Sales 102
I’m not used to cheering KU Football… and by KU, I mean University of Kansas and not University of Kentucky. When I was a ingénue, oh-so-many years ago the only time I saw the stadium full of people was at graduation when the combination of students and well-wishers filled the stadium to capacity. While flipping though channels yesterday afternoon I stumbled across the KU/CU game on ESPN and it was packed, PACKED with cheering fans and- get this- KU beat CU. Loved it.
Today I am officially beyond the half-way point of this training. The only thing between me and 5 full days of simulated sales calls (which is the lipstick on a pig euphemism for ‘role plays’) is a 60 question final exam. Collectively, we’re assured that these grades don’t matter. Instinctively we know that our managers are getting reports every day. I won’t know what any of it means until I get back to the office on the 20th and really take a look at the wreckage of my customer base.
One of my accounts is down almost 22% in trading as of Friday, with shares now trading at $2.30 a share but they still carry, for me, a huge revenue goal for a quota that I’ll start carrying on November 1st (I’ll be drinking fruity drinks in the Caribbean).
Note to family and friends. I have decided to stay in DC for Thanksgiving. Shakes and her family may come to DC and if they do, we’ll cook at my place. Or I might just do a Turkey Trot, put some To-Furkey in the oven and do some volunteer work. I’m also holding out hope that T$BD will come to DC…or Mr. Wii.
I had an A-Ha moment yesterday while speaking with a female colleague in the one of the very few cars shared between the lot of us. There are only 5 women in this group and because none of them are going to read this and I’m going to use their actual names.
Brook is in her early 20’s and a recently came off active-duty in the Air Force. She lives and works in Tennessee. Whip smart when you can understand what she says through the thick accent. Adorable.
Sheila could be anywhere from 30-40. Thin but zero style sense. I want to give her the DVD collection of “what not to wear”.
Darla is from Texas- mid 40’s. Very smart. Very. She’ll probably be voted Class President (Yes, this is something the instructors here actually do before we leave on Friday).
Then there’ Crystal. Young 20’s, beautiful beyond anything you typically see in real life. Big brown eyes, beautiful hair, perfect skin and a body that has the men in the class standing at attention, even at 7:30 in the morning. If she’s aware of how pretty she is, she has the good grace and sense not to let on and has kept mostly to herself.
And then there’s me.
I think the reason that this job has been difficult for me as was the one before is that I am, for the first time in my career, not using my cuteness to get a sale. Um. I actually have to work at this. Ironically, when I was both younger and cuter, I would have said that I was great at sales. Subtract the cuteness, add 10 years and 10 times the weight and I’m not as confident in my sales ability.
The good news is that having had this realization, I know that I can learn this stuff and re-learn how to sell on competence which is better in the long run anyway.
Yes, it’s been a difficult few days but I’m hopeful. Very hopeful.
I wouldn’t worry about the Class President thing. Being President isn’t really something sane people want to do – I’ll take your street smarts any day over Darla smarts