative.
the World's Detroit director. "In Detroit,
He envisions the fellows and volunteers
we will build on our current partnerships
doing anything from planting community and work with Jewish and city organiza-
gardens to helping contend with high tru- tions, with an emphasis on education.
ancy rates.
We're also exploring potential in the
"We are creating a model where full-
environment, health, hunger and the arts
time energetic young people will spend all fields.
of their time learning, training and serv-
"We want the Jewish community to
ing alongside volunteers," Eisner said.
leave a positive impact on Detroit — and
As the organizers, mobilizers and social for Detroit to have a positive impact on
entrepreneurs of the program, fellows
the Jewish community. This is the first

customer's shoes, understand what the
item might mean to him or her and sell
it based on those feelings, not mine:'
Running a successful enterprise also
takes a great staff, and a world-class busi-
ness doesn't need employees so much as
partners, he said.
"I try to see employees as partners,
and I know that the attitude that we're all
equals needs to start with me," he said. "I
will never ask my employees to do some-
thing that I wouldn't be willing to do — and
there's very little I won't do or haven't done:'
He said expect and greet change, always
look to expand and improve, believe in
yourself and love what you do.
Gold loves the pawn business, and he
loves sharing it with his wife and kids.
Now that they are television stars known
in 120 markets around the world — they
have the No. 2 show in Australia — they are
often on the road when not filming.
"I love doing the show because it's
allowed pawnshops to go mainstream, to
be, in people's minds, a legitimate entity," he
said. "It's not dark and dingy; it's a place to
buy and sell jewelry, electronics and a lot of
other things:'
He wrote the book because most people
only know him through the store or from
watching the show, he said. "They don't
really know me. I wrote the book for
people to know me as more than Les the
pawnbroker:'

❑

year the initiative will be taking place in
Detroit, where a combination of demo-
graphic and post-industrial factors have
left many neighborhoods both in need
and underserved," Falik added.
"Repair the World has been working
in Detroit, where the Jewish community
has deep historical roots in the city and a
y strong track record of support for culture
institutions and social service organiza-
tions:'
In addition to building partnerships
and service opportunities for volunteers,
the initiative will provide technical assis-
tance and leadership development for the
Jewish community. It will also create a
mobilization hub — a center for the fel-
lows and a place for volunteers to convene
and collaborate.
"We are partnering with organizations
that are doing deep and meaningful work.
Our volunteers will feel how impactful
their work is, which is extremely impor-
tant," Eisner said. "We hope the initiative
will make a difference in Detroit and
provide a means of helping Jewish young
adults understand what it means to make
the world a better place, which is funda-
mentally a Jewish ideal:'
Interested in repairing the world? Apply
for the Repair Communities Fellows
online at fellows.weRepair.org . One can
also follow Repair the World on twitter @
repairtheworld.

❑

June 20 • 2013

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