Jus give me a break.

Well , after the six days of roadshow event. I gotta sae i got a feeling of satisfaction. I sold more than 50 sets. haha.

But the bad news was that i gotta get back to werk on sat. Haiz. jus a day rest ? im so shack. i got no voice left , my legs were stiff. But well , i needed money so i left with no choice.

Sometimes i jus think that ? working jus sucks. So tiring. But tis society if u wanan live happily, u gotta have money. Yea , its true. When u got money , a sense of happiness jus comes around u. When u dun have money , its sad , its not nice to ask my parents for money.

Well , it was then saturday. Well , i was deployed to courts megastore. wow , i tell u there are lots of politics among others but not me. Thank god.

There u can see alot of cunning ppl. Well , tis is society and wat we call it " the real world". They are jus really cunning bunch of ppl. Haiz , come to think of it , jus makes me think that tis society jus sucks. No matter wat we are doing , we must learn fast , think fast , react fast. Else ppl will be eating u up. TIS SOCIETY really sucks.

But in every werking place , there are bunch of cunning ppl around us. yes , its true. But have u met some really nice guy. lol . I did when i was werking dere.

He aslo told me the same thing , wats life all about. He's werking in NCS. And he told me that he's quite happy with his job though he's under alot of pressure. We chat and chat since there's no sales. In everything that we talk from werking to materialistic gals to " goin back home".

Well , there are things in life we gotta face. There are countless challenges ahead of us. Saying tis is easy but when it comes to action its hard. But all tis while i have been trying to put positive thoughts into my head whenever i face something uneasy. I keep telling myself i gotta work towards my goal.

For all tis part time job , jus a part time sales promoter , i keep telling myself to learn as much as i can. Haah , but i talk to ppl that really understands me. They said im not wrong and crazy, cos im working towards my goal. These are the ppl who really understand bout what's life and wat's the meaning of challenges. Thanks to them who give me positive comments.

After some time of chatting , its time for us to head back home. But guess wat , my leader sms me and saes i can rest the next day. whahahahah . Im so happy upon seeing that msg. Thanks to him else u will be seeing me in the hospital. But another bad news , ppl tell me that sch start on Monday. SIANSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. I rather work. The thing is that when we wanna go werk , we feel like studying. But when studying , we wanna werk. Humans are contradicting. Thats why its not eazy to catch human minds. haha.

The lesson: Do u dare to face challenges ahead of our lives ?? Yes or No ?? Saying it from the mouth is easy , But when u are in that situation its hard. Both of ur minds are fighting. Emotional minds Versus Logical Mind.

Craze sales at EXPO makes me feel tired

First day of sales not dat bad , but after christmas im gonna blog my results. First day was fun actually , but kinda abit stressful. Gotta keep pushing and pushing. Hhaah .. an experience lol.

Well , work from 10am -10pm everyday. Werk like 12 hrs only get like 20 mins break den go chiong for sales. Lolx. Hardwork pays off. But ITS DAMM BLADY HELL TIRING. Some customers are really morons. Some ask stupide qns. But i get use to it liao cos this is not the first time i do sales. lol. Right now my leg hurts like hell . Keep standing and hunting for potential customers. Not easy man ,Gotta keep urself alert and gotta be fast , else sales taken by others. But its fun werking with my collegues. I do learn from my seniors. Thanks to them.

Gotta get back to my cosy bed soon le ..Will blog bout wat happen during dose 5 days.


Lesson : Hard work pays off .

Intelligence ??

Is it possible to have a high IQ but lack "street smarts" or "common sense"?

I have noticed that many people who have jobs that seemingly require high IQs such as physicists, professors, analysts at Investment banks, etc. seem to lack basic common sense, but many people with jobs that would probably only require an average level of intelligence such as car salesmen seem to be rather sharp and "quick witted". Any thoughts on this one?

The jobs you mentioned require different skill sets. Different types of intelligence measures are designed for abilities such as memory and retention or speed with which a person learns. I wouldn't necessarily want someone to operate on me just because they can learn material fast. I would want someone to operate on me because they have the experience in the situation to perform reliably. The intelligence quotient is a comparison between a person and other people dependent on age. A higher IQ means that the person performs in learning settings better(at a higher age) than other people of that person's age. Yes, it is possible. A person who has always lived in a cold environment might not know that when they go to a warmer climate that they need to store their food in air-tight containers to prevent insects from becoming part of their food supply even if the person scored incredibly high on an IQ exam(even though a child who has lived in a warm setting should know what the adult didn't know).

Sharp and quick-witted is more of a personality trait aided by some level of intelligence. That said, there are plenty of people with very high IQs who have no "street smarts" because they have never needed them, while there are those who have only average intelligence but live in a world where they would be doomed without those "street smarts" or common sense. Think of the world inhabited by a research scientist versus the world of the used car salesman. HOWEVER, just because someone decides to work in a field such as sales, service, or whatever, does not preclude their having a high IQ. They may have never had the opportunity to further their education; they may just dearly love the field of work they are in; or they may choose their work based on it enabling them to do something they'd rather do - sports, travel, family, etc.

My friend's mother works at Johns Hopkins and she always says that as intelligence goes up common sense goes down. I also think that IQ is a poor measurement because we are deciding what is deemed intelligent. People with high IQs are also said to have low EQs, so I definitely think it is possible. No one is perfect at everything.


Really? I've noticed quite the opposite.
Professors, physicists, and doctors all seem very sharp and "quick witted".

People with average level intelligence just seem like they have average level intelligence! That's it!

But yes, it is possible to have a high IQ but low "street smarts". But that's probably because they didn't spend a whole lot of time socializing as kids. Street smarts is easier to develop than an actual high IQ.

After reading some answers here and thinking about it, it may come down to our own comfort zones. Some people are extroverted and others are introverted. Some people may not feel comfortable in social situations because there is so much unknown. In the academic world, it's a safer environment in a way because you are judged at what you can do. In the social world, you are judged on many other attributes such as looks and how you present yourself. There is a lot you cannot control in the social environment. In the academic environment, a person can have more control. I think it's personality. Some people thrive in ever changing environments and others thrive more in controlled environments.

There are plenty of kinds of intelligence, and book smart and the ability to do well on a written test is just one kind. There is emotional intelligence, common sense, people skills, etc. that may be lacking in someone with a high IQ, or could be part of the package. Any combination is possible.

IQ is hardly a measure of intelligence, look up Alfred Binet (a psychologist), he believes that intelligence can, quite clearly be increased, no-one has a fixed intelligence level. I've also noticed that my IQ level fluctuates over time and between test so i seriously doubt their validity.

