jtnesbitt

Quick update. Just got back from lunch with my boss. Without any prompting he asked me about the account the employee in question was working on. (This was the account i offered to write the proposal for.) I told my boss what happened and he just looked down shook his head and said "---- isn't much of a sales person is he?" This was great because is opened up the conversation. Apperently my boss is much more aware of the situation than i thought. He knows i am trying my hardest to help this guy and knows its the guys fault. He even said the guy was stubborn and set in his ways. This takes a HUGE amount of pressure off me now that i know he and i are on the same page. "If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero

Sort of. I love the way the Range and LR3 drives. The LR2 and Range sport are peices of crap. I do not like the reliability of ANY landrover though. My boss has one and I have had 5 friends and a step dad with them and they had to take them to the shop at least once a month. The argument i got was "its under warrenty and you get a free loaner." Thats great, but a two year 50,000 mile warrenty doesnt sound great when you have to take it back to the shop once a month. If it wasnt for the maintenance i would love to have an LR3. "If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero

hahahaha! Actually I went to him when he worked at Landrover when i was shopping around. I test drove the LR2 and LR3 and just couldnt justify it so I bought the lexus. Meanwhile my boss ended up buying a range sport from this guy before he was fired and my boss likes my lexus better "If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero

I am going to punch my new account exec in the face. Ever work with someone that had a romantic view of the corportate world? They think it's one thing but it's really not. You know, they want the nice desk witht he pens all organized, corporate email with a pretty signature, pics of their family all over their desk, company banners on the wall, etc. The problem is they dont know how to work. One of my bosses good friends used to work for him years ago. he wasnt good at selling so it was suggested he would do better with a different company. He has tried several sales positions over the years until he was recently let go from selling Landrovers. He needed a job so my boss made him one of our new AE's and put him under me. The original idea was that this guy could take some of the pressure off me so i could focus more attention on bigger accounts. Unfortunately it's not working. He's essentially got my job when i first started here maybe thats why i am unsympathetic, because i have already been there. He's supposed to handle some of our marketing such as newletters and such and then told him he could handle a particular type of client that tends to be very time consuming with very little profit potential. He's walking around with his head high acting like he's gonna make our company triple it's profit for the year. he think he is this marketing and sales guru and he's not. Unfortunately i can't seem to assist him in any way because deep down he resents me for being younger (and in his opionion less experienced) yet i am his boss. He keeps throwing in my face that "i was doing this while you were still in high school" blah blah blah. Unfortunately since he's friends with my boss I cant remind him that he was fired fom this job in the past and that there is a reason he was placed under me when we brought him back. So far is is causing my workload to increase instead of decrease. He calls me into his office at least once an hour to bitch about something and if i tell him i am too busy and he needs to come to me he gets all pissed off like i wont help him out. When i do help him he tells my boss i am too hard on him. I dont know what to do i am already babying this guy. He has a client that i offered to write up the entire proposal for AND present it to them with him with me and i wouldnt take a dme of the commision but he blew that sale. He wont take any advice i give me. He doesnt understand what sales involves. he can't think on his feet. He wants to present the client with a menu of choices and let them decide what they want. i told him it doesnt work that way and gives the client an opportunity to shop us instead of us selling them and he disagrees. Of course. lets just send menus to everyone and let them pick what they want. Meanwhile i'll buy paper hats for everyone, get some cash registers, and retitle my execs to "account clerks." O, another thing. One thing i "gave" him was the monthly newsletters. I have been handling that for a number of years even after i became the sales manager and left the marketing dept. My open rate was extremly successful as was the sales the newsletters generated. I sent them out on average about once a month. Since this guy has came on board he has been sending them out once a week and they are garbage. he copies and pastes irrelevent articles he finds and sends them out to everyone. His oepn rate is less than half what mine was and in thr 5 weeks he's been doing it they generated 1 sale. meanwhile i had a promo i wanted to run and he got all made and told me not to do it. Said my newsletters werent wordy enough and that we had to build a consistency clients could count on. I got mad and showed him the numbers of his vs mine and that he is writing to the wrong audience. He got upset and told my boss i was coming down on him. The greatest is this morning though. I got a couple different emails from some smaller clients that i have had since i first started here and they have become friends as well. They are in the group that we told this guy he could cncentrate on. He has been going through our sales records and emailing my old clients telling them he is taking over their accounts! I approached him very calmly and just told him not to do that and that i have been giving him ever new client in that category but that he couldnt take any of mine that have bought from me in the past year. I didnt even say dont take my client, just dont take the recent ones and he went off! Bitched about doing all the marketing and this and that and we're not giving him any clients. I got mad. I explained that he had to build his client base just like i did and all my other AE's. He expects the clients to come to him, but he wont even answer the phone! i tried to bring this up to him and he pointed out that i always answer the phone on the second ring. I said "why do you think i do that?" if he wants the sale, then pick it up on the first ring! I am giving him every chance i get. There are so many times when i will be busy and the phone rings 4 times before i have to drop what i am doing and answer it! WTF! I am just sick of helping this guy. He really is a super nice guy, but he does not belong in sales, or marketing either for that matter. Its just frustrating because i know he wont be here for more than a year and thats if my boss decides to continue to help him out. meanwhile he's a tax on my time, patience, and not to mention the company resources. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! /rant "If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero

Hey guys, remember when i started a thread asking if i should downsize? "If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero

Thats awesome "If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero

OK, who do you work for? My company poduces dozens of radio commercials every month for debt settlement and consolidation and your above statement sounds very similar to their copy for the spots "If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero

I agree. I always thought the idea of the bonfire forum was to mimick the conversations that occur around the bonfire at a DZ. I dont think it would work to well if we had people running around real bonfires putting tape over people's mouths or physically removing them. However, that being said, Phreezone has had to silence and remove me from several real life situations too "If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero

Hahahahaha, i just figured out what is was. I thought it was funny too. I dont think it was offensive, maybe just to the person that deleted it. Just look at wildcards recent posts, see which one is in the recycle bin and the joke will be obvious. "If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero

Ahahahahaha! Thats awesome! "If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero

Hmmmmm, i wonder what recently made its way to the recycle bin "If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero

Pssh, how else am I suposed to get my adrenaline rush in the winter? yea cuz god knows you cant base jump Here's one Dan: Don't constantly ridicule someone when you need something from them. They are eventually going to get pissed and then you arent going to get what you want. "If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero

>One business failing while another succeeds is great for the successful business, but the health of the economy is improved if both businesses can survive and compete. In order for both businesses to be able to compete there must be enough customers to go around. Yes, however right now there isn't enough to go around. The whole precedent of the discussion is how can companies still grow when there isnt enough to go around. I agree, it would be better to have 2 thriving business. However, when thats not possible then the companies need to look at other options. >I agree that business needs to be stimulated. Maybe one way to do that is by lowering the corporate tax rate. That stimulus, however, needs to be combined with stimulus for the consumer as well. One can't work without the other. I agree with you here completely. "If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero

what's really hurt us in this past year is having companies that are "too big to let fail." AIG, the Big 3, the larger banks. Only Bear was allowed to collapsed alright. so....maybe we're better off letting one of the two struggling companies fail, and then the other can recover. No, we're better off not playing the "too big to let fail" game. It it fails it's because it wasnt performing as it should to profit, thrive, and grow. Let it fail so other companies can move it to succeed where it did not or let it fail so it can restructure itself learn from its mistakes and be more successful. "It's takes disaster to learn a lesson" Yes, thats the lyrics from a Rancid song but it's true. It took Enron to get American to be more concerned of their investments and corporate fraud. In the short time it hurt, a lot of people lost a lot of money, then people lost faith and were scared to invest. If a large corp fails that some people think "is too big to fail" then yes it's going to hurt but it will be a learning experience and in time we will br stronger from it. "If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero

There is no way to place blame for our current siutation because it is all around. It is consumers fault, lenders fault, banks fault, managements fault, executives fault, government's fault, etc. The blame goes all around. "If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero

>target demo shift . . . >If you mean "shifting your target demographic" that's opening a new market. Demographic shift, not geographic shift. It is not opening a new market. An example of this would be the Express/Structure switching their target consumer and increasing their sales dramatically while at the same time reducing their expenses. "If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero

>If you invest in something that does not increase production/sales, the economy does not improve. (Nor does your company.) Thats insane. You are telling em if i use capital from my company and invest it that the capital earnings i get from that investment can't be considered growth? >That's taking two companies and merging them (and their markets) into one. In theory no net change. In reality, usually there are layoffs and changes in marketing strategy. You are thinking too short term, see my post above. Same with mergers. >diversification . . . >Again, opening new markets is the key there. No, it's not. Ever look at the Tata group? They are one of the most diverse corps out there and they are imensely successful. Diversification doesnt mean opening new markets, if means diversifying your intrests into different industries. The more unrelated they are the better. "If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero

>Investment - in what? Infrastructure, tooling, training, research? I think most small business would rather save. Yes, most small businesses do invest their money. It's very wise not to have all your eggs in one basket and is key in growth and in marking the transition from a small to a large company. >Aquisition & mergers - Sure, that's great and usually leads to job loss, not creation. You're thinking too short term. Which is better for the economy in the long term: Two struggling compnaies or 1 strong growing company? >Target demo shift - I have no idea what this means. I'm assuming you mean demography, as in marketing your product to a different segment of consumers. That sounds great, but all segments of consumers are hurting right now. Vast generalization and isn't true. >Supply and demand, not just one or the other. Incorect. There are many other factors involved than supply and demand. Even if we were just talking about supply and demand there are many other factors we have to consider "within" the realm of supply and demand that can cause a dramatic shift. These factors are: -Power of Buyers -Power of Suppliers -Threat of new Entrants -Rivalry among competitors -Threat of substitutes "If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero

What about investment, aquisition, mergers, opening new markets, product adaptation, target demo shift, diversification, etc (edit to add diversification, dont know how i forgot that one) "If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero

Not necessarily Bill. Really we're arguing in circles here. Growth must first be defined before we can really argue when and how it should be done. I beleive chuck and I are arguing one type of growth while other are arguing a different kind. Increasing production, sales, clients is really just a small part of growth, and doesnt cover all aspects. Growth can take many forms. "If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero

You got it backwards....it's pull THEN pray I actually posted a nice long analysis of the question of christian morality when it comes to skydiving but a mod decided or one reason of another to delete it. I wasnt going to post it again but I will to see if it gets deleted again. I went to catholic school my whole life then Xavier which is a jesuit university so i have had to deal with this stuff my whole life. I got in a big fight with one of my theology professors in my Contemorary Ethical Issues class. We were discussing the differece between moral, immoral, evil, and intrinsic evil. Apperently anything that causes harm to the body, or prevents human flourishing is intrinsicly evil. Also, if you fail to take measures to protect this human flourishment it's also intrinsicly evil. Example: 1)You cut off your arm = intrinsicly evil. 2)A Snake bites your arm, the poison spreads, you die = intrinsic evil 3) A snake bites your arm, you cut it off to prevent spread of poison = moral The conversation then moved to the POTENTIAL to do evil. The professors arguement was that if you engage in activity that puts one in harms way (intrinsic evil) when there is little or no possible moral redeaming factor, then the activity is immoral at best, and likely intrinsicly evil. I began to argue with him about skydiving and base jumping and he got so frustrated with me he abandoned all tact and eventually told me I was not only immoral and involved in evil activities but that i had suicidal tendencies and needed to seek professional and religous council then changed the subject. I got an A on the final by answering each question in my head and then writing down the exact opposite argument on my test On a side note while this professor was a member of the catholic church and held an office in the local diocey he was not a Jesuit. I have had several jesuits as professors and I can't help but think Jesuits would be totally cool with skydiving and base jumping "If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero

You're making assumptions that arent necessarily correct. The first assumption is that these small businesses are manufacturing goods, which isn't the case. Close to 80% of small businesses are in the service industry. So growing doesnt mean making more widgets. Besides, the growth you're talking about in vertical growth, which should NOT be done during a recession. That type of growth should be done when business and/or the economy is strong. Your point of supply and demand is very valid here. The type of growth we are talking about would be lateral or horizontal. Growing in different directions or tweaking procedures, services, policies. This growth sets a more solid foundation for further growth of the business to build on. "If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero

Hahahahaha, thats great! "If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero

+1 Chuck Personally right now I think stimulating the economy would be best if left in the hands of small businesses. Corps are cutting costs and laying people off to try and "tighten the belt" for the slow economic times. Meanwhile consumers have stopped spending. If small businesses are given tax breaks right now it is another incentive to grow. Is a recession the right time to grow? Hell yeah! If a small business has the resources then a recession is a great time to grow. Labor and resources are cheaper and they have a potential one up on their competition who might not have the same abilitiy. This growth will provide jobs in addtion to the money the business itself is spending. "If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero

Pssh, how else am I suposed to get my adrenaline rush in the winter? "If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero