(Sales) Interviews Beards (stupid question)

Dell "personality" lol. Whatever man. Look, I have 52 reps and managers that work for me. I work for one of the 10 largest software companies in the world and hire 10-20 new reps per year only to fire about half of them. You can take my word for it or continue to believe what you want to believe.

I have not worked for Dell in almost 10 years. low margin products are for suckers. Dell is a great place to learn how to use the phone though. Not sure if it still is, but in the early to mid 1990s it was fantastic.

Ram: our inside guys have an OTE at 60-100 depending on experience. But the call center is a trap. Easy to get in, very hard to get out. I dont hire or manage the inside team.

As for smoking, if I can tell you smoke (i.e. smell it) I am not putting you in front of a client. It will not offend most of them, but I am not going to take that chance.
 
All I've got to say is little mans complex. Ol GB probably has a little red porsche to put his well dressed *** on as well. Too bad he should be more worried about hitting up the gym but i guess they make nice big suits as well. Good luck on that 45 year retirement bro.
 
This whole thing is weird. Someone asks for advice in getting hired for sales, somone gives advice, and someone else gets all pissed because...well, I'm not sure.
I'm the last one to care about what I wear, I think it's silly and wasteful, and I'm not in sales. And gee, guess why I'm not in sales? Because I don't care about what I wear. I think people *ought* not care about that sort of **** when judging a product, but apparently some do.
 
So now we know how to be a well-appointed corporate metrosexual selling machine. Nice. Hey, do I go with the Brut or is Old Spice still acceptable? What about some best practices on manicure and hair gel. Tassels or laces on the shoes? Help a brother out here. What are your best teeth-whitening secrets? Tony Robbins on the iPod. Oh yeah, ************. This is sales. You're gonna get the Glengarry leads, and coffee is for you, you ******* closer.

No offense though, sales is an honorable profession. If someone wasn't out selling most of us wouldn't have jobs.

As an IT exec I see lots of consultan-- er, salespeople (hardware, software, services, you name it) but if a sales guy walks in my office with french cuffs and the whole pretentious accoutrement described in this thread, well, ****. That's just funny.
 
Interesting post...especially since I am in outside sales for a technology company.

I agree on the having a nice suit, nice slacks, a sport coat, shined shoes, etc especially for an interview or meeting with a C-Level exec. Personally, I am a Brooks Brothers fan...almost all of my work clothes come from there and I have Hart Shaffner Marx suits. I also believe in having a clean shave and not smoking, but those are my personal preferences. I don't know many people who sport the full beard anymore. What I don't get, is the watch comments. I am a big fan of Kenneth Cole watches because they are in the $70-$200 range and look (to me) just as good as anything else. If someone doesn't want to hire me because I don't waste money on a watch, so be it. it just doesn't seem practical to spend $10k+ on a watch.

The other comment I don't get is the company logo shirts; seemed a little pretentious. I've attended many customer trade shows or conferences where the company shirt made aboslute sense. The fact is, if someone is wearing it, you have no idea of the reason. So, why pass judgement. Both the logo shirt and watch comments leave me with the impression that GB is a little full of himself. So be it. I know plenty of people that make more money than he mentioned and aren't nearly as judgemental. But to each their own.

My guess on the software company is Vmware, but who knows and I'm not sure they are actually a top 10 software company yet. I do know some of the guys there were pulling down major bank the last few years.
 
That's my whole point. If you've ever been on this board and read any similar posts to interviews, suits, beards, dress, etc. Gardner Barnes comes on here full of himself and utter **** pimping his over the top metroself. My guess is VMWare too and their all snobs that work up there. I just can't stand conceited jerks who get on here spouting off more about themselves and how vain they are vs. really giving people good advice on the subject at hand, which was should I have a beard in the interview or not. F tools!
 
I have gone into one interview with a beard. 2005 and Alabama was 6-0 and about to play Tennessee. My roommate and i decided we wouldn't shave until Bama lost.

enter the job interview, i kept the beard, and the first thing i did in the interview was apologize for the beard, told them the circumstances and offered to shave it if i was offered the job.

They said no way, not until we beat Tennessee
biggrin.gif
 
I'm in software sales, I never wear logo swag. not even on the trade show floor...why? because it's typically too ******* expensive to have me wasting my time on the floor. Thats not me being pretentious, thats me knowing the cost of doing business and what type of person usually prowls the Javitts/Moscone/Sands center.

Watch: a nice quality watch shows that you have been earning, because simple logic would dictate that you bought it and can afford the ****, which means you can sell your ****, which means you know your ****, which means the customer can trust that you are and that you are not full of ****. In many ways its a sign of maturity, that you have been around and have been successful.

French cuffs are not pretentious, it's a matter of taste. I prefer them when wearing one of my nicer suits. Today will not be one of those days as I will not be suiting up. but since pretension is being bandied about i will note that I will be wearing $400 shoes, a rolex, a cashmere coat, and a custom made shirt.

GB is not full of ****, some of us working in industries where you can make some decent cash and its important to dress professionaly/accordingly.

that is all
 
Dell is pushing VM ware hard.

dionysus, you say you're a It guy, but your information says that you're a secret agent?
 
God forbid someone save and invest their money instead of showing off with a rolex. Again, there is a difference between dressing like a professional and dressing in a manner that screams "hey, look at me...I spend lots of money. You don't know whether I make lots of money, but I spend like crazy to give you that impression."
 
I don't think you understand or can tell the difference between a good quality watch that is classy and some bling ****.



EEK011457_121207131243.jpg
 
the kid who drove me to HS junior year wore a real rolex

i never did get around to asking him about enterprise software for my fortune 200 company though
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I have almost that exact same watch. Mine is the DateJust though. I love it. Simple and classy.

Also, you could light it on fire and kick it off a cliff and it would still work fine. That could not be said for the kenneth cole watches i had in HS.
 
what is the difference between the date and the datejust? i am also really liking the stainless submariner with black bezel/face. understated enough (no extra chronometer faces, etc), could look casual, but would go fine with a dark suit as well.
 
Oh my this is the most Chris Kris thread I have ever read....awesome.

Regardless.....Software sales has been and will always be a different world/lifestyle. Too each his own.

But in general man if you are worried about your interview make sure you are cleaned, pressed, shaved, alert, shined, and most importantly yourself.

Expensive taste is Expensive.

Good taste is all that is needed.

and dont be a douche.
 
this thread really took off. i'm not worried about the interview. i am good at what i do and confident in my ability. i have the track record to back it. i know how to dress myself as well. i was simply looking for confirmation that i needed to kill the beard prior to the meet.

thanks for all the advice from those who actually know software sales and the good laughs from those who think it is a ridiculous profession. i enjoy the **** out of it.
 
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