durranch's blog

Just like other college students I was wondering what would be the best job for me while in college. If you are a college student in Provo, Logan, Salt Lake City or any other city in Utah, you have probably heard of summer sales. It is pretty self explanatory:

summer sales= spending your summer selling pest control, alarm systems, satellite, cable, trash, or numerous other products.

My first experience with summer sales was selling satellite television for Dish Network and Direct TV. I shake my head when I think back that I actually spent 3 summers selling satellite television. Yeah, it seemed good while I was doing it and I can't complain it paid for school. After selling pest control, would I ever consider selling satellite again? NO WAY!

Why is pest control better to sell than satellite?

1. Easier Product:
You would think that selling satellite would be relatively straight forward. Think again. You aren't just selling someone satellite television, you are selling them a package in satellite television. When I was selling they had 3 or 4 different channel line-ups I could sell. It always seemed the high demand channels were in the highest package.

“Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people.”
Author: Spencer Johnson

RULE #1 WORK WITH INTEGRITY.
Your goal during the summer is to sell accounts and make good money. It is important to remember that personal integrity is worth more than silver or gold. Inevitably you will find yourself in situations where if you just compromise your integrity a little bit you will make a sale. Don’t do it. Do not sell your product to a single mother who is having difficulty putting food on the table. Do not sell your product to a senior citizen who really doesn’t know or need or will be able to benefit from your product/service. It simply isn’t worth it. Move on, find a real sale.

RULE #2 WORK HARD
The Law of the Harvest defines a successful summer. You get what you put in. If you are consistently putting in the hours and the effort you will reap the benefits. If it is your first summer don’t try to re-invent the wheel. The marketing company you will be working for has figured out what it takes to be successful. Follow their instructions for the first 2 months, then if you think something can be done better give it a try.

RULE #3 BE HONEST
It is better to lose a sale upfront because the product or service doesn’t meet the needs or expectations of the customer rather than to have the customer cancel after installation because it doesn’t meet their needs. You are a sales representative never intentionally deceive the customer. You are not expected to inform the customer of every detail or aspect of your product or service, there isn’t enough time in the day. But never intentionally leave out information that the customer ought to know.