I have no experience in sales. Nada. Zilch. Zero. But when I am asked by the boss if I would be interested in getting into sales, I don't even hesitate. "Sure! What would you like me to do?"
I have to sell a magazine. Well, sort of. My company is going to be publishing a magazine where every page will profile a different business or individual. My job will be to drive around to local high-end businesses to sell a profile. If anyone has experience in this, I'd love some advice. And I missed a meeting today.
Thursday afternoon, Boss told me that we'll have a meeting "sometime next week" to go over the magazine. I say, "okay." I don't normally have scheduled meetings. If I have a meeting, it usually involves someone coming into my office and sitting down. If there was a time and place mentioned, I would have made a note. Both a calendar note and a mental note. I have an amazing memory.
Fast forward to this afternoon. I come back from lunch and walk by the conference room. A few people are in there and I think nothing of it. I catch Boss's eye as I walk past and head back to my office.
Half hour later, Boss comes in my office. "Where were you? Did you forget? 2:00 meeting!" I apologize, saying something about not realizing it was today, silently annoyed he didn't signal me in when I walked by earlier and even further silently annoyed at his "Where were you" comment since he saw me. He wasn't annoyed, and it's not just because he's a great guy but I think he realized that "Monday at 2:00" never escaped his lips. He then sat down and gave me the jist of what was to come of the magazine, some ideas, some answers to potential questions, and was nice enough to give me a few leads.
So now I get to venture out in the world of sales without a paddle. After today's mini pow-wow, I'm more confident and more optimistic about being able to sell. Now all I need is a pitch. And maybe a little luck.
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3 comments:
Good luck. New projects are always fun.
What the company you pitch to will ask is "what's in it for me?" So what's in it for them, other than the obvious publicity. Will you be showcasing general info on that company, or maybe a particular aspect of their service? More details please.
I hate meetings. I tend to fall asleep in them if I don't keep making smart aleck comments. But than that can lead to other problems.
It's a two page profile of them. One page will be a full page glossy, the other page will be a profile of them/their business.
I just need a good opening line.
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