Yeah I got street smarts, they can handle people well and am usualy high energy. People respect me, come to me for help, and view me as someone who ...pretty much know what they're doing. I would probably get a low score on iq test because I would get a headache just from looking at the test.

That din't really answer your question but... it's something to think about.


Yep - I know lots of people like that. High levels of education do not automatically equate to high levels of emotional intelligence.

From my viewpoint:

We have a lot of intelligence. For example: Emotional intelligence , Persuasion Intelligence , Pratical Intelligence , Social Intelligence , Intelligence Quotient . Simply said , intelligence are knowledge. Smartness is applying the knowledge into the real world. Human beings have different kinds of intelligence else we would not be surviving in this " Tough real world".

IQ is the ability to something like maths like logical thinking. I dunoo how to explain that.

Anybody can become a streetwise , as long as ur willing to learn. In fact everyday we are learning , be it at home , interacting , watching television. We are learning every minutes of our given life.

Streetwise like i did mention on the previous post. It is not a set of skills. It is a learn experience skills. TAKE NOTE " LEARN EXPERIENCE SKILLS". Street Wise can be taught by working. Any work will do. Each job teaches us a lesson. Why working ?? Cos during work , u will meet different kinds of ppl , any kinds. U also meet some bosses who arent fair. U encounter situations which the school doesn't teach u. So when u werk , u experience that situation. So next time when the same situation comes u noe how to think fast and react fast. Streetwise are learn from the environment , and people around u. When we interact , we are exchanging knowledge.

For exapmle , i met really smart teachers before. Some are jus intelligent. WHY ?
Smart teachers tend to win students heart into studying , i dunno how to explain here. Smart teachers knows wat the students are thinking. In my poly life , i only met 2 smart teachers. They arent strict at all alright. They jus noe the way we as a student functions.

On the flip side, Intelligent teachers are very knowledgeable. Dun u find that some lectures are talking to them self although they seems to have the knowledge ??? Dun u find that some subjects arent interesting at all , but still , Smart lecturers , win students heart ?? Notice the difference ?? Cos smart teachers are experienced.

Different jobs require different types of intelligent. Just like my brother in law. He werks as a " Fund Manager" . Tis kind of job needs alot of Financial intelligence which is knowledge . WHY ?? cos he needs to noe when the market is goin up and what are the turn over rates etc . After gaining experience , when the same situation hits upon him , and his instincts and intuition tends to tell him dat " OK , i met tis situation before , i must approach tis situation with caution." And thats smartness cos he experience before and he noes what to do.

Whereas , a doctor MIGHT be knowledgeable but when he/she's is being ask to operate a patient. He tends to have shaky hands , and have no idea which part of the veins to cut. He/She is intelligent but he might not have the pratical skills cos he/she aint experience.

So people have been confusing smartness with intelligence. So noe the difference now ??

In a nutshell ,

Streetsmart is the ability to survive in the real working world. Its taught in werk experience. u gotta sae i gotta keep learning in life. Sure , we got fears , we fall and fail. But its hard, i noe dat. I and some of my frens are experiencing that now. So when ppl have alot of IQ doesnt mean one aint smart. U nv noe.

Boring Friday afternoons

Well toade nuthin to do at hme . I woke up at 11am , and hit bedok resevoir for jogging. Lolx. Nice weather to jog le. haah. I run more than 5km. Hey its not ez man. U need to have good stamina and good breathing technique. Sad le , i jog alone if not i would be running with my jogging kaki. Haha. He went for operation where his ears got infected by dunno what. Guess whats the most interesting part during jogging. HOLY FARK , after i hit the sign 5km i still jog but im too tired to breathe thru my nose so i open my mouth and jog. Guess wat , an insect jus swoop down from the surrodings and enters my throat . DIRECTLY OK . HELLO , I GOT THE PRIZE FOR 1 MILLION DOLLARS FROM " FEAR FACTOR" where i eat insects ok. WTH. I stop by the road and TRY to vomit it out but i cant cos i was panting and breating heavily. But it jus feel like " eeeksss". But nvm i let it go and happily digested the insect. If im not wrong its kinda big , the size of 50 cents ok. Fear Factor shld hire me ba. I should expect their calls sooner or later. Lolx

But anyways , went back and eat lunch den bathe den slack at room to watch TV. haah. Theres tis show called " 101 incredible celebrity slimdown". very nice show. Woah actually now i know Gwen stafani is kinda fat man. Lolx. But she puts in effort to slim down. Right now she has dat " HOT BLONDE LOOKS" but still cant be compared to paris hilton. Paris Hilton has dat " Bitchy looks" .

But guess what , Gals love geroge coloney, hey actually he's fat in the past. Yea i agree , he looks very smart and hot. Although he looks old but i think he looks kinda attractive. Lolx. MARRY HIM GALS. Lolx. jokes aside.

Well , after that really nuthin to do so i decided to plae games "America Army". I will let the pictures do the talking ba.



JOKE OF THE DAY FOLKS:

A very smart salesman?

A neatly dressed salesman stopped a man in the street and asked -
"Sir, would you like to buy a a bottle of this mouthwash for $200.00?"

Aghast, the man said, "are you NUTS?, that's robbery!"

The salesman seemed hurt and then tries again -
"Sir, since you are a bit irate, I'll sell it to you for 1/2 price at $100.00?

Again, the man replies bluntly - "you must be crazy pal, now go away!"

The salesman then reaches into his briefcase and pulls out 2 brownies and begins munching away on one of them. He tells the irate guy -
"Sir, please share one of my brownies since I have annoyed you so much".

Unwrapping the brownie, the guy takes a bite; suddenly, the guys spits it out and says:
"HEY," he snarled, "this brownie tastes like crap!!!"

"It is," replied the salesman. "Wanna buy some mouthwash?"

About IAP complaints from 1 of my fren name Anonymous

Well , i chatted with anonymous ..cant spit out the company name ar ...cos later he kana fire..i dun wanna burn him .

Well , from the start he complain to me bout fark up IAP , so well as his fren i listen. HOLY CRAP its my turn next semester . Back to story. He saes that he werks as a electrical engineer drafter , where he needs to draw circuit using a program called " NX , autocad" . Well , from what i can understand is that he has to stare at the computer screen and draw lines circles from office hrs. Can u imagine sitting at the desk doin "NO LIFE" job for the whole blady 9 hrs. Dats crap man. wah if i were him , i take MC , i rather do sales. Right now he's in sales line as part time selling insurance. Eh lets wish him good luck and become a good salesman. I believe he can learn and 1 day seeing him on the streets dealing with clients and he will write a book on "The art of closing deals part 2". LOL ..jokes aside

Engineering is a job whereby u use IQ , u use logic to interpret ur werk , and u use 1 part of the brain only , no fun. Muz use alot ma . Den can sharpen ur thinking. If its for sales engineer den of cuz mus use alot. From what i heard , alot of china and malaysia ppl come to singapore for tis engineering job. We seldom see china ppl doin business , i mean seldom . Its true , alot of china and malaysia ppl come to polytechnic to study our engineering courses. But they are smart ppl man. Real smart alright. Most of the china student are good in programming and physics. There are a couple of students from malaysia who are good in maths. haha. But well , we do learn from each other. Each of us has its own intelligence. So nv look down alright.

