Well What Should I Do With My Life?

[Ecthy]

You're talking to vets, show some respect.

[Fidel]

ummm, afaik, your oxford degree attests that you can withstand essay crises, so any decent multinational should sign you up

[Provost Harrison]

I would hope so, it is just a matter of plodding on. But sometimes you just think 'what on earth do I have to do?'. But it is slow.

[Fidel]

well my mate finished physics in oxford, did a 2 month crash course and now works for goldman sachs as a broker. it must be easy, i reckon. he's a wop, btw

[Urban Ranger]

Become a professional gambler.

[Dauphin]

Do commercial voice-overs. The Yorkshire accent was polled as the most trustworthy in Britain. Cockney wideboy came in as least trustworthy.

Incidentally the west country accent came in as the most welcoming.

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by LaRusso
well my mate finished physics in oxford, did a 2 month crash course and now works for goldman sachs as a broker. it must be easy, i reckon. he's a wop, btw

Well as I said, numberjuggling and penpushing aren't really types of jobs I want, I'd prefer something a bit more practical and applied rather than moving money around for rich gits.

Voiceovers? LOL, could you just see me doing voiceovers?

[Dauphin]

That was an awful joke.

[SuperSneak]

You need some seriously big and brass ones to cut it in sales...I should know.

But if you find the right outfit and the right product and a good customer base...you can make some good cash.

Being driven and personable is a major plus, but you have to ask for the sale and get a thick skin quick.

But as far as it toughening your candied ass up in a hurry, I think it is a great way to go...probably second only to the military.

[TCO]

I need to improve my sales ability...

[SuperSneak]

What area are you hurting in?

[TCO]

Well two things:

1. Drive to cold call more. Do more. hit more prospects. etc. (I've got decent chutzpah to talk to anybody. it's more of a drive issue.)

2. Ability to sell something I don't understand. I do great selling persuasively if it something I know really well. For instance getting funding for my grad school project...where I was the world expert on that issue and I really believed in it. I don't do as well selling consulting work...especially if I'm hazy on how it will all work out...

I could probably use a better close as well...

[SuperSneak]

The key seems to reside in always using "transitional power phrases" that turn the customer in the direction you want them to go in.

I.e.: Customer comes on the lot and says "I'm not messing around, give me the lowest price on this car"...the response is "Oh, no problem, I didn't realize you were such a motivated buyer...grab your checkbook and follow me, we'll have you out of here in an hour".
Invariably, they are turned away from the "price" path and back onto the negotiation path. Call their bluff and use it to steer them in the direction you want them to go in.
Other great phrases:
Can you do me a small favor?
Will you allow me to earn your business?
That's the easiest part of my job.
No problem.
etc. etc....these are "socially acceptable" comments that are neutral and nearly impossible to refuse.

As for closing, I don' know what exactly the problem is. Getting the sale? Getting a profit? A committment? What is it exactly that isn't working for you?
And what are you trying to sell? How do you get customers, appointments, etc?

Organization and follow through are my two greatest weaknesses, but as Gretzky said, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take.
Invariably, the people I call and work and work in a very timely fashion come in and buy from me. Response time is crucial in sales.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Originally posted by SuperSneak

Will you allow me to earn your business?

Only use that line on me if your shoes are resistant to vomit. That's truly degrading. What have the bastards done to you?

Conversational sales techniques are very similar to chat-up/seduction processes. There are a handful of key questions you want answered, and the rest is just the technique to shimmy between them. That's the hard part, however.

[SuperSneak]

It's all in the delivery-- you know that, you cheeky git.