Sunday, July 27, 2008

The decision

It has been one year and one month in this company, and almost time to make a decision between Sales & Account Management:

I am a friendly people person, but i am not comfortable to sell yet. That I have to try all ways and means to make people buy my product. Ie: Pushing, seeing/manipulating the numbers, continual talking, entertaining.
I am a sensitive person, and am not very thick skinned. Meaning, i dont handle rejections. I should use my sensitivity to size up a client needs, and learn how to make deals.
I can maintain relationships, and upsell when necessary, but closing a deal is quite a different animal. I have to be very agressive, which is in part, not my nature as I am not motivated yet. I guess the end game for me is to never never give up. That is my goal and my motivating factor now. To be able to sell. Why, it is just to prove to myself and others that I can do it. I won't let anyone tell me I can't do it. Currently, I have two people who believe in me, my mom and Alvin. That alone will take me the distance.
I like challenges, and my AM may provide a different set of challenges to do with managing clients and their expectations, hopefully in my current pet market: China

Meanwhile, Alvin advises that Sales can be learnt, so long I have someone to guide me/for me to learn from. And of course Mom tells me to read up on Sales Techniques. Given that I have the option to do AM, I should take my time, and take up Sales when i am comfortable and have built up my confidence. It is one thing to sell, it is another to sell in a new environment. So one step at a time.

As a backup, what can I do after AM?
http://www.wetfeet.com/Careers-and-Industries/Careers/Account-Management.aspx
I can work in a field that uses my wide network of clients in N.Asia
I can handle relationship management, and understand the sales process
I will have deep product knowledge in FX Options and Risk Mgmt
Depending on how things change, I may have the opp to do Sales and other types of Sales later. Ie: Sales and trading, sales and research, etc...

I guess for now, I have to be happy, comfortable. Some capabilities are god-given, and for me, i am blessed to be well-liked and hardworking. The rest that I haven't discovered yet, I will push my limits till I get there.

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