Words of Wisdom

The following is written by Sgt. Shields, of the United States Marine Corps. He recently returned from active duty in Iraq. Before his career in the Marines, Sgt. Shields was an expert salesman. Sgt. Shields has been giving our call center a little basic training of his own and offering some great advice. Here’s what he left us with before he returned to his station in California:

Words of Wisdom:

To all the valuable employees of PhoneSmart,

My time here is quickly coming to an end. It has been an experience to say the least. Hope all of you have been able to learn a little something, or at least stop and think for a moment about what is being said.

Before I go I wanted to leave you with a few words of wisdom. As all you know the Marine Corps is my life, and most of what I have to say comes from there. But I believe it can be put to great use here. J.J.DID TIE BUCKLE it’s the acronym we use to remember the 14 leadership traits. Even in civilian life everyone is a leader, and how you choose to use these traits determines many things in your life. Like how pleasant your daily working experience is; is you career on a fast track or are you just stuck in the middle of the ranks hiding out, are you the go to person in a time of crisis because you always get the job done? In a sales related job field these will also help you with your earning potential. Are you happy with how much you are earning? Are you happy with the progress of your career?

I’m going to give you the leadership traits. I want you to think about them and what they mean to you. I know what they mean to me.

I hope you constantly stop and think about what these mean to you and how you can apply them in all aspects of your life.

Now for a few words just on sales. Sales is one of the greatest careers. It is very challenging and rewarding both personally and financially. The majority of sales is mental. An a facility like this one if everyone carries themselves and acts like the adults we all are the majority of the petty office antics will stop. So you can focus on the customer and sales, not that stupid office quarrel. When you are able to get your head right and stay focused on the customer your sales numbers will go up.

Be professional to the customer at all times, no matter what the customer does. The customer is ALWAYS right. It is a proven fact if a customer has a bad experience they will tell 9 out of 10 friends about it. If you notice your numbers declining, always fall back on the basics. The system does work and it will work for you. If you are a new addition to the staff, learn the basics by heart. You have to crawl before you walk. Also, treat the customer the way you want to be treated. Don’t be afraid to try new things after you have the basics. Everyone will have a different style. Just relax and find your niche then enjoy the money.

Thanks for letting me work with you for a while.

Until next time,