Friday, March 23, 2012

can’t sell me

May 21, 2008

“a penny for your thoughts” means solicitation of opinions while “my two cents” is one’s rendering of opinion. these are idioms–say one thing which means differently all together, just cant take it literally. it’s a nifty way of adding color and flavor, sometimes confusion, to the broad domain of human language. i’m not trying to elaborate on the already complex rules and laws of human speech. this one’s far from it. thought it would be a good intro. believe it or not,this is about sales.
been braving through the pressure-laden world of selling for more than a year now. not that i’m good at it, sadly it’s the contrary. i’m still struggling. we are expected to sell IT products and hit our goals every month, or at least twice in every three months. it’s mine to mind really, i’ll just share with you the interesting, “devious” things in the world of selling.
a penny for your thoughts; in selling, as oppose to idioms, we take it literally. it’s more of a penny for our business, or better–-your money for my service. get my point? that’s how we do it, such process so effective that it withstood the test of time: barter system–that’s where it started, or if you want to be pre-historic about it, early cro-magnons might’ve likely traded things off, perhaps a spear for a club, or three sabertooths for a full-grown mammoth. the thing is nothing much has changed, basically you take what you deem is worth of what you are giving. the only major change is the introduction of money, the trade offs became more systematic, fair and accurate. or did it.
picture this, the process of selling is similar to a weighing scale where services, products or businesses are on one end and money is on the opposite end serving as the counterbalance. and with it, a balanced scale denotes a fair deal. there’s just one thing though, put in man’s insatiable need for worldly-goods and it sure as hell tips the balance.
i think it was greed that corrupted what must have been a reliable and effective barter system then, certainly it is still greed thats rocking the contemporary world of trade and commerce today. now put a sales person in the picture, what have you got? a clever sales man out to alter what would have been a fair and precise exchange of businesses for his own gain. not that all sales persons are like this, but there is a considerable number out there.
heard of the expression “i’ve been had”? sure you have, it means one clever saleman did his job, and did pretty well. it’s the common, more proper way of saying “i’ve been fucking tricked”. yes it happens, and it happens a lot here in sales.
now going back to idioms, “my two cents” means my opinion, my take on the matter. in sales we take it literally and figuratively. we value, or need to value, our customers’ opinion and their two cents, literally, their money. it’s their business and their money and once we screw up or caught screwing up were done. without them we are just but hyenas with nothing to prey or, for us newbies, scavenge on. i may be giving you a bad impression of sales persons, but that’s just one side of it. we also know how to do it right of course.
taking care of our customers is more of taking care of our asses, more satisfied customers means repeat  businesses in the future and more sales for us. we invest on every customer we make and let them feel we care about them and their business. once trust is established loyalty follows and expectedly our customer base expands and these customers are the ones making up our top purchasers’ list. now add a hundred or more of these constant buyers and there’s no need to worry about where to get our next sales anymore, like a broken dam, one just cant help but be amazed by the surge of sales.
now that’s every sales persons’ dream. a dream only some were able to realise. it’s not easy and it doesnt happen overnight, not even in three-months-time. it would likely take a year for us to have a self sustaining pool of customers–-and time is a luxury we just dont have. we are expected to sell almost the moment we took our first call right off training. we need to gather our customers and sell while doing so. that’s why some of us tend to do it the easy and wicked way. now here’s where “devious” things come in. jacking up the price is the most common way to increase sales; excessive discount, on the other hand, to close a deal; combination of both is more effective, that is applying discounts on some items and jacking up the shipping cost to get even; misleading info given to cust to close deals; non-existing promotions; selling to resellers when not allowed; and even luring web customers to place their orders to us sales executives in exchange of some dollars off–there are as more ways of doing it as you would kill a cat, some even more evil. but the ultimate feat of all is the snatching of sales or customers from another sales person. nothing more is utterly abhorring than grabbing a sale from a colleague, although not as loathsome when done to another sales grabber. yes, we sometimes take a dose of our own medicine.
so it’s either we choose to do it the long and proper way or the easier one, bottom line is we need to sell and hit our goals each time. take this, what if it’s not greed that pushes sellers to act anomalously, what if there’s more to it than just pure greed, something far deeper, what if its done solely to survive. in the cutthroat world of selling earning is only next to thriving, the need to exist, because the moment we relax and dont deliver the numbers we more become liabilities than assets, and anything other than assets are best out of the company. i mentioned i’m not good in selling, in a scale of one to ten i may fairly hit a five. just enough dose of pooling good custs and “tipping the balance scale” once in a while to raise enough figures. but raising enough figures is never enough, has to be remarkable figures to be considered mediocre. thats how demanding selling could be and now that i’m in sales, it doesnt surprise me when i hear overcharging of customers, or snatching sales from fellow sellers and the likes, oftentimes these are measures taken to survive. either that or to gain something out of it the bottom line is–it’s always the customers who are on the losing end, for once they find out they’ve been had, between survival and greed, its always the latter that comes to mind.

