I dare my competitors to do this!

[ForeverAutumn]

So, for the past 8 months I've been trying to land this big customer who gives almost all of his business to one of our biggest competitors. I finally convinced him to test the waters with us, and we passed the test. The last step to solidify the deal was to meet with his Assistant, who is pretty influential in determining where they send their business.

So, the assistant and I get together a couple of weeks ago and hit it off pretty well. I comment on the interesting wallpaper on her computer and she tells me that it's a poster for her husband's band. So we start to talk about music. Well, it turns out that her husband is in a progressive rock band and is just finishing off writing the music for his first CD. We start talking prog, and she's a huge Dream Theater fan. Turns out we've been to the same DT concerts. I mention Porcupine Tree and she remembers that they toured with Yes, but she hasn't actually heard them.

This morning, I dropped a nice package off at her office...
Lightbulb Sun
Stupid Dream
In Absentia

As well as....
Izz - I Move
Cryptic Vision - Moments of Clarity
Kyuss - ...and the Circus Leaves Town.

Hah! Let's see my competitors beat that service!

[Davey]

This morning, I dropped a nice package off at her office...
Lightbulb Sun
Stupid Dream
In Absentia

As well as....
Izz - I Move
Cryptic Vision - Moments of Clarity
Kyuss - ...and the Circus Leaves Town.

Hah! Let's see my competitors beat that service!

Suck up. Your geekiness is gonna wrap around and bite you in the ass if you aren't careful!

[MasterCylinder]

Good move FA.

Don't ask her if she wants any Cat Vomit.

[kexodusc]

Geez FA, I don't know what you're selling, but I'll take 2.

[BarryL]

If I still have a radio gig, I'll spin one of his band's tunes, if appropriate.

Let me know.

Anyone else out there with progish band material? You can listen in on the internet. My next appearance is likely towards the end of March.

[BarryL]

This morning, I dropped a nice package off at her office...
Lightbulb Sun
Stupid Dream
In Absentia

I was listening to Stupid Dream this week, and in retrospect, I find it to be a rather weak album, although it did set the stage for the increadible Lightbulb Sun by moving the space sound into a more traditional song orientation. It's almost like PT does folk music.

[Dave_G]

Aaaah, the power of music strikes again.

Nice job, Esther.

Dave

[Duds]

Any chicks who like Kyuss are ok in my book!

So, for the past 8 months I've been trying to land this big customer who gives almost all of his business to one of our biggest competitors. I finally convinced him to test the waters with us, and we passed the test. The last step to solidify the deal was to meet with his Assistant, who is pretty influential in determining where they send their business.

So, the assistant and I get together a couple of weeks ago and hit it off pretty well. I comment on the interesting wallpaper on her computer and she tells me that it's a poster for her husband's band. So we start to talk about music. Well, it turns out that her husband is in a progressive rock band and is just finishing off writing the music for his first CD. We start talking prog, and she's a huge Dream Theater fan. Turns out we've been to the same DT concerts. I mention Porcupine Tree and she remembers that they toured with Yes, but she hasn't actually heard them.

This morning, I dropped a nice package off at her office...
Lightbulb Sun
Stupid Dream
In Absentia

As well as....
Izz - I Move
Cryptic Vision - Moments of Clarity
Kyuss - ...and the Circus Leaves Town.

Hah! Let's see my competitors beat that service!

[GMichael]

So, for the past 8 months I've been trying to land this big customer who gives almost all of his business to one of our biggest competitors. I finally convinced him to test the waters with us, and we passed the test. The last step to solidify the deal was to meet with his Assistant, who is pretty influential in determining where they send their business.

So, the assistant and I get together a couple of weeks ago and hit it off pretty well. I comment on the interesting wallpaper on her computer and she tells me that it's a poster for her husband's band. So we start to talk about music. Well, it turns out that her husband is in a progressive rock band and is just finishing off writing the music for his first CD. We start talking prog, and she's a huge Dream Theater fan. Turns out we've been to the same DT concerts. I mention Porcupine Tree and she remembers that they toured with Yes, but she hasn't actually heard them.

This morning, I dropped a nice package off at her office...
Lightbulb Sun
Stupid Dream
In Absentia

As well as....
Izz - I Move
Cryptic Vision - Moments of Clarity
Kyuss - ...and the Circus Leaves Town.

Hah! Let's see my competitors beat that service!

Great job FA. I'll start sending my Sales team to you for training.
Do you have any other services?

[ForeverAutumn]

Great job FA. I'll start sending my Sales team to you for training.
Do you have any other services?

Well, I did send 18 of my top customers heart shaped boxes of chocolates for Valentine's Day, along with a hand written note telling them how much we appreciate their business. At only $7 a box, it was pretty cost effective and none of my competitors did that either. The response I received was great!

Of course it doesn't hurt that most of my customers are men. It might not have had quite the same impact coming from one of my male counterparts.

[ForeverAutumn]

I was listening to Stupid Dream this week, and in retrospect, I find it to be a rather weak album, although it did set the stage for the increadible Lightbulb Sun by moving the space sound into a more traditional song orientation. It's almost like PT does folk music.

