Mini Sales School

I spent Tuesday and Wednesday this week on a Mini Sales School course. This is like normal sales school, but smaller. No minis were hurt in the making of the course. It was a very intense 2 days, with day one giving us the "tools" to manage and structure a sales call, and day two giving us a chance to sharpen our blunt tools during two simulated sales calls.
Simulations are strange things. They are most definitely artificial, in an Instant Whip kind of way, yet they are also useful ways to practice and do fulfil a need, just like an Instant Whip. Some people approach them as about as frightening an event as they have ever had to do, and the sense of nerves in some was amazing to see, and not something I could particularly relate to.
As for how I did, I did alright really. I managed to sell the double glazing manager some Starfleet laptops to reward her top performers, rather than them getting a skiing holiday. Oh how those sales folks must be cursing me ;-)

This was a two day, one night event, and so that meant the obligatory evening meal, which was great fun. A couple of beers and some red wine made sure I had a "healthy" glow, and avoiding the shots, non-flaming zambuchas (without the flames due to health and safety!) and depth charges that some of the group decided to partake in after the meal ensured that I, at least, was able to walk in to the training room next morning unaided, and with my eyes fully open. They were living proof that you are never old enough to know better.

The inevitable consequence of two days getting an educashun is, of course, an overflowing Inbox. Thursday morning was therefore partially spent clearing that down, attending to any urgent ones and generally getting my feet back under the metaphorical desk. The early start, as previously mentioned, was very useful in helping sort this out in a relatively painless way.

So now I find myself on Friday, preparing for a call today and meeting next week to close my biggest outstanding solution. I am hoping my absence from the customer offices will not set me back in my quest to get the thing signed. I am also hoping, as my already trained sales colleagues has been ribbing me about, that Mini Sales School did teach me something, and I am able to put in to practice some of the stuff I learned. Here's hoping.