The trade is one of the most crucial parts of the process, but before diving into that headfirst. Let's take a few moments to understand the sales process. This is something I learned long ago, and have been trained and trained others in various capacities. It varies from company to company, but essentially is the same process. It is not dishonest or unethical. The "sales process" was actually designed mostly to give customers a smooth way to buy rather than randomly dealing with things. T...
The other day, I was sitting, enjoying a beverage, when the person next to me started to go off. They began by telling everyone within earshot what a "rip off house" the car dealer he was at earlier was. He went off about the pressure, the lack of money for his trade, the more than 0% interest rate and a whole host of complaints. With the long list of complaints, it was hard to see how this dealer ever sold a car. But this person's frustrations were not unique. Nor was it unique to complain ...
Tonight, Donald Trump will hit the airwaves again and serve up another dose of my latest guilty pleasure, "The Apprentice. The show is now down to 5 contestants. The 5 are on one team Troy, the good ol boy salesman, Bill, the entrepenurial cigar store owner, and Kwame, the Harvard MBA and Goldman Sachs employee. This is the "Protege Corporation as they are known. The other team, Versacorp, is made up of potential lovebirds Nick the toughjawed always closing salesguy and his partner Amy, g...
"Vote for me, Al Franken. You'll be glad you did!" was the tag line to a mock election campaign that Al and partner Tom Davis did a few decades ago. The campaign consisted of a series of ads, each escalating in their charges against the other candidate. One would accuse the other of lying, the other would come back with something like embezzlement. If one was a philaderer, the other would be a child molestor. Each charge backed up with "documented evidence" and other supposedly solid informat...
This week, Moveon.org, a "527" organization in the political arena, launched it's new ads. They feature the testimony of former counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke in front of the 9/11 commission. I have been a supporter of the organization's right to organize and express their opinions on issues. I believe they have done great things to get people more involved in what is going on in their goverment. And I believe they are poised to be a good political force in the future. This ad, howe...
Every once in a while, someone goes and makes a list of the top 10 this or that, or the top 100 of all time something or other. And every time they do, someone else shows cause as to why the list should be different. Most recently, Rolling Stone Magazine published it's "50 Greatest Artists of All Time." And of course, there are some serious holes. Before we go on, let's look at the choices Rolling Stone made in it's latest attempt to rank 50 years of music. An attempt that may be equally ...
About a week ago, Richard Clarke testified before the 9/11 commission under oath, in public. He also offered a heartfelt apology, something that he was the 1st and still the only to do. Since his testimony, he has been the victim of a massive charachter assasination. Clarke has handled it all in stride, backing up his words, giving context to situations and even finding some unusual allies in his calls for Dr Rice to publicly testify. Guys like Richard Pearle and republican commission members...
About a month ago, longtime consumer activist and advocate Ralph Nader threw his hat into the political arena. He announced that he once again would seek the Presidency of the United States. This of course sent shockwaves thru Democratic camps and I think I heard a few champagne corks go off over at GOP headquarters. Nader's entry into the 2004 Presidential race was a small surprise to many who felt that he essentially cost Al Gore the 2000 election. I admit I was a little taken aback myself....
It was a chilly Sunday night in early March, 1985. Sam is setting up to play another "All-Ages" gig with his local hardcore band. They do their soundcheck, what has become a running joke to do a "pop" song in a punk way. Tonight's choice was a hardcorish rendition of Devo's "Whip It." The soundman does his final checks and makes a few notes before having the band tuck their gear behind the stage to make tonight smooth. Sam's band is the #2 on a 3 Band bill. That means they will go on 2nd,...
Today, after much fanfare, Richard Clarke testified before the 9/11 Commission. Throughout this week, there has been much coverage concerning his testimony after an explosive 60 Minutes interview and the release of his book on the subjects surrounding the war on terror. Some questioned his integrity and tried to discredit his 30 years of service, thru 4 administrations, working on terrorism in an extremely non partisan fashion. Any question of his overall integrity was immediately dismiss...
Sunday night I sat down and put on my usual shows. Like millions of other Americans, that means an evening of my 2 favorite "S's." That would be the Simpsons and The Sopranos. As usual, both shows lived up to their entertaining legends, each in their own right. But at 10pm, HBO premiered what might be their best attempt at a series since the italians muscled in on our Sunday nights 5 erratic seasons ago. Deadwood, which is the name of the mining town / camp situated in the old west in 187...
The race seems to be on for the Vice Presidential candidate. Unlike past elections, where most candidates for President have announced their choice for the #2 on the ticket at the conventions, this year's compressed schedule has left the time necessary to make a prudent choice in advance. And it could work to their advantage. Past races have made the issue of the relevance of the V.P. a debatable one.. But even if 2 people can't agree that the choice will definitely have an impact on the ...
With a little over 7 months to go until the general election, the next major task ahead seems to be about the "V.P." nominee. Indeed, with the recent polling showing 95% of both parties "likely" voters with their minds made up already, a few campaign ads or stump speeches are not going to swing too many people either way. Another telling sign that people are not changing their minds much is found on an AOL "non scientific" poll, which showed out of almost 300,000 respondants, that 87% had...
the following was a response to a poster (annon) who was parroting the Bush claims about Kerry's plan... The "small business thing" is a good spin...guys who like own 15 car dealerships are considerd small business owners...the plan calls for a repeal of cuts for the richest 1 or 2 % amongst us to pay for some things that millions more need...like some basic health care coverage like every other civillized country in the world has. and the whole idea that there was some "cash flow short...
Tomorrow night, Donald Trump will offer us his latest installment of his surprise hit show, "The Apprentice." Trump has been pulling in big crowds for his 13 week job interview, and as someone who literally got "sucked into" this show, I can see why. His premise is simple enough. He brought in 16 young executive wannabees who would give their right arm seemingly to take abuse from "The Donald" on a daily basis for a cool 250K a year. And to say these young go-getters want this job is a har...