more notes on the salesman

the sales personality is never happy or kind except when it is trying to convince you of something. they get a pretty big rush just off of the attempt (which makes them glow and serves the purpose, see "sales"). but also, this is how they measure their self worth--by seeing how many people they can make "like them" emough to sell them on their message. this serves a very valid function in terms of telling them if they've "still got it" as anyone makeing a living exclusively on an elusive talent should certainly want to know. However, I think that they also determine their personal esteem on this measure, and so when they are not working their magic on someone they feel lost and uncertain and walk around looking gruff.

the greater the challenge the greater the rush, so maybe that's another reason for aggressive sales tactics that seek to lie as much as possible.

perhaps in their personal lives also they may resort to convincing people of things that aren't true just for the sake of it--it should be a short step from sales to at least mild pathological lying, once you associate lying with such a positive rush (as making a sale--the main way you get approval from yourself and others).

this is also why they "get hot" and "slump". when a lot of sales are going through, the salesman gets so giddy on his/her godlike powers of persuasion that they have redoubled energy to be even friendlier and more aggressive, make more sales. when serveral of their pitches go badly, they begin to doubt themselves, their abilities, their very worth as people, and so can barely smile at the next potential cutomer (who now looks rather like the next certain rejection).

I'm also sure the commision system arose because the sales personality is so imprecise (see "sales") that he/she would treat a verbal commitment to buy just like getting the dollars themselves, and so basing their pay on dollars received is the only way to get them to apply their powers to this comparatively mundate detail.

**as an addendum, i'm working with a salesperson now who i like and respect, who doesn't seem to be an idiot at all, and who seems to pretty much keep his word. lucky me.