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March 04, 2009
we need sleep
Hello everyone. As Brian mentioned, I have joined him in his Rainbow-selling efforts. I decided to do this after holding off for about six months because I was seeing how much he struggled with some of the parts of the job - the more salesy bits, overcoming objections, and generally being charming without being too awkward and goofy - and because hell, we really need some more money. Every month we would close out with little to no cushion, and when Brian's full time work started to peter, we basically freaked out on a daily basis and this caused us to argue a lot. I felt that if we worked on this as a team, and put the profit toward common expenses, maybe we could feel more collaborative and be able to enjoy our lives a bit more.
Why had I held out for so long? Several reasons: 1. I wanted it to be his thing. It was something he was excited about, and I wanted him to be able to find his own solution to the challenges he began to face. 2. I had a lot going on at the time, and was concentrating on building up my jewelry business. (With the economy in the state it's in and with the substantial effort and initial capital it's taken to keep the business running, though, I've since decided that I should take it easy and try to build it up slowly for now.) and 3. There were some things about the process that just made me uncomfortable. I've been in sales before, and it's always kinda kitschy, but the level of cheese that I was encountering when I went to Open Houses with Brian was a bit much to swallow.
Ultimately, though, I knew that I could bring things to the table and improve Brian's demo, and bring us the success that he'd been looking for, and that would vastly better our financial situation. So I asked him if he would like for me to join him, and since then we've become a team.
We are doing pretty well, and where Brian is great at explaining the machine and touching people's filthy vacuums, I'm good at talking to people, building rapport, and appealing to their more personal needs. 'Painting a picture,' you might say. 'Finding the Need.' 'Making the recommendation.' 'Closing the sale.' When people put us in tough situations, I'm better at turning it around and helping them see why the Rainbow is the best option for their families. I feel good about my decision and I can tell that people respond well to us, because together we seem more polished than a slightly awkward, scruffy-faced guy with a moppy haircut. :p
Brian's getting a real haircut soon. And by real I mean, not in the backyard with his clippers and our dining chair.
Anyway, we've sold three machines in the past week. It feels awesome, and will feel even awesomer when we get our paycheck on Saturday and put it into our bank accounts, but the exchange is that we have not had enough sleep. I haven't felt adequately relaxed in far too long - but we're still trying to figure all that out. We've decided to reserve a couple nights a week for no demos - just to chill out, relax, get other things done, or go to bed early.
I'm looking forward to the summer, though, when I won't be working full-time and can dedicate my days to the projects I've wanted to do for myself. It's probably a better time for jewelry sales as well - there tend to be more arts and crafts fairs. And while Brian is not quitting his day job yet (so fret not! I would not let him do such a crazy thing!), if things do pick up at a regular and comfortable pace, it may be something we go into together during the day. But that's just a distant thought right now.
Oh yeah, and it looks like we'll be able to make a long trip back to the east coast this summer. Two weeks baby! One week in NH, one week in NJ/NYC. We're looking at July 21st-August 5th. So clear your calendars :)
posted by karel at 3:00 PM
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2 Comments:
Yay for the professional haircut to come:) Did that picture Lindy posted have anything to do with the decision? I can hardly wait to see you two this summer! I think it's a good idea to save out a couple of nights a week for no demos so you don't get burnt out and then both get all cranky because you so tired.
yay...most likely i will still be stuck here in nj in the summer. =( how unfortunate.
btw. today's word verification is "mulan". just found it interesting.
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