murphy sez: everything that could go wrong will go wrong

April 10, 2008

it’s the end of an ardous week-long sales hunting and i’m about to take my off. should’ve spent time with someone very special had it been an ordinary day. this one is different, after half a year i have this rare opportunity of breaking the monotony of corporate life anxiously shared by pressure and stress. week after week of beating the clock,  expanding clients, enduring long travel hours, insufficient sleep or the lack of it, and the daily hustle of closing sales; all of these will be pushed aside because finally, im using my earned right to slack off–i’m going home. a half-filled duffel bag packed for a full week of stay and an eager heart waiting for the clock to hit seven. no tickets reserved–it’s off-season for travelers–i spoke too soon, forgot about murphy’s law, bus leaves at 9:30am unfortunately without me on it.
luckily others have this good habit of being prepared that they bought reserved tickets to assure seats uncertain if they’d be able to use it at all. guess it’s their preparedness or lack of it that earned me a seat as a chance passenger. it’s either they prepared for something that they won’t actually use or their lack of preparation that they missed the departure. either way i don’t care, i made it and im going home. Murphy’s Law is more of a theory than a law–unproven, after all i made it to the only bus bound for Bicol that morning.
again i spoke to soon, after two hours of comfortable rest, in a seat i now certainly own, Murphy’s Law came into play. Just a stone-throw away from the toll gate the bus slows to a halt. the whole damn thing is busted. the engine won’t start, the AC won’t work and we have the option to stay inside the bus-turned-microwave-oven or move outside with a weather forshadowing rains. it’s between the devil and the deep blue sea, or something like that. and tell you what, it couldn’t get any worse than having an empty stomach amidst an expressway with no available food in sight under some clouds threatening light showers with only a bottlefull of water to drink and deprived of any form of sleep coming out straight from a night shift. the scourge of Murphy’s Law in full blast. suddenly i’m a believer. this anguish, this torment, this suffering, who would’ve guessed, was streched unto three solid agonizing hours. i swear i almost blacked out, the culprit–hunger, lack of sleep, drizzling rains, pity of being alone, regrets of not eating beforehand, or combination of two or combination of all. i even blamed my indecisive self for grabbing the chance to board the bus–pathetic.Murphy’s Law has it’s own way of doing things in all but miserable manner.
the proxy bus came in two hours after it was supposed to arrive. these bus operators have this habit of setting customers’ expectations and smashing it after, i almost believed they were doing it for their own pleasure. they almost left us with a towing truck giving them a hand, if not for the livid remarks of the female passengers pushing their rights as customers. believe me human of this gender is a force to reckon with, the last thing you’ll ever want is a woman throwing all sorts of comments and remarks at you–like sharp bladed swords, their words would rip one’s soul open. at least that’s how i see it judging from the reaction, or better yet the silence of the tow-truck and bus operators. like boys getting scolded by their mothers they found their own separate corners and lit their own cigarettes–poor living individuals. guess that’s murphy’s law right there working on them. the transfer was made, the AC was fine and my hunger was relieved by a fifty-buck one cup rice and ampalaya gulay. thought it was overpriced, hell yeah i knew the price was not right damn it. i’m in sales and i know what jacking up the price is. guess i didn’t have time to pick on the price, the relief of a hunger fed is so satisfying that the price didn’t bother me at that moment.
