Article what I wrote about 3 years ago

This article is originally wrote in finnish. I will freely translate it "on the go".
Original date of creation: about 2009-2010.

Un-published before.
Original is in my personal notes.
(Referring to one other note book what I lost / forgot somewhere (sigh)

Truth about office supplies sales

That mystical group of salesman's what goes around companies and sells basic materials like papers, clip holders, PR-products etc.

Here comes "the truth" what it is based on.

There are many companies what are selling something.
Most difficult is office supplies.

What is so hard about selling pens & rubbers?
Somebody might think.

Let us take a closer look of what "is going on" behind the scenes.

The basic starting point is this.
Car + phone + worker + education = salesman.

Salesman + products = bisnes
Not too hard, or what you think?

The key to make business is not that simple what I just made it sound.

Besides those things, you will have "the magical" component.
What could be, that magical component?
Somebody thinks now, and I don't want to explain it to you, yet ;)

Office supply sales is very hard business & job to do.
In my original article, I cross referred sales to religion, because some times when you are selling you need to believe in what you are doing.
Most cases, if you don't succeed the fault is not entirely yours, it might be also somewhere else.

That one office supplies sales company where I have been working in, had a good trainers but not so good "method of pricing products" - as I write it down here, now.

Most cases, what I had time to see. The new employees started, and very many of them finished their career before the 4 months "expedition time" (koeaika, testing period) had ended.

Most general comment in that point was "this is a hoax! You can not make your money with this job!"

They were 50 / 50 right and wrong.
This reflects the reputation of salesman's in that area of field.
Many many many times, I've heard rumors of when somebody ordered for e.g 100 pencils, and the price said to be in e.g. 1,00 (currency will not matter in this example case) + taxes, so if we calculate "fast way" the price after taxes should be around 124,00 + possible cargo expenses / other side costs.

Worst case scenario, the buyer received instead of about 130,00 bill, bill of 1300. Or something like that.

The guy who trained me, to do this kind of business had his training from other company what has been existing about 100 years or more.
I do not even need to say, that in big company where everybody is trying to compete with each other, it is really really really really hard to survive or even learn how actually do even that kind of business.
His training and personal working history affects on his opinions and decisions and also the future of his business, all most directly.

In a long term he will have his business, but it can't grow or get too much new customers.

I had pretty good customer base, in my sales area.
Many of my own customers gave me a _really really really_ positive feedback of my way to handle them and do my job.

And also, when I was not enjoying my job in that company, they still bought something from me :)
They were the reason why I continued to do that in that same company for all most two years.

To be exact in this point, I must confess that I was working there first time 2009. Then I quit my job when the global recession (lama) started to be over in Finland.

My boss said to me once, "those who learns this in this time, will survive and bloom after".

I quitted my job in that company the best possible time, ever.

I did not care, I was not doing that work because of the money what I could get out of my customers in a long term.

What happened in the time when I was away?

My customers staid loyal to me!
Many of them did not ever buy from anybody else than me!
When I came back, I was _SO_ happy to call them and say "HEY?! What's up? Long Time no SEE!"

And schedule appointment.

The sound of their voice (those who I had meet before) was so nice to hear, that that supported me alone!

I did not care if I had some bad day, or all of my deals did not go through.
I knew that there might be something what they maybe don't want to say to me straight to my face, in that time.

One of my old clients, who btw lives really close by my home in Finland (at the moment) actually said to me couple of nights ago that they ordered one product what I showed him before.

His colleague, other head master of high school (freely translated) was all ready my old client. And I had a habit of treat my customers with _respect_.

Unfortenatly, that really wise (but old) man did not understand everything what he saw of me, when he saw me first time.

He saw me as a "joke", but still he bought small things when he had a chance to do so.
His colleague and I were taking our dogs out at the same time, and we talked and he said that "We ordered those expensive products of your's, btw!"

They called to like "assistant (bosses wife)" and ordered that way.
Good for them, I would not buy from the owner (CEO) even my self (actually he is the reason why I now even publish this article).

One thing what is needed in order to make office supplies sales in a "field" is faith to what you do, even it feels, sounds, and is sometimes "joke".

One thing what also affects and applies is that the training what you get from your bosses, you need to listen to that.
But don't be 100% blind, it is not easy task to do.

Fact is that many companies "hoax" a little bit somewhere somebody. Competition is just so _brutal_ and the small things here and there, can make a difference in their big picture and survival of marketing forces.

That creates a sad picture of human beings, in my honest opinion. But luckily people still will help each other, at least little bit.

Somebody can help somebody with a small things, somebody can help somebody in a big things.

Fact is, that if you are doing "business" - you need to know exactly what you are doing, other wise somebody "T-REX" will come and eat you alive.

It starts to be time of the "closing of the deal".

Freely translated:

"Everything what you are going to do, you need to keep that for your own information, and you never should not give a way your hand in a first deal. You need to keep the situation in control, from the start to finish and you need to know how to read the situation right all the time.

For everybody who actually are doing office supplies business, I want to say just this.

"GOOD LUCK"

And if you come to sell to me, don't be offended if I might say "Thank you, but no thank you."

Be careful in what you do, and choose your words carefully. Because business is business".

I hope I do not upset anybody with this text.
I actually have a head ache so I will go back to home and sleep.

Have a good day!