Status report Page 6,003

Quote: Frankie Mildly Perturbed @ 6th March 2018, 6:26 AM

Hi mucker,

Re-active sales jobs are not so bad, e.g. counter staff, or call centre where you take incoming calls, or similar. Although dealing with the general public in stressful situations, e.g. airport check in staff in disruption, can definitely be testing.

The simple truth is that all pro-active sales jobs put you in a harsh environment. Sales folk live with that and maybe it does rub off on them as people. But what you do in a war situation does not define you as a person (as some say) and sales folk see it just like that, it's war.. ..I have to win at (perhaps) any cost being the attitude.

In a commission only situation you have to sell to eat, then no sell-no eat. Ethics are wonderful things when you're not hungry and you're sat in a cosy room by the fire and you have options. But if you can't find any other options and you can face a zero payslip for 2 or 3 month's in a row, with no money to put food on the table, and still keep going, and win through, and your ethics are pliable then you're CO sales, if not then you aren't. You have to live with that, it's 8:00pm, it's gonna be the last call of the day, you need a sale, you knock on that door.. they have to buy... And if they simply buy from you because they need the product, you're not really sales, you're an order taker, that's a different job altogether...

What is wrong is that those guys didn't tell you up front what you were getting into, but then they never do.. Typically nobody does that type of selling unless they have little or no other option... And if little or no ethics apply for their customers, why would they have any for their employees either.. You quit, (you failed as they see it) OK, they find someone else..

If it's not for you, it's not for you.

I quit door to door because I didn't really like putting people through what door to door is, and I've quit other sales jobs where I felt the service or quality wasn't there, but I have seen harsh treatment by sales people (far harsher than me..) and it's not pleasant. Like refusing to leave someone's house until they place the order because, "..I'm sorry madam, I just can't let you pass up this Golden opportunity, I just couldn't live with myself.." etc. there are many other 'lies' that are used. It's a Special Promotion, it ends tonight, I can't let you lose out on this sir, I just can't.. you'll so regret this if you don't sign here.. I'll just call my manager now and make sure it's not too late.. he'll then speak to you over the phone.. (a technique sometimes called, 'Introducing Fagan..') It doesn't matter if it's double glazing, a $2,000 vacuum cleaner, Time Share, Insurance you name it these methods can be applied to all product, and the methods are all the same, it is intimidation, coercion, selling fear (as Herc said) and it WORKS..

You've done the right thing.

Also here's a thought, if you can't find quality work where you live sometimes you have to leave where you live and go where the work is. I left Sheffield in 1980 and moved to London (not far admittedly, only 170 miles) to live in a small house with 9 other men (don't put anything in the fridge..) It worked out for me.. 9 months later I was able to do better.. after some harsh situations..

Good luck in your endeavours!

Frank :)

I used to connect 999 calls at a BT call centre which was an amazing job. It was a big open plan office with operator 100 and 999 calls on one side and directory enquiries 192 on the other. This was before the internet when 192 was always busy. I'll never forget how yellow the walls had become in the smoking room there.

My dad and brother both work in sales and have been directors but it's not something I've ever been able to do because I feel guilty. I did a stint selling Kirby vacume cleaners from a booth in a call centre sometime in the early 90s but never had any sales. They cost up to £1000 and I was expected to turn cold calls in to sales. Yeah right! Who can call someone out the blue and sell them a hoover that costs a months wages?

Quote: Definitely Tarby @ 6th March 2018, 10:38 PM

My dad and brother both work in sales and have been directors but it's not something I've ever been able to do because I feel guilty. I did a stint selling Kirby vacume cleaners from a booth in a call centre sometime in the early 90s but never had any sales. They cost up to £1000 and I was expected to turn cold calls in to sales. Yeah right! Who can call someone out the blue and sell them a hoover that costs a months wages?

Not so easy on the phone as they can just hang up.. buy once you're in their home many people are vulnerable to certain sales techniques and £1,000 for a vac is no problem for the 'right' (wrong) sales person...

You got a decent vac have you, I mean, a really good one? :)

When I was door to door I felt like I was really not very pushy. I didn't have to be. I was just friendly, and direct. Direct question, direct answer, and some friendly chit chat in between. I think that's what I liked about being in sales. I just got to be nice to random people all day. It put me in a good mood. An even better mood if I made a bunch of sales. Maybe I'm not cutthroat enough or pushy enough to be a proper salesperson. I suppose I'll find out sooner or later.

Status: Interview today, wish me luck!

Good luck!:)

Yes mate, GOOD LUCK!!

Maybe you're a CONVICTION SALESPERSON..

With an ethical company that you can truly believe in, and with a product and/or service that you can truly believe in then a CONVICTION SALESPERSON can sell their particular snow to the inuit!

Maybe that's you! :)

Thinking of you out there, mucker!

I think that's me. I believed in the product I was selling last time. It was fast internet. Who wouldn't want fast internet that costs less than slow internet? But when I found out some very unethical stuff about the company's treatment of employees I had to leave. I couldn't get past that. I'm a little worried that insurance is going to be a little to dishonest for me to enjoy selling, but I'll give it a go if I can get a bloody job in it. Desperation is a powerful thing.

Thanks for the luck-wishes!

