Yeah. So I walk into the dealership, right? And they get the general manager right away. We go back to his office, he looks at my resume and says, "So, what made you think of selling cars for a living, Snaars?"
I say, "Well Steve," (His name is Steve,) "Steve," I say, "I've been doing accounting at UD for months now, while searching for a job that will actually pay my bills. I'm not an experienced accountant, Steve. They hired me for my good looks alone. Unfortunately I'm not runway material so they're only paying me a pittance."
That gets a laugh. I continue: "I need money Steve. My savings has run out. My wife is a stay-at-home mom. We have two daughters and a third on the way. I've been following leads on CareerBuilder.com and Monster.com and such, and it's gotten me nowhere. What I've learned is that, for someone of my background and situation - since graduate school is not an option for me at this time - I need to make a career in sales if I am to support my family."
"I see." Steve looks down at my resume thoughtfully. "Now, it says here that you're some sort of god?"
I chuckle modestly and explain that I'm a demigod, if anything. Of all my followers only a smattering could be said to be devout in any sense.
"This could be a problem," Steve says. "We only worship cars and money here."
"I'm just kidding," I say. "I'm really an atheist."
"So you don't believe in anything at all," Steve asks, incredulously.
"I believe in Snaars. Look into my eye." I proceed to mesmerize him.
Steve shakes my hand. "You'll fit right in," he says serenely.
True story. Believe it. Just like everything else you see on this blog.
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8 comments:
Philosophy, theology, sociology, etc. … it's all used car sales underneath. Mary P. is right, you're a natural.
(congrats on the new job! this is definitely good news!)
Thanks, Mary P. and Q.
The truth is, I've been discouraged and dejected. The only true element of the story above is that I've been hired to sell cars. I'm doing it out of desperation, not because I really want to.
Although it can be respectable work, most customers are afraid of being bamboozled into buying a car.
A lot of people have had the experience of being manipulated or pressured into buying something, and then regretting the purchase afterward. This was very much in my subconscious mind when I wrote the little story above.
In the story, I influence the manager by magic, short-circuiting his rational decision-making ability in order to get him to hire me. It is a real fear of mine - I don't ever want to do that sort of thing with a customer.
On the one hand, the management is very good. They have told me and the other salespeople to be always open and honest. Everything is done without manipulation and with the customer's permission.
On the other hand, I have to learn an attitude and a way of communicating that does not quite come naturally. If I walk up to a customer and ask, very simply, "Can I help you," and the customer says, "No thank you," then the conversation is over. Likewise, the entire buying process is full of such opportunities for the customer to back out.
I will have to walk a fine line between ensuring open and continued communication, while not trying to unduly influence the customer's decision.
This puts a lot of pressure on me. I am against impulse buying, buying solely for gratification, etc. I can't bring myself to use pressure tactics, and by memorizing "word tracks" and certain ways of phrasing that are calculated to elicit a particular response from a customer, it comes very close to manipulation.
My training in philosophy is largely about recognizing the human tendency to irrationality, and working against that to make rational decisions.
I've been struggling internally these last two weeks. I respect the people I'm working with, and I think I can make this work, but it's been hard.
i think the most positive thing about the situation you have chosen is that because of the kinds of cars you are selling, you are dealing with people who do have some kind of discretionary income. therefore, you should not have to worry that selling a car to a man might cheat his children out of supper. more likely, it might cheat his wife out of a trip to the bahamas, or the plastic surgeon.
also, these are good used cars, right? not ticking time bombs. they are luxury items that the buyers truly believe will add to their quality of life after purchase. so you're not selling some poor sap a car that won't get him to work. you're just trying to get him to buy the car from YOU, rather than someone else. and who better to reap the benefits from
this guy's egotistical desire for a luxury auto than the snaars, who will promptly use it to feed his family, and possibly put a little money into savings so he can go to graduate school in philosophy... and change the world!
yay!!!! everybody wins! ;)
Mayfly, you are too cool! That's how I've been trying to think of it, and it really helps to have a semi-objective party say it.
BTW, we do have pre-owned luxury vehicles at this dealership, but I am also certified to sell the new ones, which are high-line.
Here's to changing the world through luxury auto sales and philosophy, not necessarily in that order! Hip, hip, hooray!
Aherm. Well, as long as I can believe it sometimes, I think I'll make it through.
what i think many people don't realize while they are still in college is that right or ethical occupation is in and of itself a luxury. you have to go through the painful jobs before you're qualified to do the "right" ones. i for example contracted for the department of defense writing anti-terrorist reports to congress for a year and a half before my divorce freed me to quit and go back to school to get university level teaching experience. the trick, i think, is to continue working toward the ethically desireable profession, as much as your situation allows, and not get bogged down in the financial benefits and luxuries afforded by the better paying but possibly questionable positions. anyway that's what i tell myself, so i don't have to hate myself TOO much for writing misleading reports to congress at the demand of the DoD.
in any case, if you ever find your conscience to be unbearbly hurting, please keep in mind that mr. bennett and i do accept donations. automatic only. i tend to wreck the sticks. thank you and good day. ;)
Congrats on getting the job.
I was great at sales training when I worked for a company that did it. In fact I regulary did best & the sales manager was all fired up & excited about how big his bonus would be when I started selling.
The theory was really easy, understandable & obvious to me. I could sell the product to every one of my collagues, no matter how many excuses they came up with.
Poor sales manager, he could not understand why his money never materialised:-) Selling to your colleagues in set up scenarios is one thing, selling to the real public is another thing all together. when they gave me their excuses, each and every one sounded perfectly reasonable to me:-) I happily gave my sales pitch, then allowed them to leave without argument.
i guess I'm not cut out for sales LOL!
hey, i hope you don't mind. the pizza and identity post dovetailed nicely with my readings on buddhism, so i linked to it today in my blog...
I'm with Mayfly on the matter of your conscience, Snaars.
OK, some people buy a car when they don't really need one. I don't think it's your decision to make, whether they need a car or not. Don't burden your conscience with it — it isn't your burden to carry.
Have a clear idea in your mind what the car is actually worth, and close the deal within that range.
Then go home, greet Mrs. Snaars and the little Snaarses with a kiss, and take satisfaction in providing them with the "necessaries" of life (as the law texts put it).
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