hodgy0_2

what - that in reality it is an "ugly contest"

you just have to be slightly less "****" than the rest

and that the really successful "bullsh1tters" in life worked this out many many moons ago

Maz

iTrader: (34)

It's a living.

lordharding

iTrader: (1)

I agree
Easiest job in the world 31 years of it for me too

JTaylor

Well not precisely, but I know what you mean.

JTaylor

It was good to me, particularly when I was in the ascendent, but now I'd rather stab myself in the eye than go in to work. I can't wait to get out. In fact I'd be much happier managing by own modest BTL portfolio.

Maz

iTrader: (34)

I think your experience is a little tainted due to Dreams rather ambitious business model. It was a house of cards doomed to collapse at some point. I'd go back tomorrow if my health allowed. Loved the banter with customers irrespective of wether they bought or not.
On topic and in answer to the op's query, get as liquid as possible as early as possible. Life has a habit of throwing you a curve ball. Live within your means and avoid debt like the plague where possible.

Dingdongler

If you do then pm me. I'm always looking to establish good working relationships with agents.

Turbohot

Yes, an over-ambitious business model is like shooting your own leg, but it's also an appalling business model when a seller is in for a banter with customers irrespective of whether they bought or not! A business as 'business' isn't a social hub, it's there to make money. I agree that banter has a potential to get the time wasters back in, and they may eventually part with their cash for your good. But anyone working in my shop just for a giggle and banter with my customers would get a sack.

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

Capitalist.

Maz

iTrader: (34)

Swati dearest, in my experience treating the customer with respect and allowing them to decide wether they bought or not yielded far more sales than any other method of selling. Customers would comment on how refreshing the lack of hard sell was in comparison to dare I say big retailers like Dreams. The key rule of selling is to first sell yourself, a customer will only buy from you if they like you. Only then are they going to consider parting with a sizeable amount of money. My sales record wasn't too shabby, furthermore I definitely wouldn't change my approach. Buying a bed is not an easy decision and most of the folk that didn't buy did return.

Chip

Very true, a pushy salesman sees me heading straight for the door.

Dingdongler

+1

JTaylor

I'd go with most of that, Maz, although there's no harm in asking for the business in the right way.

Matteeboy

I've always gone for the soft sell but in a coupe of high pressure jobs where they wanted immediate results, it wasn't what they wanted. Left to do things my way, I've always done well; nothing like a cocky, pushy sales manager to ruin everything.
Some sales techniques make me cringe; just seen several styles buying the BM; like any sales person, I respond very favourably to a good sales person but run a mile from a bad one. A couple were truly terrible!

hodgy0_2

I learnt my technique from the master

Alec Baldwin

Watch and learn

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kZg_ALxEz0

Turbohot

Hey, Maz!

Treating customer with respect should be there, anyway- irrespective of whether they buy or not. But a salesperson should be focused on the fact that he is selling himself to sell the item. It's not called being pushy. It's a skill. No one likes a pushy salesman, we all know that! But I doubt a business boss would like his salesman to just banter with customers all day, and sell nothing to show for.

I get that your good communication did get your non-buying customer back, which is good.

Maz

iTrader: (34)

The banter was part and parcel of the selling process. A good salesman is eminently aware of the end goal and I doubt any salesman would last long in a job if they weren't getting sales. Being focused on the job of selling is a given, however each customer is different so each requires a different approach. Being an automaton is not in my nature. If the customer wants to have a ten minute chat about the posthumous execution of Oliver Cromwell, I'm only too happy to oblige. Especially when they're spending a couple of grand of their money with you.

Turbohot

Realist, realistically.

Yes, high pressure and cringeworthy sales jobs are related to the attempts to maintain the magnificence of their pompous business and satisfy their insatiable greed. It's called moving business forward. I don't like that either. A good business for me is that shifts the goods, gets enough back to pay all expenses in time, and gives me a tuppence to save for the rainy day. That will do. But just chatting history and geography to my customers is not going to even get that! One has to be business driven, as at the end of the day, when you sell, you can feed yourself with the income. It's simple, really.

That matches with what I said, anyway. So all good. I'm not quite sure about giving ten minutes to the customer to talk about posthumous executions, marriages and kids etc. but if it worked for your business, great.

pslewis

Strange that you measure wealth/income by the age of the car you own ..... very weird.

And, to prove a point, pop over to the Maidenhead/Cookham area - see all those £10 million houses dotted along the river? Generally owned by TV Stars and personalities.

Now, look on the driveway .... see that 30 year old Land Rover? The 15 year old Rover, The 5 year old Prius? People with money do not generally waste it on cars ..... and if they do, they keep that car for a long time getting value for money out of it.

So, yes, I have a fantastic 3 1/2 year old Honda Civic with Torque figures Subaru drivers can only dream of ....... but it serves a purpose, along with my other 3 cars ....... your logic is badly twisted and very shallow.

Chip

Depends on what you call "a living" really.

Chip

Yeah that's true, a very very rich gentleman lives not far from us and drives an old Volvo worth a few grand and he's reputedly worth £500m +.

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

Yep I just helped a mate do 1200 square metres of concrete in a new warehouse, the bloke that it was for is apparently worth in excess of €20m and drives a 5yr old Citreon Berlingo.

hodgy0_2

I see plenty of expensive motors sitting outside sh1tholes

Cars are a pretty poor calibrator of wealth imo

Turbohot

True imo.


This is also true.

I hear that a living means a job that pays your bills. A living contributes towards your survival by satisfying your basic needs for food, clothing and shelter. As long as it does that, you can call it a living. Soul satisfaction and any extra added stimuli are not essential ingredients of 'a living'. It would be good if they were, I agree.

Some people call a living 'a living', if their job does give them an extra kick or two in a positive way. Otherwise, its like dying everyday at the thought of that dead-end, demoralising work. So how can you call it 'a living', I know. It should be re-named as 'a dying'.

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

There's a bloke that lives in a crappy little terraced house near me and changes his motors every couple of years, latest is a new white Range Rover sport.

I guess it's all about priorities.

JTaylor

@ Swati's post.

Lydia72

One of the wealthiest people I know is also the tightest, he'll walk two miles to the library to read their newspapers so he doesn't have to buy one. Anything you want to know about saving money he can tell you, and frequently does. So he's got all this money in the bank and yet no one bothers with the guy because they're sick of his miserly ways. I think the only pleasure he gets in life is checking his bank balance. What's the point?
If I died with £1m in the bank I'd think I'd failed in life.

Fabioso

Early 40's and I am pretty happy with my "financial lot" after 7 years of hard saving......and having scrapped the supercar idea, the only debt I have is the mortgage and that now stands (with the offset savings) at a total of only 4 months of net salary.

Once that is paid off....then it's Happy Days and no more worrying about when interest rates are going to rise

Turbohot

True.

I know a story to align with that:

Once a homeless beggar won a lottery. A newspaper reporter interviewed him for a sensational rags-to-riches story.

Newspaper reporter: So, what will you do with all this money?

Homeless beggar: I'll buy a top of the range Ferrari.

Newspaper reporter: Well, it means all your money would get soaked in your Ferrari buying. Won't you buy nice food and a house to live in etc. instead?

Homeless beggar: No, I can live in my Ferrari, and drive around in my Ferrari with my hand sticking out, and beg for food. I will deffo buy a Ferrari, and that's it.

Needless to say that that beggar went on a spin in his Ferrari on a daily basis, and begged for food with his hand hanging out of his car window.

It is all about priorities.

Turbohot

Awwww, don't cry. But what have I done now, Jimbo?