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How would a Buddhist approach being a tele-marketer?
ravkes
Veteran
I have a job where I generate sales leads for clients who sell software and hardware solutions for government and hospital entities. I make calls all day to high-level IT professionals in an effort to gain information from a potential prospect to qualify them as a closeable opportunity for the sales team. My job generally consists of finding ways to convince people to speak with a sales representative further about a solution over the phone.
I don't like my job because of the idea of convincing somebody to do something they don't want to do, and having to be overly aggressive in doing it. I think I am too nice of a person sometimes and very concerned with how people are feeling and in this job I feel like I annoy people more than help them.
I have worked in non-profits in the past and this was a good trait for that field, but here I feel as if I have to dump my core values (empathy, respect, compassion) for a quick buck (that, don't get me wrong, is vitally needed as a recent college grad. with loans..) - so I feel very conflicted, stuck and hopeless. It seems like my idealism, passions and true nature is being stifled by the extremely competitive, capitalistic, and greed-driven society that I loathe but must assimilate into in order to make a living..
What is a realistic way of looking at my job so I can be motivated to do my best? Anybody here in sales? Do you view what you do as having a positive impact in the world at large?
Thanks.
I don't like my job because of the idea of convincing somebody to do something they don't want to do, and having to be overly aggressive in doing it. I think I am too nice of a person sometimes and very concerned with how people are feeling and in this job I feel like I annoy people more than help them.
I have worked in non-profits in the past and this was a good trait for that field, but here I feel as if I have to dump my core values (empathy, respect, compassion) for a quick buck (that, don't get me wrong, is vitally needed as a recent college grad. with loans..) - so I feel very conflicted, stuck and hopeless. It seems like my idealism, passions and true nature is being stifled by the extremely competitive, capitalistic, and greed-driven society that I loathe but must assimilate into in order to make a living..
What is a realistic way of looking at my job so I can be motivated to do my best? Anybody here in sales? Do you view what you do as having a positive impact in the world at large?
Thanks.
0
Comments
Practice hard too.
no need to be aggressive or exagerate.
as a buddhist, we shd not lie.
anyway, you dont like the job.
start looking for sth else.
I felt like you a for a long time, with various jobs I had. If you want to do something more meaningful, then you have to figure out a way to achieve that. A lot of people go through life doing a job that they don't feel reflects their core values. While some people can handle it well, for others it can cause a lot of suffering for them and ultimately other people in their lives because of how they handle their suffering. Of course, it's also important to remember that a lot of your suffering can be internally caused by the way you perceive something. But there is a limit to what you can change internally.
What I would suggest is that you spend some time reflecting with yourself to find out what you really like to do and what motivates you. Set some achievable goals and work towards them. Don't look for a quick fix, and be as flexible as you can. Although, you could look for a short-term bandaid while you're working towards achieving your higher goals. You can also keep it simple. Maybe you could work in telemarketing in a different way-- find a product or service that you feel is beneficial for people and then you won't feel like you are betraying your values so much.
Om Mani buy my things
Om Mani buy my things
Also remember, that if someone chooses to buy something, that is their choice. You aren't forcing them into it. If they don't have the ability to say no, that isn't your fault.
In the end, it depends on what you can do. If it's not working for you, then you need to recognize that and work towards finding something that'll work better.
It didn't feel right.
Sales didn't.
Doubt if this has anything to do with buddhism tough.
It's just...not a nice job, pushing people into buying stuff.
However, if you don't have a choice.
Just do it.
Gotta eat and such.
First of all, this is a violation of the Fair Debt Collections Act (which I recall from a previous job at an attorney's office). Secondly, any telemarketer or debt collector calling a hospital and tying up the lines like that is an FCC violation-- which I discovered as I was filling out an official complaint on the FCC's website. I spoke with the HR department and they had dealings with him recently also-- and had a phone number (the phone number showed as unlisted on the switchboard). I did a bit of homework on Google and found out a few more helpful pieces of information.
He called again and I had the call transferred to me (this time he actually on the line). I told him I was filing a complaint to the FCC. He never called again the rest of the day...