by Freddy S. Zalta

Now Available on Amazon (available for Kindle and Paperback)

All his life Freddy Goodwell has been selling himself or other accessories. No salesman makes all the sales – he has had success selling to some people and has not even made a dent with others, all part of the life of a salesman. After a whole life of flights, train rides and lousy hotels in small towns across the country with nothing in his pockets to show for it – he is at a boiling point. When the “big sale” becomes the “big lie” he is pushed beyond the point of no return. When his meltdown goes viral he sees that he is not alone. This is Freddy Zalta’s third novella being published. His other works include “Corey’s Coming,” “Taxi’ and “F train Chronicles.”
 
 
Here is a excerpt from my novella – please buy it or ask me for more information.
 
A good salesman has mastered the most difficult and the most vital part of the sale – the selling of himself. It’s a one man show, an improv with the spotlight shining directly at you.
Other than some basic product information, there is no predetermined script in most cases.
When you walk into a room everyone notices because you have that dynamic persona. You adjust automatically to the audience you face – it is you and them. You smile, you look your audience in the eyes and you greet them all individually. Your handshake is firm and your smile is wide. You can sell yourself to anyone – you must be convinced of that otherwise you will fail. Even though it’s the products, manufacturing or the retailer’s compliance list that sometimes can cause a hiccup or kill sales; in the end whether an appointment is successful or not – it’s all on you.
There is no pointing fingers, there are no excuses and you don’t have the time for that anyway. Believe me a lot of the time there are fingers to be pointed and excuses to be made. But it doesn’t mean shit when your bank account is dwindling and you have bills to be paid. Con Edison and Verizon don’t give a damn whether the shipping department did not follow Wal-Mart’s compliance procedures correctly. American Express and Visa could give two shits about the dock workers strike which caused the delays in shipments from China; which caused the order to be canceled. Which caused the commission check to never be written or deposited in the bank account that is now hovering at $159.23.
When you are given a product to sell you become obsessed. Your mind takes it on as an appendage – you daydream and stay up at night thinking about different ways you can sell, market or improve the product.
You drive all the people in your life crazy; you are in a tunnel and you are focused. No one else can understand the obsession. No one can respond quickly enough to your requests because you live with a sense of urgency not shared by anyone else. It’s your livelihood on the line.
You feel the pressure; your own job is on the line, other people’s jobs are on the line; not to mention your credibility within your company and among the retailers you sold the goods to. You always feel like you are on borrowed time with everyone involved. What have you done today to make this company money?
If it succeeds, you are looked upon as a friend, a professional and someone who really knows what he is doing. You are approached for answers, you are given the best seat at the meetings and frequently asked if you’d like a cup of coffee, lunch or an after-hours drink.
But if it flops people avoid you as if you have leprosy. They order lunch without asking you and never ask for your advice. Meetings are held without you being included and private conversations are whispered in the far corners of the office. Lunch dates, drinks and coffee – you are on your own buddy.
It’s a long ride home when you are in a slump. All the promises made once upon a time are forgotten and the smiles that were once so easy to come by have disappeared. The commission dries up and so does your bank account. You don’t want to come home because it will just be a reminder of bills to pay, things to buy and the looks of disappointment on the faces of the ones who used to love you.
Finally you land a whale; they test out your product and you hold your breath. You get pats on the backs and you hear whispers that this is the sale they brought you in for…
You wait for the reports and you hold your breath. If it sells and it succeeds, you are placed upon the podium and applauded. If it doesn’t…
 
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