I read all these things about Manliness and the Entrepreneurial spirit and there I some things I just don`t get.
Here are my premises.
Most of the time, Manliness is equated with:
- not caring for what others think;
- going against the tide;
- doing what one damn thinks is good for himself and by his own standards;
- having the balls to create something new;
- having the guts of asking for the order or asking a girl out;
- etc.
Sounds awfully alot like the salesman profile.
Call it professional bias, but here`s my view of it. I must point out I have seen both sides of the fence, whether sales assistant or compliance/pursuit.
I think most salesmen are borderline tornados, Catch-me-if-you-can style.
Theyre good at what they do (selling), but most of them are coincidentally very good to rake in commissions and cheques AND they leave a path of chaos behind them (let others work out the paper (good or bad) and sue them). Specially the top dogs - some of them earn more in a year than you
ll probably earn in 10 or a lifetime.
I think they are not accountable enough. Yes, they are vital, they activate
the business cycle (i.e. until a sale is done, nothing happens).
But once the commission cheque is cashed in, chances are youll never see that money back if you sue the rep (it
s most probably immediately spent in lifestyle
expenses). Thats the corresponding risk part of the big paycheck equation.
That being said, there usually exists some type of insurance for malpractice. But its a real joke, IMHO. It just gives the burden of pursuit to the insurer. But, once again, if you try to sue a guy for a big commission cheque that
s already been spent in vacation/drinks/touring, youll never see the money back. Throw him in jail, you won
t see your money back either, and hell cost even more to the general public (he
s now a public liability whereas before he was a producer and returned some money back in the system).
That lack of responsibility having not changed in the last century, they should be paid less and the chunk taken away from their previous salary should go in an actuary managed defense
fund. That way everybody would be happy. I have no idea how the chunk would amount to (1%, 5%, whatever?).
I have nothing against salesmen. They are vital in the economy. I just point out the other/less known part of the sales cycle. And how sometimes a few rotten apples costs big money to everybody. And, maybe, how to change the culture
.
I dont blame them for doing so. Heck, if the system is gentle, why should they change? You could also say Caveat Emptor. If Joe Buyer is a dumbass, that
s his problem and hell learn something. But isn
t that encouraging status quo?
Now that my premises have been detailed, let`s get back to the original question:
Bottom line, is the equation Manliness = Salesmanship = Borderline criminal?
(I expect flak back, by the way.)