Whats next ?? tis fren of mine who complains bout his " shitty little job" keep ask me to go out and plae lol . HEY sorry lei , its not i dun wan. Im werking. lolx. So i just hope that he has his direction in life . A salesman or a engineer or a pimp ??? lol.

If ur in sales wat i can tell u is dat strive hard , learn fast and instincts. GOOD LUCK TO U . STUDY HARD FOR UR insruance test . Hey DUN SELL INSURANCE TO ME LEI . IF U SELL INSURANCE TO ME , I SELL LCDs to u wor.. HAHAHAH ..Jokes aside.

here are 4 quotes for u :
- Learn fast , think fast , hardwork.
-working as what is not a major problem
-working as wat u LOVE is what makes you happy,

GOOD luck to u "Anonymous"

actually he's my poly fren haha

Marriage < From some of my frens >

Well , what is marriage ?? Anybody ?? For money or for love ??
Would u marry for money ?? are your naked eyes deceiving ???

Nowadays as u walk down the street, u see guys dat aint good looking with a good looking gal. Have u ever give it some thought ?? Well , wat i personally think that Singaporean gals are materlistic. 80 percent of the gals will go for money than love. hey dun get offended gals. i said 80 percent . The other 20 percent are rare. All tis are not lies but are facts. Ask any SG guys between 20-40, they will tell u the same thing. Dat is the fact of Singapore life. When u jus flash ur " GUCCI" wallet on the table , gals will be staring at you. U nv noe it. I met some ppl who are like that. When u ask an age 17 gal whether money is important they say "NO". WHY ?? cos they really haven gone thru life yet . Money is so hard to earn. U have to earn from ur blood and sweat. But its different when u ask a 21 yrs. HEY i ask alot. Guess wat ?? mostly sae " yes , money". even my past collegues saes " i hope to find a BF dat has a car , cash etc...".

While i was doin sales , i met alot of customers that the guy is so blady old and the gal is yung but me and my collegues can see that that guy is loaded. NO SHIT alright. We take a good look at the watch he wears. The way a rich person speaks is different. U can sae im wrong. But u can feel it. There are alot of gals who go for money den love itself. Its not wrong cos singapore society needs 5Cs to survive. Ask any gals and guys at the age of 19-45 , they will tell u that they think money is a NEED. i myself think so too .

But what makes good marriage ??? "Love" or " simply for the love for $" ??? And are ur naked eyes deceiving that a guy before marriage and after marriage ?? So who is the winner ?? Gals marry guys for money ?? Guys before marriage have some motive ?? who's the winner ?? Or simply said Do working woman love guys to be smart ?? smart makes money

ARTICLE FROM THE WEBBIE

Are SG Girls Materialistic? July 3, 2007

Posted by WishBoNe in Career, Family, Food and Drinks, Friendship, Random Thoughts, Relationships, Romance/ Love.
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A comment here states that Singaporean women are materialistic. I wonder if the progress of this country has made the women materialistic. It has often been in discussion that men and women are equal of some sorts. Women should be able to work and still clean the house after a hard day’s work while the men should be able to enjoy the warm home-cooked meal after a hard day’s work. Now that women are able to study, women should be doing what men does, here, men complete NS and so must the women too. Then they will not complain about sissy men and all.

Just last week, a colleague was stating the cost of his wedding, estimated to be 25k for the dinner itself. The cost of the flat and renovation have not been factored in yet. Why such a high cost? Parents prefer 9 course dinner. Hotels and restaurants charge peak rates for dinners held during the weekends. That’s where they rake in the money.

Although being a filthy rich guy may make you “hotter” than those handsome but poor guys, it doesn’t make sure the girl stays with you if you ain’t got the character. Mindsets here have not changed by leaps and bounds. Guys still have to pay for the majority of the wedding, it’s no wonder the marrying age is getting older and why girls are dating those old men with cash to spare. They don’t get married too old. That’s for some girls.

A materialistic girl is someone who will stay with that guy only when he can lavish gifts and expensive holiday trips on her. Once, he hits a low, expect her to disappear. This post, however, degrades the guy’s perspective.

http://twinkythots.wordpress.com/2007/07/03/are-sg-girls-materialistic/

JUST A QNS ??? WHAT IS MARRIAGE ?? HOW DO U MAINTAIN A RELATIONSHIP DAT LAST ?? JUS FOR MONEY THAT WILL LAST , IS THAT SO , WHY ??

I mayb wrong but wat i seen is alot ...So gals and Guys give Comments ...jus leave ur comments right down ..

Keeping quiet is a success < saes Trump>

What will get them the job - learning or leadership; book smarts, street smarts or skills; business savvy, short skirts or common sense; Everyone's an armchair MBA with The Apprentice.

HERE ARE THE THINGS FOR SOME READERS IF UR INTERESTED IN THE REAL DEAL BUSINESS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's some interesting point about the boardroom.

1. Most of them keep quiet as the previous contestants always do. That is the recipe of success. Sometimes I think that it's better to keep quiet because once you say something wrong, you're on the hot seat. When Trump asked Frank how he thinks about Martin, and he answered 'brilliant', Trump started to feel unhappy. Next time you want to say such thing, put a 'but' at the end before Trump interrupt.

2. Two of the contestants think that Martin and Frank should be fired. It seems like everyone expect double (or quadruple) elimination to happen sooner or later. It seems like a good answer. But I think it is lame and they were playing it safe. Maybe when next time you are in the hot seat, you will hope that you never say that.

3. Frank stumble too fast. He should realize that he lose by 200. It's not really a huge different and he should draw the line that the reason of losing is not because of the management or whatsoever.

4. On the other hand, Martin should talk less. I was wondering, why did I find his speech was so not interesting, and his proverb sounded awkward. Oh, maybe because the background music wasn't on his side. And this is reality tv. Do you ever wonder why they don't make any reality tv related to literature, history subject and nerds, except in Beauty and The Geeks, but still it's not the show about 'who want to be a geeks'.

Episode Summary: Randal and Rebecca each chose three previously fired candidates to join them for this season's final project. Randal picked Josh, Mark, and Marshawn to work with him at Excel. Rebecca selected James, Chris, and Toral to join her at Capital Edge.

