Sales Strategies

http://academy.justjobs.com/use-big-ticket-sales-techniques-in-your-job-search/

No, I'm not suggesting that your first job out of college be in sales. It might be--or you might feel you don't have the temperament, the interest, whatever. 

But when you're looking for a job, you are (in effect) engaged in sales. You're selling yourself.

That doesn't mean you should use the kinds of strategies that have made you gag when you walked into (say) a Big Box store for a replacement set of cheap earbuds for your iPod, and the salesperson tried to sell you a home TV theater system complete with leather-upholstered reclining bucket seats. Too aggressive, too underhanded, too inflated can turn off a prospective employer.

However, today's link gives you some strategies and insights into how salespeople train, and what they know about human psychology, and how you can use that information in your job search. We're not talking about twisting the facts about your product (you are your product). Rather, we're talking about finding ways to highlight the reasons an employer should consider you and what you bring to the table, rather than tossing your stuff into the nearest paper-shredder.

In fact, as I was drafting this installment of NUEnglish, I received an email from a publisher who's doing exactly the sort of thing I'm talking about. The email, from a well-respected publisher of educational books, sent me a description of a book in which they think I might be interested (I'm not, but that's besides the point). At the top of the email is a link: "Add to Cart." In other words, if I'm interested, I can order the book easily and quickly. (Oooh, I clicked that link and see that I can also add a $150 "membership" to webinars and discounts on further products... okay, now that's overkill. At least I don't have to "opt out" of the membership, when I buy my $35 book!)