Friday 13 June 2008

I now pronounce you salesman and wife

I've never envied sales people. Whether it's the preposterous facade of the car sales exec who disappears upstairs for 10 minutes "to really try for you....I'm going to get the best price for your car", or the white socks brigade of those high street electrical retailers who accost you before you're barely over the threshold.
Nobody will ever sing " hi diddledy dee, a salesman's life for me ".
As a business in the frugal throes of year one, we can ill afford to lavish good currency on retained sales staff let alone a company car and assorted perks. We need what one businessman called "lovers". Lovers of what we do. Those who've really latched onto podcasting, what it can do for a client and that we always deliver a tip top service. Then when they've done that, signed a particularly girthsome order and concientiously licked our shoes to a high polish, they can have a commission cheque. They can be an odd breed, existing between the shadows of targets and regular one to ones. Ah one to ones - the last refuge of the scumbag. A slow and deliberate applying of the thumbscrews to an otherwise affable individual, who dares to carry a business card adorned with "media sales executive". It might as well say " I interfere with animals".
Now I don't claim to be a salesman, but selling is what you have to do in those early and intoxicating days of a new business. As the venerable Mr Sharkey of the Pokercast declared "you have to be able to take no as an answer."
I honestly wouldn't mind the occasional "no", even something more surly would suffice. Anything rather than message non grata. The email that goes unacknowledged. Those who have heard our stuff want to talk. And well they might! Believe me, I'm not selling useless crap. This perfectly illustrates my point
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rcr4ojLcSM
It's a bit good. And that's only one of our products. Give us a fair shot and we could be mutually beneficial.