Quote: Davida @ 7th March 2018, 6:46 PM

I think that's me. I believed in the product I was selling last time. It was fast internet. Who wouldn't want fast internet that costs less than slow internet? But when I found out some very unethical stuff about the company's treatment of employees I had to leave. I couldn't get past that. I'm a little worried that insurance is going to be a little to dishonest for me to enjoy selling, but I'll give it a go if I can get a bloody job in it. Desperation is a powerful thing.

Thanks for the luck-wishes!

The trouble with insurance is that they make their money by not paying out i.e. by not providing the service they have sold.

Best company I ever worked for was Rediffusion back in the early 1980's - their products and service to their customers was absolutely excellent and you could genuinely be proud to work for them. It was my first big London job and I fell on my feet - I was there 5 years and it really set my sales career up.

HOPE YOU WILL BE JUST AS LUCKY AS I WAS IN GETTING THE RIGHT ROLE AT THE RIGHT TIME!

My luck with jobs has been pretty horrendous for nearly all of my working life. But I'm young. I'm sure my luck will change at some point. Just need to stay positive, and take hold of any good opportunities I can get myself near to.

The interview went well. I have a second scheduled for tomorrow (though it's 50 miles away which is a minor annoyance). The branch manager seemed pleased with my history in door to door sales, and the fact that I am already licensed to work for him. I think I have this gig in the bag, it's just a matter of whether I want it. The company's products and ideals are in line with mine, as far as I can tell. He told me the first questin he'll ask in our more formal interview tomorrow is 'what questions do you have for me' and one of the key ones will be 'what information do you normally withhold from recruits to get them to buy into the company'. If he gives me a bullshit answer, I'm out. If he's honest, I'll be happy to accept any job offer.

The company seems to sell insurance to elderly folks who genuinely could use it for long term care or medicare supplements or catastrophic illness coverage for say cancer sufferers (and I have loads of experience with the elderly market) and he himself buys all the leads rather than me having to come up with them from family and friends. Also when you're starting out, from months 3-6 the company matches your commission 100% basically doubling your income, and from months 7-12 they match it by 50% and most of their selling is done in pairs. All of this appeals to me. If anyone sees any red flags do tell, because if he offers me the job tomorrow I'm inclined to take it. It is 100% commission, but I'm pretty much okay with that. I'm okay with fighting for every penny I earn.

I'd be curious to know why their selling is done in pairs, did they say why.
Also, the biggest period where you need financial support is months 1 -2 but what they're offering from month 3 - 12 seems good.
At the end of the day, I would go on my gut reaction, if it seems ok and feels ok, then give it a go. If it doesn't work, "..pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again.." Fx:)

They have solo days as well, but the rationale seems to be partly for training purposes to put experienced peope in a position to teach people who are less experienced, and partly I'm guessing because between a given pair of people they'll be able to set enough appointments to fill a field day if they're together (two days are for contacting the leads he's bought for us and setting appointments, 3 days are field days each week), but not if they were each on their own. Also different people have different strengths in conversation. I'm really good with mid to low energy people, more calm types, but also have a fair amount of enthusiasm where it fits in, and other people I've been paired up have been more suited to speaking to people who like to keep it formal andserious, or people who are extremely extraverted or who might respond well to someone who might be more pushy than I am. If you have two personalities approaching a person (or couple) it would seem more likely that one of the two would be a good conversational match for the customer, and would have more success at building the trust needed to make the sale. They're not going to buy anything from someone they don't like.

Anyway, I got offered the job and accepted. I start officially on the 19th. I asked the manager a lot of questions, and he gave answers that didn't seem to smooth over details he didn't want me to know about. He was very straightforward about what will be expected of me, what the timeline for my progress would have to be. He even estimated how many apps I'll have to pull for the next 12 weeks to be able to make it to the Fringe this year. He said as long as I communicate with him and the rest of the team, any future Fringe trips will always be approved if I stay with the company. I'll be an independent contractor anyway, so he doesn't need to approve time off) He also said he can usually tell at the end of someone's second week of training whether they're worth keeping or not, and said he will fire someone if they're not putting in the work, for their own sake to save them the trouble of working a job they won't be able to make decent money at. It is commission after all. I think that sounds pretty fair. I'm going to have to work my arse off from day one to make this work, but I'm excited to give it a good go. Terrified as well, but in a good way, I think.

I'm with you Perturbed though, if I crash and burn, so be it, I'll pick myself back up and keep trying and potentially failing until I find the opportunity that's going to pan out and get me where I want to be.

Quote: Definitely Tarby @ 10th February 2018, 6:31 PM

Bought some WD40 today to tackle a squeaky door. The smell of that stuff brings back so many memories of childhood when I used it on my racer and skateboard. Upturned bike on the driveway for repairs during the summer holidays :D

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Quote: Definitely Tarby @ 10th February 2018, 6:31 PM

...childhood when I used it on my racer and skateboard. Upturned bike on the driveway for repairs during the summer holidays...

>

Quote: Definitely Tarby @ 10th February 2018, 6:31 PM

... to tackle a squeaky door...

LIFE, it starts as "The Goonies" and turns into "Driving Miss Daisy" after a few years...glad to see I'm not the only one.

Quote: Chappers @ 2nd March 2018, 8:27 PM

I ordered 2 tickets for "War of the Worlds" face value £88 each from Viagogo.

It never showed the astronomically obscene mark up on these tickets until the transaction was completed. Bastards!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5483607/Google-rake-millions-resale-website-viagogo.html

Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 10th March 2018, 9:35 AM
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:D Genius! I must now trawl hardware shops to see if any are selling this bundle and spread the word.