Funny you should say this. Because I was copying the disks, I also listened to Stupid Dream, Lightbulb Sun and In Absentia.

When I first heard PT, my favourite disk was Stupid Dream, followed by Lightbulb Sun. This also happened to be the order in which I heard them, which might have had something to do with it. When In Absentia first came out, I didn't like it because it was so much harder than the previous two.

Listening to them yesterday, I realized that the order has switched. In Absentia is fantastic and is, by far, my favourite. Lightbulb Sun would be second and Stupid Dream is weak...with the exception of Even Less, which is still one of my favourite PT songs.

[GMichael]

Well, I did send 18 of my top customers heart shaped boxes of chocolates for Valentine's Day, along with a hand written note telling them how much we appreciate their business. At only $7 a box, it was pretty cost effective and none of my competitors did that either. The response I received was great!

Of course it doesn't hurt that most of my customers are men. It might not have had quite the same impact coming from one of my male counterparts.

You flirt.

Some of the best Saleswomen I've know used similar means. When I was still at IBM we brought in 200 of our largest suppliers for a full day to learn about our needs. We called it, "vendor day." One lady was dressed so hot that several engineers walked into the glass building because they were watching her instead of where they were going. Spilled their lunches all over themselves.

[ForeverAutumn]

You flirt.

Some of the best Saleswomen I've know used similar means. When I was still at IBM we brought in 200 of our largest suppliers for a full day to learn about our needs. We called it, "vendor day." One lady was dressed so hot that several engineers walked into the glass building because they were watching her instead of where they were going. Spilled their lunches all over themselves.

I hope that you're not comparing sending chocolates to dressing provocatively at work. That's not the message that I want to be sending.

While I do flirt and have fun with my customers, the real bottom line is that I work hard at my job and I'm good at what I do. No amount of sales tricks in the world will overcome incompetence...and if it does, the people who fall for those tricks aren't the people that I want as my customers anyway.

[GMichael]

I hope that you're not comparing sending chocolates to dressing provocatively at work. That's not the message that I want to be sending.

While I do flirt and have fun with my customers, the real bottom line is that I work hard at my job and I'm good at what I do. No amount of sales tricks in the world will overcome incompetence...and if it does, the people who fall for those tricks aren't the people that I want as my customers anyway.

She wasn't dressed provocatively at all. Very business like in fact. But there was something about this good looking woman in a $2000 suit that stopped everyone in their tracks. She was also very smart. She's no longer our Sales rep as she has moved on to VP of that company. I was buying from this lady for many years before I ever met her or saw a picture. That may be why it never really made a difference to me. But I did start laughing at her when I met her for the first time. She somehow knew why, told me to stop, and asked me who was the top manager in our department.
Quality of product, service and price top off my list. But if all else is equal, a box of chocolates would tip the scales.

[Dusty Chalk]

The lack of love that Stupid Dream is getting in this thread makes me sad.

[ForeverAutumn]

The lack of love that Stupid Dream is getting in this thread makes me sad.

Would you feel better if I sent it a box of chocolates?

[Dusty Chalk]

Would you feel better if I sent it a box of chocolates?

No, because I know you're only doing that as an ulterior motive.

[Kaboom]

ok, fine, i'll defend stupid dream then...
its a cool album, and i like it because mmmm.. eeeerrrr...
Actually the same thing that happened to everyone else on this thread happened to me. It was one of the first Tree albums i listened to, and loved it, but when i broadened my horizons it paled in comparison to say, lightbulb sun or even signify.
and i'm guessing that FA aint telling us what it is that she sells right?

[3-LockBox]

So....what is it you do again? Where do you work?



My wife is an Assistant Director in Human Resources for a university, so I hear about greasing, err...mmm, shmoosing, err...uhh...networking, yeah that's it...I hear about networking all the time.

[ForeverAutumn]

I got ba-na-na, watermelon, peaches by the pound,
Sweet corn, mirleton, mo' better than in town,
I got okra, enough to choke ya,
Beans of every kind,
If hungry is what's eatin' you
I'll sell you peace of mind.
- Chris Smither -

I work in financial services. It's my job to convince Financial Planners to sell my company's products and services to the consumer. In Canada, this is a very tight and competitive market. There's not much room to move on price or product design. So, the way to compete is through providing good service and building a strong relationship with the customer.

Although providing this guy's assistant with music was a good business move on my part...sharing music is something that I would have done for her either way. But, hey, if it brings me business....that much better for me.

[kexodusc]

Hey, people like FA keep people like me employed. That's great. Keep sharing those CD's FA.

[ForeverAutumn]

Hey, people like FA keep people like me employed. That's great. Keep sharing those CD's FA.

Please don't tell me that you're a lawyer who specializes in copyright infringement!

[kexodusc]

Ha ha...After reading my post I see why you'd think that.
Nah, my company designs and manages the financial products you sell (or compete against).
So if your products have a bad rep, poor performance history, or are just uncompetitive you know who to blame. (my boss, not me)