We all know one of these incredibly talented salespeople who can sell anything. They can sell a turd to the President of the United States and make a pretty penny in doing so. However, odds are you aren't that person. That's okay, I'm not him either. I can strive all I want, but in the end, it's going to be next to impossible to sell a turd to somebody and that's okay!
My first sales job involved me calling business owners and selling them radio advertisements. Occasionally, I'd get somebody to fork over a couple hundred of their dollars for some top quality radio advertising. The ads were in the form of a PSA advising people to avoid drunk driving.
"Save a life!" we told them. However, in the end, what most business owners are thinking is "save my money!". On many days, our best salesmen would come up empty and the newbies would end up getting a sale. It ultimately boiled down to patience, luck, and skill.
Many of our customers called in with complaints regarding things like incorrect scheduling, false advertising, and regrets about their purchase. None of these things were within our salespeople's control.
Also, this was not too long ago. I was already hooking up my iPod to my car stereo, so why would radio ads still be a big selling point? As far as I know, the company is still around. Will they survive? If they start changing their product to adapt to a changing market, they probably can. Otherwise, they will likely go under.
On a similar note, a friend of mine sells textbooks to students. While not a salesperson in the traditional sense, he is still making a decent amount of money each money reselling old textbooks.
Now why does he make good money? Why is he making sales? THE PRODUCT! Textbooks will always be in demand for the college demographic, and it is usually a required purchase. Therefore, all you really need to do is get your hands on the textbooks that students are looking to purchase for major classes, then sell them for more than you paid for them. Boom, profit!
If I were starting a business, I would involved myself with products that are likely to sell, not with products I am used to or do not require much money to invest in.
How about you guys? What products do you sell? Is it a good product? Please comment below!
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