 after all the physical pains and mental sufferings i guess Murphy’s Law’s done, or so it seemed. five and a half hour to travelling and i’m still in Batangas, and not only that, i suspect Murphy’s Law’s way of annoying me even more was a heavy traffic. i could almost hear Murphy’s Law say “you think you have had enough son, well, think again”, or “it’s not over ’til it’s over” or “you’ve got served!” ok ignore the last one. now it’s just a matter of psycho-war, my hunger is relieved and i’m not gonna lose the battle by just a heavy traffic. if it’s a war between me and Murphy’s Law, a heavy traffic is not the one to piss me off. here’s a good one for you Murphy’s Law, you try to annoy me with this traffic i dont give a damn, i’ll doze off. what a best time to take a nap or a full sleep than now. that’s “you got served” for you right there, right in your face.
thought the battle was over but Murphy’s Law came back with a vengeance, the traffic was clear which was good… or was it? the engine roared to life and in full throttle when the road cleared of traffic. i was in the middle of my victory sleep when my seat started to quiver then all of a sudden became a nervous tremble and turned into a tremor  until it reached it’s maximum super saiyan level–a series of sudden, short, constant violent quake. had i not realize im in a bus i swear i must have freaked out, it must have hit the richter scale pretty awful. my comfortable sleep snatched just like that. worse is, it was the first time i felt like throwing up while travelling. couldnt rest my head against the back of the seat beause of the shaking, couldnt stay having my back straight either without getting neck pains or banging against the seat. a mischievous smile right there from Murphy’s Law saying “who’s your daddy now”.
realizing how things could really get wrong dawned on me. seems like things could easily get out of hand no matter what you do or not do. whether it’s a cause by your own doing, or others, or by any other thing that you could put your blame on, you can’t help it. Whatever can go wrong will go wrong, and sometimes at the worst possible time, in the worst possible way. sometimes it just all depends on how severe or benign the effects are. a positive clever mind, an alert and active body, a dose of resourcefulness and a little bit of luck i guess are enough to face these challenges or at least what i so choose to believe.
after the second stop the travel seemed smoother and better that i even missed the last stop–i was deeply asleep. the ride went on without much problem. it was 11pm when i first realized i’m travelling in my own beloved region. two more hours and i set foot to my native city closing the gap between me and home by only a few blocks. after sixteen hours of travel, what would’ve only taken eight or ten hours, i’m before our door standing right infront our doorstep waiting to give the door a i’m-finally-home knock. thought what else could go wrong between the first knock and my first step inside home. does Murphy’s Law still have something up it’s sleeve, i thought “what the heck, this is the longest ill-fated travel-slash-day of my life, would there be anything worse that i can’t take”. with a smile, i acknowledged “certainly yes, Murphy’s Law has a whole lot more in store for me…but tonight i have had enough and guess have taken a lion’s share of it. i need to rest”.
tonight is my fourth night of stay here and everything, so far, is going my way. i think it’s Murphy’s Law’s way of making it up to me and i even take it as Murphy’s sign of apology for throwing too much a blunder in a day all to a single person.

