[brucerby]

Originally Posted by aggrofish

A couple of points without trying to offend anyone:

One, brucerby while you have good intentions and are being helpful you're trying to get someone who is completely clueless to contract himself out as a consultant. Let me put this politely, lol....

Only trying to show (her)? another possibility...she can read it, and decide whether it's over her head.
And, it may spark an idea in someone else reading the thread.

[almark]

Gentlemen - aren't you a little harsh? I hear your advice and your direction. Thank you so much.
Fact is, aggrofish, you don't know what I've accomplished so far. My market is not here anymore. I beat my competition every which way. It takes a real skill to do what I was able to do at the time. My employer was my biggest supporter (he passed away) and I was singled-out by visiting heavy-weights from large organizations from around the country as the best agent out of many, many on our team. I've sold with prices that were unheard of and set new benchmark in new home sales. I sold more than all my competition combined. No, it was definitely NOT order taking. The harder you work, the luckier you get.
May I also point out, that new home sales today are of different caliber and many think that once you've been on your own (I had my own company) or sold in a much higher bracket, you somehow "know too much" and have your "own ideas" about sales and that you're not "trainable" or "manageable" anymore. So when it comes to a formal consulting job, I may not know all the details and how to package it, but I was on my own and I do know what it took to do that for a number of years. Brucerby - thank you for the time you took to answer my questions - I've done all that when I had my company. It is a lot of work and tenacity and resourcefulness are critical. I was successful, don't get me wrong, BUT - things happen in people's lives and some formats may no longer be feasible... Thus my search for a "job" now...
I would like to keep this thread as a friendly and as helpful as possible. The chastising and lectures are really not necessary. There is no need to be angry here. If you wish to help, please help. If this upsets you, I won't be offended if you don't. In either case - thank you very much for taking the time to respond. I'm getting the idea.

[brucerby]

Originally Posted by almark

Gentlemen - aren't you a little harsh? I hear your advice and your direction. Brucerby - thank you for the time you took to answer my questions - I've done all that when I had my company. It is a lot of work and tenacity and resourcefulness are critical. I was successful, don't get me wrong, BUT - things happen in people's lives and some formats may no longer be feasible... Thus my search for a "job" now...
The chastising and lectures are really not necessary. There is no need to be angry here...

Who's angry?

I admit to being puzzled though? I spent considerable time laying out more details of what I meant in the first post. All thinking I was helping you (who sounded awfully distressed in your PM) and maybe encouraging others. (definitely won't waste my time again doing that.)

I accused you of NOTHING negative, and even was careful to note that the sales training recommendation didn't mean you were not competent.

And this is my thanks?

Frankly, your questions to me suggested you had done very little, and sounded like those I would get from a rookie. If you honestly needed answers to those kind of questions, then I think consulting/freelancing is not for you...I wish you luck anyway in your job search.

[aggrofish]

Nobody's angry unless you are? I'm sure that it took some skill to do what you did, but the fact is you haven't been able to land a job. The fact that you havent been able to sell yourself makes me question your actual abilities. As a salesman / person hopefully you can appreciate that. There are a lot of legit sales jobs out there. You may want to dumb down your resume a bit and emphasize how your sales skills translate across a wide array of industries.

[SportyandMisty]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

... For one property I used a flat fee broker and hosted my own open house. That broker told me that "open houses dont sell houses" but the very first person to come to that very first open house ended up being my buyer...

I had a similar experience. We used a flat fee broker to list the property. We hosted our own open house. A couple came into the house, and the wife was VERY pregnant. She walked up to my wife & said "Hi... I'm desperate; can I use your bathroom please?"

The ONLY reason they stopped was she she could pee. One thing led to another & they bought the house from us.

[almark]

Originally Posted by brucerby

Who's angry?

I admit to being puzzled though? I spent considerable time laying out more details of what I meant in the first post. All thinking I was helping you (who sounded awfully distressed in your PM) and maybe encouraging others. (definitely won't waste my time again doing that.)

