Synergistic Red Fuse ...

mapman
13,500 posts
07-14-2016 10:39am
"I was a salesman for a few years early on ( and a half decent one) but a software/systems engineer for the last 30 or so.

So I can swing both ways in that sense."

Maybe so, but you swung and missed on my Best Coffee in the World post. 

Mapman opined,

"And yes there is a lot of great coffee out there and chances are no two people are likely to agree upon which is the best.

Maxwell House is pretty darn competitive I find these days with some coffees costing 10X as much, if properly brewed."

Woooosh! 

Yes I never thought much of Maxwell House in the past.  Has it gotten better or is it just me?

I have a Beeswax fuse in the pre that replaced Audio tuning Supreme with fantastic results. Only trouble it needs a very long burn in.

^^^  *lol*  ^^^

Mapman ...

I've worked as a 100% commissioned salesperson for most of the past 53 years. In my field, its important to understand personality types. There's four basic types with combinations mixing the four.

Engineers are a breed of their own. Its almost impossible to get them to make a decision on the spot. Many of them suffer from "analysis paralysis."

The best approach with an engineer is to leave him/her with all of the paperwork/contract and let them think it over, over night, then call them the next day for their decision. Many times they will say ... "Oh, everything looks great. Its all signed. Come on over and pick the paperwork up."

Salespeople who try to pressure an engineer into a decision before he/she is ready to make the decision are dead meat.

Each of the four personality types has its biggest fear. With the engineer, its the fear of criticism. That's why they measure 15 times and cut once. That's also why they take a doubting posture when it comes to things they can't measure. 

Of course there are varying degrees and a mix of personality types, but normally one type will be dominant in each person. If a salesperson is to be successful, then its important that he/she understands the differences and learns to "sell" to each individual type. 

The engineer, because he/she carefully analyses everything to death, usually ends up with a nice, comfortable retirement because they have planned for it. They are financially frugal and very intelligent people. Also, they drive their spouses crazy. :-)

With the engineer, its the fear of criticism.

Not sure about that. The best engineers strive for accuracy and avoid making mistakes that will have consequences to someone down the road.

Almarg is a good example here.
Also having a law background puts him in a class of his own.

Read up about the Challenger space shuttle disaster for a textbook example. I worked in Huntsville Al. at the time down teh road from Marshal Space Flight Center where those engines were tested. My companies Computer Aided Design software at the time was used to design the shuttle. Human error not technology led to its fate. I was still a young pup but I witnessed how all the engineers I knew were totally shattered that day.