fresh start

April 5, 2008
sometimes an awful and brutal attack on one’s impropriety and wrongdoing is necessary to shake one up and raise awareness–that something’s wrong and has to be distinguished and straightened out. if done constructively, it could lead to one’s sudden realization of what should’ve been done or not done to get agreeable responses or positive outcome. this is the most ideal consequence one could ever get out of a straight-forward no holds barred bull session. although this may always not be the case, as this kind of feedback exchange could easily go out of hand. a talk to settle differences could end up sour, it could turn into heated arguments and mud-slinging widening the gap all the more.
however, once done in a refined and civilized manner these talks could reap overwhelming and heartwarming results. this outcome depends on the actions and reactions of the individuals involved.
realization of one’s misdeeds and shortcomings is the first and sometimes the hardest step to take in paving the way to settle conflicts and differences. Acceptance is the next step to reconcillation, having realized the things that are making one less worthy and acceptable to others. and finally, taking steps to change for the better completes the transformation.
any hate, contempt or unpleasant feeling towards one another will be gradually replaced with respect, recognition, good will and more. oftentimes this is where hatchets are burried and friendships renewed.
what a great feeling it would be if what started out as a vent-out session would end up well and this is only possible if the players are open to change and are ready to be humbled.

reality bites

March 30, 2008
sad how sometimes one has to bang our heads hard enough just to drag us back to reality, telling us what an awful creature we are becoming. even sadder when one has to take a full-swing smashing. it’s called reality check and is sometimes necessary to keep us grounded, to keep us sane, to keep us human and be aware of what we are, not just based on what we feel about ourselves but looking ourselves in the eyes of others. you see, we tend to miss out some annoying things that we are unconsciously yet constantly doing and are dangerously becoming a habit. worse is we are not even aware of it, just those around us. i say it is important to pay heed to what others are saying. there’s nothing to lose, you accept openly what they are saying, not saying or trying to send across and it all depends on you whether you act on it or not–i guess we are mature enough to recognize which ones are worth considering.

tinniebirdie

September 22, 2007
A fledgling, a weakling who only wants to fly
Even vultures were once some fledglings before they learn to prey
And eagles were once some weaklings before they lord the skies
But birdie wants no hunting, nor conquer the sky to rule
This poor-tinnie-jerky damn-birdie-loser just wanna soar damn high
Spread your wings poor weakling, just like some birdies do
Save the ostrich and the penguins, they’ve got some ass to mind
But you ain’t no weighty, no you ain’t no heavy, remove your balls you’ll float
And with all the semblance of a damn good birdie, the best you could do is flutter
Jeez you birdie damn poor jerky, a shame on all of featherhood
All birds are cocky, all birds are gutsy even chicks got balls of nerves
But you poor birdie whose knees are shaky so scared to leap and fly
Perhaps you are bothered if you fail to remember to flap your wings and glide
You’ll end up falling head straight to the gravel, what a shameful feat to bear
All birds would gather and spread your boo-boo—poor birdie unlearned to fly
But hey you were  reared a weakling, in constant fine feather shade
A hatchling laid with a silver worm, but damn with a heart so frail
The weakest of spirit, the dimmest of will, fed by shouts of failure
No cage confining, no string restraining but damn as free as a captive
Oh damn poor birdie someday you’ll soar the skies…
 A ton of doubt, a pound of sigh

vita-necophobia

I fear death as I fear life
Afraid to die yet scared to live
The scythe of death, the blow of life
Neither kept me standing

Beneath my bed I shiver
This thief in the night awaits
Standing grinning by the door
Humming hymns of requiem
At dawn my eyes ease open
Good-forsaken day to endure
Where ill luck gets another chance
To strike its curse on me
The nights are always frightful
And daylights full of dread
My life a whole day failure
And death still lurks at night

hexed

Tired as a whore where strangers ransom pleasure
So used up, too worn out, exhausted by constant torture
Jaded is what you are, too weary to keep on
Satisfaction is theirs to savor, agony is yours alone
You are born to suffer and nothing you can do
The cup of wine is yours to drink, and heavy cross to carry
So tread the path to Calvary, so Jews can laugh at you
And why seek out your Simon, he’s bound to spike your palm
The god of strife anoint you, you are the chosen one
Blessed to live through anguish, ‘til sorrows seems mundane
This gift you never ask for, this gift as good as hex
Deprived of any pleasure, nirvana’s far to gain
So what’s good in going on, too numb to feel the pain?
Or pain you come to conquer, or pleasure you sought in pain?
Your pimp you come to like, your cross your burden pleasure
I thought at first you’d hold off, you know right then I’m wrong