image: http://www.reiq.com.au/assets/Shop/Products/BookClub/Selling_is_Everyones_Business.jpg
I have never been interested in becoming a sales person, not directly. However, being the force behind the sales is intriguing, such as in advertising. After graduation, I started working at a consultancy firm. The premise sounded fun enough: The firm specialized in consulting people on language schools, universities, master degrees and certificate programs in different countries. It required interaction with people from all over the world and I loved that aspect. Yet, I also had to talk to people who came to the office and try to sell them the programs. Some programs were really promising and I wanted to join them myself, so I had no problem bragging about them. But some programs and most potential customers made my life really boring. The job also required mind-numbing data entry and worse, customer follow-up. You see, I don’t like to follow-up. When I am the customer, I hated to be followed up on. I believe that if people liked your pitch, they will come to you. I also believed non-aggressive pitching would make us even more distinguished since all our competitors looked downright desperate. But the boss man had other ideas. So I got bored and took off.
Then I got another job. A freelance, totally likable job. The title is customer relations/business development. The requirement though? I still had to talk to customers and potential customers-face to face and/or on the phone and persuade them to use our services. What at first sounded like a piece of cake, turned out to be a challenge since the customers have apparently turned into arrogant asses over the year. The results in the end weren’t worth the effort so we stopped the project all together.
image from: http://irrationalayush.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/sales-fail.jpg
Do you like sales? I am not asking if you like shopping during the sales seasons. Do you like the concept of selling? Do you like people stopping you every few meters to ask you questions about a new product/service or a reminder of a beloved organization and asking for donations? Do you enjoy being “stalked” by the seller, the persistence, the incapability to leave you alone; or do you just like it when they give you the space you need?
Shopping/buying can be a pain in the ass. But the funny thing is whether you like sales or not, whether you work as a salesperson or not- you have to sell somethings throughout your life and you have to do it constantly. Oh, I am pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to survive at the cash register at a supermarket. And I am sure life at any sort of box-office wouldn’t be fun unless you enjoy the interaction with people. But not only shopping assistants or street vendors sell. Not only telemarketers try to convince you to spend money.
If you are in public relations, you are after selling a good image. The public is your audience.Your clients rely on you to develop the relationship. So you have to sell yourself to the client, to make them pay for your services.If you are in advertising, you need to sell your company and your campaigns. Oh-if you are not working in a service or product related business/shop/store, you still have to work your butt off trying to sell yourself.
Business, Engineering, IT…Whatever career you have picked, you need a CV and/or a portfolio. Then you can send it to your potential employer and then maybe get an interview. And then maybe get the job.
You might be a creative artist. Your job gets tougher. You need to go out there, make connections, send out sample, write beautifully crafted letters so that maybe,just maybe they will like your stuff and give you a chance.
It never ends. After all these years, all those box office hits, all those big shot actors and musicians are still out there, still selling themselves. Tours, premiers, award shows, interviews…All designed to sell the movie/record..whatever. If Keanu Reeves needs to sell his work, I guess I should shut up and stop complaining, right? Well, at least we LOVE what they are selling.
image from: celebritywonder.com