After writing out this thread and editing, it ended up being a bit of a brain-dump. I was hoping to check in with the forum to see what you can discern from the below summary of my exploits over the last few years.
I've just about settled back in the U.S. (NYC) after three years living abroad. Over those years I built some foundational skills which allowed me to sell products to the oil and gas industry for my first ever business success. In other threads I've mentioned how this business had stalled yet remains my legacy project which will take additional years and capital to fully realize. In the meantime I am looking to identify another business channel in a different industry *(more on this later)*. Specifically one with a simpler sales cycle than O&G and one that offers the sufficient intrigue for me to commit to.
Here are some starters about me:
- I am old-fashioned in my marketing.
Everything I enjoy in both life and business centers around being a "hunter" and knocking on doors (figuratively and literally) for opportunity and network building.
- I like selling products but would love to sell services.
Services offer the benefit of recurring payment while products offer prospective customers an easier way to say "yes", generally speaking. For some reason I enjoy being a middle-man and selling and offering things I don't necessarily own or directly offer.
- I have more of a "pants-on-fire" personality as opposed to being a thorough and analytical person.
This helps when the task at hand is to complete an objective-based or numbers-based assignment (for example scouring for a rare piece of inventory or for pitching a service to 200 residential houses). Challenges tend to be posed beyond that stage or whenever operations require a more focused and non-frantic approach.
* Regarding using my skills and attributes to provide value elsewhere, in the past year I have experimented with selling the following (independently, not as anyones employee or as a contractor).*
Solar Energy Installs
B2B Phone Prospecting
Procurement Services
Home Cleaning Services
Mineral Rights Leasing
Fine Arts
For most of this list I did manage to build rapport very quickly with prospective customers. On one occasion last year I was pitching Solar Energy Panels to mid-sized shopping malls and one responded positively. It was as simple as walking into their managements office, asking to speak with the appropriate manager, and getting authorization to climb onto the malls roof to take video for measurements and also get a copy of their energy bills. This deal did not end up crossing the finish line due to the companies priorities.
On another occasion (today actually) I was looking for homeowners in upper-middle class neighborhoods that had artwork they would be willing to sell and found a few who said they did. One older couple even invited me into their home to review the artwork they'd sell. I took photos of all the for-sale art on my phone. My thoughts here are to investigate and see if there are any people who buy unwanted art and then determine if such a venture would offer a worthwhile profit margin.
As these examples illustrate, I tend to search for someone who either has something they'd care to sell or who wants something they'd care to buy, without me directly being the provider or buyer.
Getting some type of job is what some might suggest but it'd be more appreciated if you suggested something beyond that, so I'll wrap up by asking:
What would the fastlane do?
P.S. I can admit I am all over the place, yet I am not necessarily some action-faker who can't commit to one path either. I spent years developing my o&g business and network but for the reasons mentioned at the start, I can't rely on it as a frequent revenue generating model at this time. This is more me seeking feedback on my habits and aptitudes.
I've just about settled back in the U.S. (NYC) after three years living abroad. Over those years I built some foundational skills which allowed me to sell products to the oil and gas industry for my first ever business success. In other threads I've mentioned how this business had stalled yet remains my legacy project which will take additional years and capital to fully realize. In the meantime I am looking to identify another business channel in a different industry *(more on this later)*. Specifically one with a simpler sales cycle than O&G and one that offers the sufficient intrigue for me to commit to.
Here are some starters about me:
- I am old-fashioned in my marketing.
Everything I enjoy in both life and business centers around being a "hunter" and knocking on doors (figuratively and literally) for opportunity and network building.
- I like selling products but would love to sell services.
Services offer the benefit of recurring payment while products offer prospective customers an easier way to say "yes", generally speaking. For some reason I enjoy being a middle-man and selling and offering things I don't necessarily own or directly offer.
- I have more of a "pants-on-fire" personality as opposed to being a thorough and analytical person.
This helps when the task at hand is to complete an objective-based or numbers-based assignment (for example scouring for a rare piece of inventory or for pitching a service to 200 residential houses). Challenges tend to be posed beyond that stage or whenever operations require a more focused and non-frantic approach.
* Regarding using my skills and attributes to provide value elsewhere, in the past year I have experimented with selling the following (independently, not as anyones employee or as a contractor).*
Solar Energy Installs
B2B Phone Prospecting
Procurement Services
Home Cleaning Services
Mineral Rights Leasing
Fine Arts
For most of this list I did manage to build rapport very quickly with prospective customers. On one occasion last year I was pitching Solar Energy Panels to mid-sized shopping malls and one responded positively. It was as simple as walking into their managements office, asking to speak with the appropriate manager, and getting authorization to climb onto the malls roof to take video for measurements and also get a copy of their energy bills. This deal did not end up crossing the finish line due to the companies priorities.
On another occasion (today actually) I was looking for homeowners in upper-middle class neighborhoods that had artwork they would be willing to sell and found a few who said they did. One older couple even invited me into their home to review the artwork they'd sell. I took photos of all the for-sale art on my phone. My thoughts here are to investigate and see if there are any people who buy unwanted art and then determine if such a venture would offer a worthwhile profit margin.
As these examples illustrate, I tend to search for someone who either has something they'd care to sell or who wants something they'd care to buy, without me directly being the provider or buyer.
Getting some type of job is what some might suggest but it'd be more appreciated if you suggested something beyond that, so I'll wrap up by asking:
What would the fastlane do?
P.S. I can admit I am all over the place, yet I am not necessarily some action-faker who can't commit to one path either. I spent years developing my o&g business and network but for the reasons mentioned at the start, I can't rely on it as a frequent revenue generating model at this time. This is more me seeking feedback on my habits and aptitudes.
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