Business 102: Friday, Period 3, Class 14
"Well, the semester's just about over, so I thought we'd go with a change of pace today," Jim said as he took a spot behind a podium. He was looking very professional today. He was wearing a suit and his hair was brushed into a neat arrangement. "This week is a class I like to call, 'Let's Pretend This Is A Completely Serious Business Course For A Week.' Please don't be too shocked."
"As I've mentioned, I was once the number two salesman at a mid-sized paper supply company in northeast Pennsylvania. And we did a pretty decent amount of business, especially considering that we were going up against big box office suppliers like Staples and Office Max."
"I became a pretty good salesman by doing three things. First, I made sure my clients liked me. You can do that by giving them a personal touch. Get them into conversation. Spend some time with them on the phone. If you're meeting with them in person, smile and show that you're comfortable around them. Remember personal details. Ask them what's going on with their family. Anything you can do to personalize the whole experience is going to help you. It gets to a certain point and they'll probably feel guilty if they don't buy from you, and that can help you a lot when, honestly, they can get better prices from the big box stores."
"Second, you have to be available. If a client calls with questions or an order, you have to be there to help them. Fortunately, if you spend most of your day not doing work, this should never be a problem. If you can manage this, it helps a lot with the first thing."
"Third, you have to have fun. That's really what this class has been about. Office work can be brutal. It can be boring, it can be depressing, it can be frustrating. If you can find some way to turn all of that into a good time so that you can actually enjoy being at work, you're going to do a better job. I should mention that sometimes you can get a job that's genuinely fun without having to do everything I've talked about the past few months, but if you're not that lucky? Well, I hope this class helps you in the future."
"Next week we'll be back to the kind of silliness that really makes this job fun for me. AND that will be your final, so hopefully it'll be fun for you, too."
"As I've mentioned, I was once the number two salesman at a mid-sized paper supply company in northeast Pennsylvania. And we did a pretty decent amount of business, especially considering that we were going up against big box office suppliers like Staples and Office Max."
"I became a pretty good salesman by doing three things. First, I made sure my clients liked me. You can do that by giving them a personal touch. Get them into conversation. Spend some time with them on the phone. If you're meeting with them in person, smile and show that you're comfortable around them. Remember personal details. Ask them what's going on with their family. Anything you can do to personalize the whole experience is going to help you. It gets to a certain point and they'll probably feel guilty if they don't buy from you, and that can help you a lot when, honestly, they can get better prices from the big box stores."
"Second, you have to be available. If a client calls with questions or an order, you have to be there to help them. Fortunately, if you spend most of your day not doing work, this should never be a problem. If you can manage this, it helps a lot with the first thing."
"Third, you have to have fun. That's really what this class has been about. Office work can be brutal. It can be boring, it can be depressing, it can be frustrating. If you can find some way to turn all of that into a good time so that you can actually enjoy being at work, you're going to do a better job. I should mention that sometimes you can get a job that's genuinely fun without having to do everything I've talked about the past few months, but if you're not that lucky? Well, I hope this class helps you in the future."
"Next week we'll be back to the kind of silliness that really makes this job fun for me. AND that will be your final, so hopefully it'll be fun for you, too."