I just got off the phone with a potential client.
Actually it was a job interview. I could use some quick cash to get myself out of my situation and I need some capital for a project I’m working on. It was a 5 person B2B organization hiring for a director of marketing. The job paid 70K/year. They work virtually so it was a telecommuting job.
((I don’t want this to turn into a anti-job thread, I have my reasons and if you want to debate about it start a new thread and I’ll be happy to talk with you there))
I saw the industry they were in, I saw some flaws/problems they had, and I thought I could help. I do a great job of 'acting' like an extrovert, but I'm not. I'm an internal creature, other people drain me and I'm terrified of the phone. (You might remember me working as a telemarketer for some time. Yes, I did. I did that to force myself to talk on the phone more).
Talking to potential customers is easy for me. Talking to business owners and people of importance is harder.
I emailed the president and COO a cover letter last night, and called the president today at 12.
We talked for 45 minutes. The first question he asked me: “What made you think I’d take your call today?†The whole thing’s a blur but I think I answered by saying something like “I had nothing to lose, so why not?â€
I started the conversation asking if he was looking for somebody to market for their clients or somebody who can market for the company. He said both.
I talked to him about his website, how he currently lands new clients, how their USP isn’t clear on their main website, how he should productize to make more money, etc.
I told him how I’d go about taking their long sales process and shorten it via inbound/content marketing. I wanted to tighten everything up a notch and take them to the next level.
He asked me about my experience, my schooling, etc. I was SO NERVOUS but I pushed through.
In the end, he told me I wasn’t a good fit for the position. They were looking for someone who can help their clients, not someone who can help the company. I spent the interview talking about the wrong thing (despite having asked him what he was looking for).
However, he said he likes my experience and some of the things I talked about during the interview. He said he’d like to bring me on as a consultant to help market their rebranding. He said “I appreciate your aggressionâ€
I ended the conversation by asking him about the call. “Did I seem nervous?†“What can I do better on my next call to make me a more persuasive caller?â€
He told me I tend to be self-deprecating. I talk too much about my failures and that’s not what an employer looking to hire a 70K employee wants to hear. He told me to BS my confidence on future calls. He said he can tell I was young and ‘unpolished’. I also talk too much.
I walked away from the conversation feeling how I always do after talking with stranger: drained.
But it was a good experience for me. I got somebody new to work with, I stepped out of my comfort zone, and I learned how to do it better the next time.
Actually it was a job interview. I could use some quick cash to get myself out of my situation and I need some capital for a project I’m working on. It was a 5 person B2B organization hiring for a director of marketing. The job paid 70K/year. They work virtually so it was a telecommuting job.
((I don’t want this to turn into a anti-job thread, I have my reasons and if you want to debate about it start a new thread and I’ll be happy to talk with you there))
I saw the industry they were in, I saw some flaws/problems they had, and I thought I could help. I do a great job of 'acting' like an extrovert, but I'm not. I'm an internal creature, other people drain me and I'm terrified of the phone. (You might remember me working as a telemarketer for some time. Yes, I did. I did that to force myself to talk on the phone more).
Talking to potential customers is easy for me. Talking to business owners and people of importance is harder.
I emailed the president and COO a cover letter last night, and called the president today at 12.
We talked for 45 minutes. The first question he asked me: “What made you think I’d take your call today?†The whole thing’s a blur but I think I answered by saying something like “I had nothing to lose, so why not?â€
I started the conversation asking if he was looking for somebody to market for their clients or somebody who can market for the company. He said both.
I talked to him about his website, how he currently lands new clients, how their USP isn’t clear on their main website, how he should productize to make more money, etc.
I told him how I’d go about taking their long sales process and shorten it via inbound/content marketing. I wanted to tighten everything up a notch and take them to the next level.
He asked me about my experience, my schooling, etc. I was SO NERVOUS but I pushed through.
In the end, he told me I wasn’t a good fit for the position. They were looking for someone who can help their clients, not someone who can help the company. I spent the interview talking about the wrong thing (despite having asked him what he was looking for).
However, he said he likes my experience and some of the things I talked about during the interview. He said he’d like to bring me on as a consultant to help market their rebranding. He said “I appreciate your aggressionâ€
I ended the conversation by asking him about the call. “Did I seem nervous?†“What can I do better on my next call to make me a more persuasive caller?â€
He told me I tend to be self-deprecating. I talk too much about my failures and that’s not what an employer looking to hire a 70K employee wants to hear. He told me to BS my confidence on future calls. He said he can tell I was young and ‘unpolished’. I also talk too much.
I walked away from the conversation feeling how I always do after talking with stranger: drained.
But it was a good experience for me. I got somebody new to work with, I stepped out of my comfort zone, and I learned how to do it better the next time.
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