I accused you of NOTHING negative, and even was careful to note that the sales training recommendation didn't mean you were not competent.

And this is my thanks?

Frankly, your questions to me suggested you had done very little, and sounded like those I would get from a rookie. If you honestly needed answers to those kind of questions, then I think consulting/freelancing is not for you...I wish you luck anyway in your job search.

Brucerby - I do appreciate your time and effort more than you know. The negative tone came from aggrofish, so I probably should have been more clear. Having my own company was a form of consulting, tho in a slightly different way. There are certain reasons why I cannot do that anymore and without the whole picture and not knowing me personally, perhaps it is a little confusing. However, I do thank you for the extraordinary lengths you went to in explaining this business model.
I DID learn from you as others have, I'm sure. Thank you again.

[almark]

Originally Posted by aggrofish

Nobody's angry unless you are? I'm sure that it took some skill to do what you did, but the fact is you haven't been able to land a job. The fact that you havent been able to sell yourself makes me question your actual abilities. As a salesman / person hopefully you can appreciate that. There are a lot of legit sales jobs out there. You may want to dumb down your resume a bit and emphasize how your sales skills translate across a wide array of industries.

Right, the realities of life are not such as you suggest in this day and age. Please try to be a little kinder to others. You have a very biting style.

[almark]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

Here's a few random suggestions:

First, go to B & N and buy the book, "What Color Is My Parachute". It is the best book there is on job finding. They revise it and update it annually, but even an old copy is going to be valid, so if you can't afford to buy one, see if the library has it. If they don't, I'm pretty sure Nevada's JobConnect will, and you can use it in the Resource Center there.

Next, use your sales skills. Make appointments by calling the office of a prospective employer and asking the receptionist for just the name of the hiring authority. Then a day or two later call back and ask for him/her by name. Make an appointment to go in to discuss something that they will be interested in. Don't say that it's you.

Show up on time, give your pitch, and don't forget to work in a test close every now and then in the conversation. Don't look at it as a job interview, look at it as you have something they need and sell it to them.

Another idea is to look for intangible sales jobs: advertising, insurance, mutual funds, etc. They frequently start you out on a draw.

To get something going right away and get some experience, find the lowest rated radio or TV stations and pitch yourself as an account executive. They can't keep good sales people because they are such a tough sell, and they are always looking for people then can train, and they normally give you a draw to begin with. Why take a low paying job? Keep in mind that it's always easier to find a job when you already have one. I'm sure your sales training has probably covered such things as self-fulfilling prophecies? Well, the truth of that is that you get what you concentrate on. So if you are desperate for a job you will be concentrating on not having a job. So not having a job is what you'll get. You become what you fear is another way of putting it; or, what you resist will persist. So if you are working you don't really need a job and will not be desperate. That makes it easier to find a new one. Nothing mysterious, just sort of a mechanical thing really.

And I don't care how great your computer skills are, or how many resumes you send out, you need to go see people in person. And, as in sales, be persistent. My colleagues at Nevada's JobConnect would tell you not to keep bugging the same employer, but they've never had to sell anything. Persistence is the key to a good salesman. Most employers that I've known, including myself, hire the person in their sights at the time they have an opening. Interviewing and hiring is as much a pain in the tush for them as it is for you to look for work. So the key is to be in the right place at the right time. They might treat you like you're being a nuisance, but as soon as they need someone quickly, who are they gonna remember? Vous.

Thank you very much Buzz123 for your ideas and understanding. Since I haven't had to look for work for almost 20 years, this is very helpful indeed. I will look into pursuing your suggestions.Wishing you a nice day.

[airics]

Originally Posted by almark

Right, the realities of life are not such as you suggest in this day and age. Please try to be a little kinder to others. You have a very biting style.

but he is correct...

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by airics

but he is correct...

Can you imagine what it's going to be like on forums like this when the Millennials are out of college and need a job?