.::Multi-Colored-Dreams::.

On Sale!

Saturday, which was yesterday, I went to work at the tuition centre at Clementi. Actually, I'm still rather amazed by myself how I actually got to stumble into a job right now. I mean, it's part-time, flexible and most of all, I'm doing something I like. The keyword here is talking. I have this thing about talking to people. I don't know why. I guess I like entertaining people and see them beam. The many performances I had on stage had make me feel this way, so I hope to be a performer one day.

Anyway, back to the job topic, currently I'm actually like helping out with recruiting students into the tuition centre. On a neutral point of view, I would say this centre is good. I have met the supervisors and everything, and I like the layout of the place. It's clean, neat and I would say, rather conducive for studying. This time round, we chose a different approach to talk to people. Michael and me on the team again. Last time round, I was pretty disheartened cos I didn't manage to engage with anyone. We tried to go around doing survey last week and it didn't work out. People were just reluctant to even stop and listen to what you have to say. You know, they see you with a file and sheets of paper inside, and they avoided you at "all costs". I have to admit that I usually shun away from sales people or those insurance agents. But I would stop to listen to them if I find them engaging and responsive. Even if I were to say no in the end, it's interesting to hear what they have to offer. Their speech. The way they present themselves. It's a good learning way too.

You know, sales is like that. There are a lot of NO's but there will bound to be Yes's. If you keep trying. It's all about having the confidence to reach out to people. And you don't sell your product. You are actually selling "yourself". In this sense, the product is a secondary factor. Establishing a contact is the key. I read from one of Chuck Palahniuk's books that a successful sales person will imitate the behaviour of the customer. That means, if the customer is a straightforward person, you go ahead and be straightforward. Like if he says "What are you selling?" You know you can go all out and cut away the beat-around-the-bush thing. But if he touches his ear or glances from here to there, you as a sales person should imitate the movement. Follow the glance. Make him feel like you are really concerned and willing to hear him out. In short, trying to establish a common ground. Make him feel like you're his "ally". This is one interesting perspective from the author. And I'm not sure how true will this work but it surely sounds realistic.

Most sales people I know are going all out to close a deal. But for me, I find it more satisfying if I'm able to strike a conversation with my customer. Customers are sensitive to desperation. Any sense of desperation in your speech, they will detect it almost instantly. So, there are things to take note. There are a lot of sales techniques out there. I'm still learning at this time. It's great to open yourself to new perspectives, hence enhancing your spectrum of possibilities.

So, I managed to get a few contacts. And I had a boost in my morale when this Indian lady I talked to agreed to come down for a trial lesson for her daughter. I'm not sure about the follow-up but I guess it's a good start. I notice something disturbing. No offense here. Just my point of view. The group that are generally receptive are the Malays and Indians. Even if they say no, they do it in a polite way. A smile and all that. The Chinese, on the other hand, are rather impatient and impolite. And they often feel guarded. Like as if I'm some terrorist holding on to sheets of "bombs"?! Of course, I may be stereotyping, but at least this is what I observed. As a Chinese, I feel that we have really much to learn from other ethnic groups. Being guarded and overprotective is one thing, being perspective and receptive is another thing.

Ok, so much to say about that. I had this conversation with Yean, my superior, yesterday. She was telling me that she hoped I could stay on with the team as she thinks I'm very good at sales. So I told her I was just trying out and see how far I could go. I told her that I'm actually introvert in nature. Then she said something that inspired me. "The beauty of being an introvert is that you can be an extrovert if you want, but an extrovert can never turn into an introvert." I like this. Flexibility is the key.

I can't wait for ORD. It's my ticket to freedom. And my desired destination? Success. =)