Take a good look at their portfolio and ask yourself if you were shown it would you pay X for their work.  imagine you were a new customer walking in - would you feel comfortable.  Think like a customer and if you think they push all the correct buttons then one would think if your approach is correct that you should convert a good few leads.  What happened the last person?  You are right to challenge them a bit - doing so shows a strong interest in succeeding otherwise you might appear as just someone trying it out for the crack for a month or two.  Hope it works out whatever you do.

I don't know much about this business but what I will see from a complete outsider opinion is: the only thing to sell if you're going to continue working in sales is stuff people eternally need/want. Companies can cut down on advertising but no matter how poor we all get by this credit crunch, I WILL get a professional portrait of my baby done... so remember that  Good Luck my dear! xoxox

Don't fret so much! I'm a bit (just a little bit, LOL) older than you and I still feel the same.

I'm reminded of the lyrics in the sunscreen song - "Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year olds I know, still don't!"

Hi Lisa

I wish you luck in whatever you decide, I hope it all works out well for you, and keep you chip up in this stressful time.

Remember, do you work to live or live to work!!

Martin  

Oh everyone is so nice:) Thank you all for your advice. I find out today whether I will be offered this job, I think I would prefer to take it but as I've been told one thing and got another by this company, I think I should meet again with the guys from Studio22 to go over the finer details, Like targets, the realisim of reaching, the bonus structure and make sure that what they tell me is going to happen will happen. Martin, I've been cold calling for 4months now in this sales job, it's a pain in the A**, some people are so friggin ignorant and I think I'm not tough enough to deal with the constant No's and down right rudeness of these Brand Managers who think they are something!

I know the photography business will be a certain amount of tele-marketing, but the leads are hot leads, people who have expressed an interest & are wanting to be called to arrange an apt.

Thanks everyone for your advice, your all so kind, this is so stressful trying to know what direction to take in life when I have no general idea of what career I do want.

Lisa xx

Given the fact you've given more info on the Photography Studio Co. rather than your current employer, it sounds to me as if your minds made up - being in sales myself if you're given  unachievable targets, and have a lack of support from your employer, you're on a hiding to nothing as you'll become totally demotivated and, won't be able to work to your full capacity.
You'll have much mopre empathy towards customers/potential customers given your interest in modelling, and to get leads yourself, can you go out and canvas personally yourself? - ie leaflets in shopping malls etc, rather than cold calling over the phone - as I think you'd get a high conversion rate for that. If you need any help on cold calling either via phone, or in person - pm me and I'll be glad to help any way I can.

regards,

Martin.

i actually think u may be able to do both.. take me out for coffe and we can chat about it... x

I run a software company as my day job and deal with many differnet dealers and sales/distribution companies all over Ireland. The one constant that I have seen over the years is the training. There are only two variations - those that train staff and those that don't. And rarely does one cross from the latter to the former. It would be a culture thing.

I know a lot of people in the medical end and between the wine-ing and dining, networking and medical knowledge it is so very very competitive - thats why so many nurses/matrons cross over to medical sales - they have the contacts and the product knowledge.

I would think that your gut instinct is right. Whether the photography company is right for you is another issue but if you want to do well in, and for, a company , you need to be equipped to do that - otherwise you will get no satisfaction from it.
If they cannot help you be the best at your role through training I think you should certainly seek another position where your interest in training is recriprocated.

Alan