Some of you know that I have been doing some direct sales job recently. It’s basically going from door to door selling some cable TV promotion. As one of my aspirations is to be a Christian businessman, I committed myself to stand by the Christian values and principles since the start. It’s a real struggle I tell you, not only because direct sales is generally hard but the environment is filled with non-Christians that doesn’t necessarily have to obey the principles I’m sticking to.
So I made myself some guidelines from the start.
I’m determined not going to lie about the product and exaggerate it’s claims in order to sell it.
Apparantly, you need something more firm then that…
As we have to hit at least a sales target of 10 deals per month (if not our salary might be in doubt), this number thing is really getting to us as the end of the month edge closer. I still remember my 2nd day of work. I’ve worked through an entire block of flats and have not clinched a single deal. It seems like it was about to be another one of those wasted working days. Up to that point of time, I have only sold 2 deals, and the third one wasn’t going to be easy. I had a willing customer, but I could not wrap up the deal as she still had outstanding bills of over a 1000+ dollars in debt to the company. During the debrief, my senior told me that I could actually fake the company and still clinch the deal. I was so desperate and so tempted! Technically, I didn’t lie to the customer and the customer genuinely wanted the product, all I needed to do was to bypass the company discreetly and I could get them to approve the deal. However, this seems to go against my conscience.
I told myself that I am selling them the product because I’m convinced that the product will is beneficial for them. (Due to this conviction, you will never see me selling products such as cigarettes as I would have to lie everytime I promote my goods.) Yet if I allow them to have this cable TV deal which no doubt is good, am I not indirectly responsible for plunging them deeper into debt? Would I not be causing more harm then benefit?
I declined to close the deal in the end.
Currently, I’ve closed eight deals. I just need two more before the month ends so I can pay for LC and quit, so the situation is quite urgent and desperate as well.
Today, I met up with the same scenario again. First God tested me in the beginning, now He tests me again towards the end; when everyone is scrambling to secure the ten deals. This time, the customer wants it, but his dad was the one that has outstanding bills. Once again, the company doesn’t approve of the deal, but I can bypass it. The son looks financially able, and the deal is only $19.26 for four months. How hard can it be to pay it off? I called my senior and he told me to close it.
I declined again although it took me longer this time.
It’s a real struggle I tell you.