Each team had three days to plan and run a charity fundraiser. Rebecca's event was the Yahoo! All-Star Comedy Benefit, hosted by Joe Piscopo, to raise money for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Randal's event was the Outback Steakhouse VIP Softball Challenge, a celebrity softball game to raise money for Autism Speaks. Rebecca's event would take place at BLVD, a Manhattan restaurant. Randal opted for Keyspan Park, a minor-league baseball field in Coney Island. The team that produced the most successful all-around event would win.

This week's episode ended on the eve of the events. Who will win and who will lose? We have to wait for next week's season finale to find out.

* * *

This episode offered great lessons about project planning. Let's take a closer look.

* * *

When Randal segmented his event into three distinct phases - tailgating, the softball game, and a party - he established a clear structure to orient his team's operations.

Success Lesson
Give people the big picture. When they have a clear context for what they are doing, they won't wander off course.

* * *

When Capital Edge hired an event marketing company to help plan the details, they took steps to make sure they were not missing any of the basics of event hosting.

Success Lesson
Hire experts. Sure, you' re smart. But when time is short you need expert advice based on real-world experience to make things come together.

* * *

Randal blew it when he told Mark to postpone a meeting with one of the announcers, who would provide humorous commentary at the ballgame. Randal apparently believed it was more critical for Mark to go shopping for party supplies with the rest of the team. When the shopping trip dragged on, Mark had to cancel the meeting altogether. As a result, the team lost critical information that might have made their event a standout.

Success Lesson
Make strategic team assignments. Meeting with one of the game commentators was more critical than buying megaphones. You have to make the right choices about what people will do, especially when time is short.

* * *

When Randal refused to rent extra tents to protect all his event's attendees if it rained, he invited disaster. As this episode was ending, the forecast changed and heavy rains were predicted for event day. Yet Randal was still waffling about renting the extra tents that could prevent a catastrophe.

Success Lesson
Anticipate the worst. The ability to prepare for everything that can go wrong often separates those who survive from those who don't. Why court disaster?

* * *

Joe Piscopo called Capital Edge on the eve of the event to say that due to union regulations, he would be unable to host it. When they got that news, Rebecca and her team moped around instead of snapping into action. They seemed to be adrift.

Success Lesson
Go ahead and panic. Rebecca and her teammates should have been calling everybody they knew who could have helped them secure a replacement for Piscopo. Overreacting is sometimes the smartest thing to do.


Episode Summary: The "Final Four" were Randal and Rebecca at Excel and Alla and Felisha at Capital Edge. The teams created a 60-second promotional video for Microsoft Office Live Meeting, a new software package that allows people in different locations to work on a single document. Microsoft executives would pick the winning video. Alla and Felisha decided to show how a harried business traveler could simplify her life with Microsoft Office Live Meeting. Randal and Rebecca opted to show a stressed executive struggling to gather presentation materials from a group of far-flung colleagues.

Randal and Rebecca produced a video with a simple plot line and a clear message. Alla and Felisha's video was cluttered with too much information. Excel won.

In the boardroom, Alla accused Felisha of trying to upstage her during the project. Felisha countered that she was only trying to win the task. Mr. Trump fired Felisha first, saying that she was not tough enough to compete in New York. Then he fired Alla, for being too difficult to manage.

* * *

This episode showed that teams that cooperate outperform teams that bicker. Let's take a closer look.

* * *

When Felisha and Rebecca seized the project-manager positions on their teams this week, they showed a hunger to "step up" and compensate for their weak performance in previous tasks.

Success Lesson
Shake it off. You botched something last week? Don't let it drag you down. Be aggressive and make every day a new beginning.

* * *

As Alla and Felisha descended into a power struggle, producing a great video became a secondary concern. A negative agenda took over and brought them down.

Success Lesson
Hold your fire. The day before a big project is due is a stupid time to start shooting down your partner.

* * *

When their video producer told Alla and Felisha that they had filmed far too much footage for a 60-second video, they kept trying to cram in as much content as possible. The result? A chaotic video that lost.

Success Lesson
Listen to experts. When time is tight and you lack the expertise, specialists can save you.

* * *

When Randal and Rebecca decided to fire the actor they had hired and have Randal star in their video instead, their on-the-spot decision saved them from disaster. A great call.

Success Lesson
Toss it. If the clock is ticking and your brilliant concept is fizzling fast, scrap it before it brings you down.

* * *

When Randal allowed Rebecca to be project manager at this intense stage of the competition, he showed his ability to be a selfless colleague. The result? They both stayed centered on the process of producing a great video and scored a critical win.

Success Lesson
Let other people shine. When you allow your colleagues to look like stars, you look even better. By so doing, Randal reaffirmed his position as one of the strongest of all the candidates this season. Compare him to Alla, who tried claw her way over Rebecca's back. Are negative politics more effective than positive politics? You decide.

* * *

When Mr. Trump fired Alla because she was too difficult to manage, he made a great call. He didn't want her on his team. Would you?

Success Lesson
Don't hire negative players. Keeping the wrong people out of your organization is more efficient than trying to improve them after they are on the payroll.

* * *

Things to look for next week: Can Randal keep his competitive edge over Rebecca, or will his kindness toward her this week weaken him? After Rebecca's great showing this week, will she still be playing catch-up with the imposing Randal and his impressive list of wins? Someone will stand and someone will fall. See you there!

readers comments on sales line < their personal thoughts>

Is sales the worst job in the world and why do some people think its actually a profession?

Im in sales too...but the truth is, its not the worst profession, its one of the most stressful ones...you know just as well as I do that we get these moron customers more often than we'd like...
but, if you think about it, sales is also the one for sure place, that gives us room for growth and possible management options one day...its tough, but isnt everything else in life hard as well?
anywhere you want to apply to, when they have seen that you work in retail or sales, they automatically know that you have good communications skills, good customer skills, product knowledge..ect ect...your only setting yourself up for a more impressive resume if you ask me....good luck and always look at the brighter sides to things...there is a positive for every single negative aspect...remember that :)


A good sales person in the right industry and job can make as much money as a Doctor or Lawyer. It is one of the few careers that literally lets you determine how much money you will make. If you can put up with all of the negatives involved; working weekends and holidays, high pressure, etc, it is a great job.


Profession is made from the word Profit and the word session. So Sales is more of a Profession then anything else! If you don't like sales you're in the wrong Profession. Go find another Profession, I'm in Sales and I like it. I have my own website.. www.dollardaysplus.biz
I work whenever I want. I take holidays whenever I want. Selling door to door you get to meet people. Mailorder selling is great too!
If I weren't into sales then I'd be into Advertising business. If you're not into sales then find a different profession.. don't knock Sales.. it's great it's fun!
I have worked in sales, and yes it is difficult, the people are treated like dirt, and there is a very high turnover in jobs. However, if sales is the type of job that a person does for their whole working life, then we should respect them and call it a profession. After all ,they hopefully have learned to sell better, it is through talent and practice that a person sells well. A good salesperson is an artist who quickly reads the customer and changes her projected personality and pitch to match that customer. Growing up in Atlantic City watching the pitchmen there was a fantastic education in human psychology and sales techniques.

Depending on how good you are, you may be making more $ than most of the people in your company. Also, good sales people often have the best job security- you are directly in the revenue stream- it's harder to get rid of you.
Definition of a profession: occupation with organized body of knowledge, professional standards, code of ethics.

I'm in sales too and it can be really stressful. It is a profession in as much as it takes skill to think on your feet, face rejection over and over, as well as being able to listen enough to figure out what your customer needs.

Maybe you should try using the web to help your sales increase.
That is what I am working on. Why should big companies be the only ones going global?
Some people are just not cut out for sales, some fit into it like a glove. If you don't feel it is right for you, then get out or try selling something different. Personally, I am not cut out for selling certain things.



FROM MY OWN personal view from my experience:

There are alot of types of sales people in the world. Each one of them is unique with their ways. They sell things differently. If u expect every sales people to be the same then there is no challenge in sales and the world will not be competitive cos every sales man is the same where their sales strategy is the same everytime. Saleppl sell things thru their own personality. There is no RIGHT or WRONG is sales. Its the result that matters.

Sales people are professional. Why ?? They have to think on their feet upon receving a situation. They have to persuade(PQ) customers into their ideas or products. They have to know how to control the situation. They have to think hard on why they cant sell. They think hard for why they are not selling. Salesppl must know why customers usually dun wanna buy their products , they have to understand the customers emotion. I can tell u it AINT EZ at all.They have to put themselves at the customers shoes and being able to see thru wat they see and wat they feel. It isnt an ez job. For dose salesppl who tells u that sales is a slack job, obviously they are slacking. Salesppl have to face rejections. And being reject is not a nice feeling , u feel pressured while u see others selling. And ur emotions starts to ruin ur thinking. Dats why sales ppl are taught how to use EQ PQ Streetwise. They have to noe how to handle customers. Sales is a learn job where everyone can learn. Its jus whether u can adapt to situations and environment dere. Whether u can handle stress be it a low stress to high level stress. One thing that people doesnt like to werk in sales is cos sales job is dirty. U have to face backstab , frontstab due to jealousy. and the reason why people hate it is cos of rejection. Rejection tends to pull a salesman down by having low emotions. I been thru it. It jus ruins it. So sales is the job where u need alot of experiences and personal growth.BTW CLOSING A DEAL NO MATTER WHAT UR SELLING IS AN ART. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.

If i were to turn back the clock

Well , if i were mature at that time since sec 1 , i would have gone in2 Normal academic stream. My form teacher gave me a chance cos at that time im good in NT maths and alot. But too bad cos of my attitude , he doesnt let me in.

I have already wasted time in NT learning BASIC SIMPLE stuffs. NT stream maths and english is darn ez. Such a waste. Still "N" levels at that time , i strive so hard to get into sec 5. BUT i failed.]

Whats next ? i ended up in ITE. HOLY shit. Well , its really a hopless sch. Teacher there are just getting paid by doin nuthin and acting to teach students. But i met 2 good teachers, others are jus shit teachers. Good teachers helps the hardworking student to get in2 poly. Cos they themselves noe that ITE can get nowhere. They are great. If i see them on the streets now. I probably go thank them.

And once i was in europe vacation , there's tis 2 coouple who told me whats life like wat i blog bout it. Well , how nice , i lost their contact. im blaming myself to that. They told me that " keep learning in life" " knowledge is power". they told me alot from wat i can see right now which is SO SO darn true. I shld have cherish them at the very first moment. Listening to wat they sae and wat they meant by it. They taught me alot of things during the europe trip. But gone are the days. I jus hope that they are very successful in life.

The lesson: CHERISH wateva u have in ur life now. If its gone dun regret.

Continue from previous post of streetsmart IQ EQ

Personal View:

Yes , we lack of streetsmart. In singapore , we lack of being streetsmart. Thats why our enconomy market can nv be greater than america and china.

Why singapore lack of streetsmart ? <In my point of view >

We are too conservative especially the young ones. Since young, you were taught that the smarter you are and if you go to college or even better university, you are more valuable. You are more important . A lot of Singaporean parents use education as scale system for their children.Singapore is basically a material society! 5 Cs a must to have, if you dont........ you are doomed! Singapore society is too small , we lack of politicians. And parents keep telling us not to do tis and not to do tis. Its not totally right. We have to be able to take new experinences and take risk. Singaporean kids lack of this. And due to the small society we lack of resources so we have to go to school to get a certificate in order for us to get thru the first door. And singapore society emphazie that we need a cert. I may agree to tis. But thats the thing that we lack of streetwise. We go sch to learn IQ , but not handling experiences beyond our knowledge. We are train in school to think the way of using book theories. to me Experiences are " THERE are no rules of engagement". Just take risk. Create chances. For example : school teaches you dat " 1+1=2". But in real working world, it teaches u many ways to solve 1+1 and dere are alot of ans to that. Thats why i sae" there are no rules of engagement". School doesnt teach us how to handle people unless its in a tertiary sch. School doesnt teach us to think on ur feets but sch teaches us to obey the law. School only gives us knolwedge bout our area of studying. School doesnt teaches us to react fast base upon a situation. So in singapore , i beleive we lack of streetsmart but full of intelligent ppl around. In order to survive a soicety like tis we need to balance the equation of IQ+streetsmart+EQ=SURVIVING.

Article from CNA:
A President of Wah Chang Group and the Chairman of Singapore Power and Singapore Management University saes that the biggest concern he have is that one of complacency because Singapore is a very comfortable place everybody is pretty much taken care of materially and at the same time social political norms compel Singaporeans to sort of think relatively within the box so you can get through life without having challenged many ideas without having challenged yourself in your own assumption..

Upon saying that, i think singapore adults needs to be open to a new way of life. Just like american kids upon hitting at the ageof 18 , they are on their own.And thats why they are smart businessman. But we are still having shelters still at the age above 18. We cant possibly control our child what he wanan do and what he doesnt. MIND U tis is the 21st centuries where youngsters have their thinking. Let him go after the age of 18, let him/her experience wats life and wats right and wats wrong. Once he developes this intuition , he will start to suceed. Our parents keep telling us not to do tis and not to go dere and wat to do. Its wrong to do dat. To become smart is to take experiences and gain knowledge. Knowledge is power . i personally view alot of youngsters in singapore having their streetsmart knowledge at a very late age, We are too conservative. We need to be open. We muz learn to take other ppl's point of view. I said LEARN. lol. Streetsmart can be learn. Its learn till the age u die. Anyone can learn how to be a streetwise. If ur willing to learn den its fine. Each of us has a certain area and amount of intelligence. We need to be able to learn from others and enviromnent. 15 percent of empolyment and management success is due to intelligence or technical training while the other 85 percent is the ability to deal with people,

So what is streetsmart??
- Streetsmart are LEARNT jus relying on knowledge base on ur environment and ppl.
-Be able to react fast , think fast .
-Knowing who is throwing smoke at u
-Reading the situatiions quickly
-Base on instincts and gut
-knowing ur way round, knowing where the person is coming from , how , why<>
-Posses good EQ

Like i said in the previous post, we all have brains , 1 thing that's human weakness is dat we are scared of fears like falling and failing, But put positive thoughts in2 it. " a person becomes wise after falling in the ditch".

In other post , im gonna talk bout EQ.

I werk in salesline, Salesline teaches me how to be smart and when to . It also teaches me to handle Emotions of customer and collegues.

So if u wanan become streetsmart: werk in sales line or any other jobs such as " events coordinator" where ur required to handle ppl.

Tis is another article where i wanan share with u <>>>>:quoted in BLUE

Street Smarts Vs Book Smarts, What Does It Takes To Be An Entrepreneur

The latest series in "The Apprentice" features 2 distinct group of candidates. One group, who are only high school graduates are termed as "Street Smarts" by Donald Trump whereas, the other group are all college educated with some having MBAs and advanced degrees. They were termed as the "Book Smarts".

What was revealed at the start was that the "Street Smart" group were mainly entrepreneurs and had a net worth 3 times more than the "Book Smart" group!

What this goes to show is that you do not need a college degree to be an entrepreneur and rich. In fact, having a college degree may be more of an impediment to being a successful entrepreneur.

Why is this so?

For one thing, entrepreneurs cannot be conformist and stick "by the rules" and college somehow tends to train people to stick "by the rules". Entrepreneurs will always come up against obstacles and will have to find ways around these obstacles, many times, unconventionally.

College tend to make graduates think in a similar fashion, hence, they tend to be highly trained clones with no personality. Entrepreneurs however know that they need to have their own USP, or "Unique Selling Proposition" to be successful and being entrepreneurs, will find or create their own USP to make a success of themselves.

Entrepreneurs know that they need to think out of the box and create a niche for themselves as they do not have the resources to fight the big boys on their terms.

For college graduates, there is always the choice of going to work for one of the big corporations. For entrepreneurs, failure is not an option as they would not get very far in a big corporation without a college degree.

This is not to say that all college graduates are not entrepreneur material but that in most cases, getting a college education may not be the best route to being an entrepreneur as the education system is designed to produce workers and not entrepreneurs.

Do we need IQ , Streetwise , EQ , PQ to survive in tis real world ??

Check tis article out.

Do MBAs Need More Street Smarts?

Summing Up

Summing up the unusually large number of responses to the piece on street smarts, the consensus is that they represent skills taught by experience, role models, and experiential learning techniques such as case analysis and discussion (in that order).

Just who are street smart people? They are people who: are "willing and able to make a tough decision based on a gut instinct" (Jason Huang), are "more able to adapt to changing conditions ... because they have a clearer view of the implications of those changes" (Charles Yager), are able to "handle things outside of our normal set of experiences" (Erich Almasy), learn "by failing in previous endeavors" (Rindge), have an "ability to read people ... and situations ... (pick) up on all relevant cues and (know) what to do" (Max Roberts), are "focused on (their) capabilities ... sniffing the traps a mile away ... seeing through BS ... smelling falsehood" (Anonymous), are "able to accommodate ... to a new environment ... globalization is forcing a more general definition of street smarts" (Shankar Balakrishnan), and have a "combination of intuition, savvy and political skill" (Mal Rudner).

Efforts may be underway to understand more about issues related to street smarts. Lilly Evans, for example, cited the work in "practical intelligence" by Prof. Robert Sternberg of Yale University.

Street smarts, according to the most respondents, are learned. As David An put it, they are "primarily an issue of experience. ... If you screw up a deal you will be the best to know how to do better the next time." David Fitzgerald suggested that street smarts are a "combination of attitude and skill, both of which are acquired through experience. ... That is why so many MBA programs teach using the case study method..." Jack Wung appeared to take issue with this view, suggesting that "street smarts can only be acquired in the school of hard knocks."

How can MBA study contribute to street smarts? Umar Khalid suggests a complementary relationship, commenting that, while no substitute for street smarts, the MBA provides "tools and strategic understanding skills that accelerate an average human being's learning curve." Will the continued importance of street smarts, as some suggested, mean a change in recruiting criteria for MBA programs? Or changes in curricula, with more emphasis on sensitivity to others' views and how to influence them as well as greater self-awareness? Or the greater employment of role models—especially those who have learned from adversity—in the classroom? What do you think?

Original Article

In recent weeks, I have encountered several situations in which senior managers and investors of all ages have said, "(name) is a really sharp person with a good MBA, but (he or she) just doesn't have street smarts." That has raised questions that seem to need addressing. The first is, just what are street smarts anyway? The contexts in which the term has come up seem to indicate that they include things like knowing how to close a sale, when to walk away from a deal, when to remain silent, and how to select winners as employees or colleagues.

In our work with outstanding service organizations, we have found that they invariably hire for attitude and train for skills. Are street smarts attitudes or skills?

If street smarts are attitudes, should MBA program admissions offices look for them in applicants? If so, how? Is it more than a matter of just age and experience? If they are skills, should the curriculum be designed to foster them, perhaps through greater emphasis on courses in negotiating skills and increased field experience, among others, on the assumption that street smarts can be taught?

The second question concerns just how street smarts are obtained. Is it a matter of the genes? Do they result from experience, therefore precluding most newly-minted MBAs in their twenties from having them? Or does their presence depend on the environment in which one grows up? For example, a study by John Kotter several years ago found that one of the best predictors of success for at least one class of Harvard MBAs was whether or not a parent of the applicant had had a career in management. An implication that one might draw from this finding is that the presence in a household of a management role mode contributes to the business success of offspring. This, of course, may not guarantee the early development of street smarts.

If experience is the key, how does one get it? Should more MBAs be counseled to become involved in jobs, perhaps in start-ups, where they can hone their street smarts? Or can they be developed in any kind of organizational context?

Finally, just how important are street smarts anyway? What does your experience tell you regarding these questions? What do you think?

Reader Comments:

1. Street smarts is probably composed more of attitudes than skills. A person whom I consider to have street smarts will think about the broader implications of a particular action or activity rather than its specific outcome. For example, a street smart person evaluating a candidate for employment would be asking "How did your employer benefit from your tenure?" rather than "How did you cut costs by 12% while boosting overall revenues by 22%?" The street smart person would want to hear about the broader implications or benefits of those actions/activities rather than the fact that the candidate did X and Y while working for employer Z.

   Similarly, a street smart person is someone who is willing and able to make a tough decision based on a gut instinct. A not-so-street-smart person tends to ask for far more information than what can be feasibly gathered within a set of time and resource constraints.

   Finally, I believe that street smarts may be taught by working in the real world. However, I think most people would agree that a six-year old whom others have deemed street smart couldn't possibly have been taught. Most likely, the youngster was born that way to begin with. Any more coaching would probably just make the youngster a sharper-thinking street smart person.

   Jason Huang

   Developer

   e-STEEL Corporation

2. I think the lack of street smarts is real. I think it's a function of age AND experience—and, quite frankly, is probably an inverse relationship with many of the qualities of HBS grads. If you sailed through school and life and jobs without ever having to work at McDonald's or earn your way through college or work on the factory floor instead of in the ivory tower, the only way you'll get street smarts if you understand the importance of and strive to relate to the guy on the factory floor as well as to the CEO. Many HBS grads probably view themselves as above all that. They skipped McDonald's to work in an investment bank for their first job. Or worked at a consulting firm that prided itself on "only working with the CEO," not middle managers. That gives a distorted view of reality and how things really work. If HBS wants to give its students street smarts, it should recruit fewer Ivy leaguers/sons and daughters of Wall Street titans, etc. and more sons/daughters of union foremen. In class, HBS should invite fewer Jack Welches and Ross Perots and more middle managers and shop floor supervisors. Lest you think I'm just railing against the establishment, I'll be the first to admit that I have had a privileged life socially and educationally. But I'll also be the first to admit that I didn't have many street smarts when I graduated HBS and that 10 years of working in the auto parts business and the self storage business have given me a lot more street smarts than HBS ever could have—or than many of my classmates ever could hope to get by heading off to New York investment banks and consulting firms.

   Anonymous

3. "Street smarts" combine elements of both instinct (i.e., outside of the individual's control, whether genetic or environmental) and experience (i.e., within the individual's control).

   We have all known young managers that just seem to have good business sense. Training may help them marginally, but they would succeed without the training.

   We have also known young managers that seem never to make the right decision. But over the years, many of those managers develop a decision-making context that leads them to better, more "street smart" decisions. It is the internalized context that can be taught.

   Lack of "street smarts" can be overcome with good analytics. What a good model of a business situation provides is a sense of the dynamics of a decision. People with strong "street smarts" seem to be able to intuitively assess the potential outcomes of a particular decision. Therefore, they are more able to adapt to changing conditions, for example, in a negotiation, because they have a clearer view of the implications of those changes than their intuition-deprived colleagues.

   Charles R. Yager

   Chief Operating Officer

   Colombik & Associates, Inc.

4. I figure that if I am ever truly wealthy I will endow a chair at HBS in "Business Reality." What you describe as street smarts seem to me to be the set of experiences that teach us how to handle things outside of our normal set of experiences. How does one respond to situations you never imagined? Being fired. Being bribed. Being extorted. I think HBS can diversify its mix of street smarts more through the professorial ranks than the students. I also think curriculum (or experiential sharing) helps. Mostly, it seems attitudinal&msash;expose MBAs to a view that they will never know it all and that many times the learning process will be very painful

   .

   Erich Almasy

   Vice President

   The Boston Consulting Group

5. I believe many MBA students simply lack the experience, which is understandable, as they are often young and have occupied relatively junior roles within their respective organizations. As a result they have not had the exposure to the "hard-end" of business.

   I also believe that a minority of MBA graduates have studied and crammed to earn the MBA title, but they have not tried to apply what they have learned with their MBA back into the workplace. These graduates do lack the 'street-smarts' that you speak of, and could be 'screened out' of the application process--but how are the universities going to supplement their lost revenues?

   Anonymous

6. Pretty interesting topic. I have always said that street hustlers would be excellent businessmen/women in the corporate world (as they are business people in the street world) with the proper training.

   Street smarts as you define them (when to walk away from a deal, when to remain silent, etc.) are a learned skill and not an attitude. As one's base of experience/knowledge grows, they should obtain "street smarts" or better said "business sense."

   If someone gets frosted in a deal, they should learn from that experience and apply it in go-forward situations. Can you teach these skills? It would be difficult to do in my view. How do you train for the myriad of situations one might come across? Are street smarts helpful? Better believe it. Two years ago I was asked to turn around the division I am now in. If not for street smarts, I would not have been able to realize which people were blowing smoke at me and which ones weren't. By realizing which people could add value, we were able to make some fairly dramatic changes. How did I obtain this "skill?" By failing in previous endeavors and taking away knowledge on what to do differently next time. Also, time spent with those street hustlers didn't hurt either.

   Rindge

   Director Operations

   B/E Aerospace

7. Street smarts are evident when one is very comfortable operating in a particular zone of action. Street smarts are picking up on all relevant cues and knowing what to do. In a phrase: savoir faire, but only in the most basic sense. The phrase street smarts we apply to more obviously competitive, rough-and-tumble situations and savoir faire to the more refined.

   Example: Some know what to do the minute they are put in a boat. No motion is wasted. Others look at their hands. They do not know how to move, how to run a line through a fair lead or even why it is needed. They stagger and stumble—awful to watch.

   Alternately, how do you think a Hell's Angel would do in a crowd of Junior Leaguers? How might a Foreign Service diplomat do amid longshoremen? Rarely would any one person's range of experience equip him to function effectively in both a motorcycle gang and a group of longshoremen and also at a Junior League fund-raiser.

   Some know what to do early. I have known entrepreneurs' sons who were close to their fathers and they seemed born to be entrepreneurs. I have known entrepreneurs' sons not close to their fathers and who just lacked the moves.

   A person who can gain the right instincts, outlooks, and insights early can become an entrepreneur (or anything) almost upon leaving the nest if a parent or anyone they bonded with showed them how. I believe there is a good case for early exposure. Another person might take 20 years to become an entrepreneur, pay dearly for any lessons learned, and throw in the towel. One can lust after an objective just so long. If one does not get it or make enough progress within reasonable time, one can burn out.

   I believe Kotter's conclusion is on the money. I would add that the child must have had some basis for wanting to be like the parent. But it works for anything—manager, policeman, farmer, woodsman, waterman, farmer, etc., especially the last, as there is so very much to learn to farm well besides just work-attitude.

   I believe certain abilities help with smarts or savoir faire—first, a high degree of awareness. This includes awareness of where one is, what situation one is in, what stage the situation is in at the moment, and which way it is trending. Intuitive people are sooner able to connect the dots and usually seem to catch on faster. Ability to read situations and what the situation calls for counts.

   Another is ability to read people. This counts where human interaction is the main activity. On a ship, boat, or on a camping trip, mechanical instinct looms pretty large.

   On horseback balance, timing, and horse sense count. A few might have these naturally their first time in the saddle but very few. (Apparently Peggy Fleming skated the first time she used skates.) In a pre-break-even business an ability to read cash flow, cash flow trends and know the cause without bending hours over the ledgers would count.

   Intuition is valuable, but commonsense, sensitivity to others and a reasonable self-confidence also matter.

   Commonsense seems the ability to basically and quickly diagnose a problem or situation and if needed to explain a solution or the situation. Lengthy, baroque diagnoses and solutions leave both diagnostician and audience lost.

   You can test future students for certain attitudes. The best test is what they have succeeded at. For potential where they have never succeeded some kind of psychological mapping might work. The key would be to know which areas they were short in and push them to try, not to be surprised if they were at first clumsy, and not to worry about it. When they first learned to walk they staggered, stumbled, and fell. Scraped knees and bumps are part of advancing.

   In first year some speak eloquently from the start. Others stumble. Encouragement beats humiliation. And if a group sees the aim as one of getting all up-to-speed all should pitch in to help the rest. This seems to work better for everybody including those seemingly with natural gifts. If they have shown somebody else how, their accomplishment is enormous and also socially beneficial. They rate extra credit not for being better than someone is else but for bringing someone else up to par.

   In USMC boot camp, after ensuring that all are paying attention and trying their utmost, the notorious drill instructors next look for those who having done their chores right and offer to help others who are a little behind. They see those who have correctly performed then show others how as potential leaders. Doesn't mean others are not, only that the first to exhibit the impulse have something very worth cultivating. It also lightens the DI's instructional load. No less for any manager.

   The prior two paragraphs departed into the good of encouraging cooperation versus competition in a learning situation. Only the paragraphs before them dealt with street smarts also known as savoir faire in other contexts.

   1. Max Roberts (Frederick E) MBA 1972

   2. Interesting topic, timing could not have been be more appropriate.

      I have been classified as having street smarts. Having started businesses since my early teens, I have gained a wealth of business experience. My teen business experiences led to a regional sales position with a national company selling consumer products before leaving high school (never completed), which in turn led to the creation of a sales and marketing firm doing business both domestically and internationally with $5.0 million in sales. After 15 years of much success, I decided to move on to other ventures, because of boredom and industry consolidation. However, the two ventures I became involved with, which had over $15.0 million in revenues and 120 employees, turned out to be, let's just say, economic disasters, losing it all. (I will spare you the details.) But I never viewed this as a failure, just part of the learning curve.

      I could go into great detail about dealing with individuals with MBA's and no street smarts; frustration would be putting mildly. I will go as far to say that an individual with an MBA without street smarts is probably the most dangerous decision an organization can make.

      So, my perception of streets smarts?

      Being focused on your capabilities. Sniffing the traps a mile away. Seeing through BS. Smelling falsehood. Picking pick up badly structured deals immediately and conversely picking up very quickly things that have merit, people that have merit, people who have true integrity as opposed to stated integrity. Achieving a self-knowledge, by stepping down from your pedestal and saying, I've got a lot to learn, there are things I know I don't know, there are things I don't even know I don't know about. Compensating your weaknesses by drawing on other people's strengths. Retaining humility and a sense of reality and retaining the ability to reflect thoughtfully and realistically about oneself. Some people have it; other people learn it the hard way, some people never get it.

      For the past year I have been seeking an executive management career opportunity, for the most part I have been competing with individuals with MBA's. What has been very disconcerting is not being able to get to the interview stage. Reason: no MBA. It appears to me that HR managers and executive recruiters have made their life easier by using "not having an MBA" as tool of convenience. Do companies lose out because of this; after all, isn't it important for an executive management team to have a balance between intellectual capacity and a working knowledge of how to get things done? My experience has been that the most successful organizations strike this fine balance among their executive management teams.

      I do have great deal of respect for MBA programs. I know of many executives that have been able to successfully integrate their MBA learning experience into their business careers resulting in them becoming better managers, and for some, better people. But I am beginning to wonder if MBAs are becoming a "dime a dozen," which is beginning to devalue an MBA designation.

      The next few weeks will be interesting for me. I have taken the gloves off in my career search. I am utilizing every street-smart trick I know to garner an interview for a high profile executive management position, for which there are over 130 applicants, with over 80% having an MBA designation. I am quite confident, because of using street-smart techniques, of getting an interview. It will then be very interesting, at least for me, to see if street smarts will overcome an MBA.

      I hope I have been of some assistance to you. Maybe you can answer one question, a question that I have given much consideration. When I was considered successful from a monetary perspective, CEOs, CFOs, lawyers, accountants, and other professionals were tripping over themselves for my attention and no one ever said "you know we cannot do business with you because you do not have an MBA." For example, if tomorrow I walked into an executive recruiter's office and said I have $5 million in the bank and I want to hire twenty people, I am quite sure he or she would not say, "I am sorry, sir. We only do business with people who have MBAs." Now being on the other side of the fence, I cannot get in the door without an MBA. I think it is an interesting paradox.

      Anonymous

   3. I guess street smarts are primarily an issue of experience. Learning by doing, being thrown in the cold water as Germans put it. I disagree that business schools should try to simulate real-life situation since then it will always be better to do it outside of school rather than being in a secure environment and paying $30,000 tuition.

      If you screw up a deal you will be the best to know how to do better the next time.

      David An

      Investment Manager

      T-Venture (Deutsche Telekom)

   4. Being "Street Smart" is certainly most important. As an MBA, one may have all the technical qualifications to do the job right. However, if he lacks the business attitude and professional outlook, no one would like to do business with him. I'm sure that the MBA curriculum these days looks after these aspects as well. Eventually, it boils down to the individual. One's attitude should ooze the feeling of "you want to do business with me and in turn add value to your business and it would be nice if we could pay attention to my terms."

      Monish Ramesh Gangwani

      Director

      MAYA - Solutions in Corporate Communication

   5. Street smarts surely form a large chunk of a manager's personality. Like any other trait of a manager, this develops with time. It is all about being able to accommodate oneself to a new environment and being able to get the problem solved in the most optimal manner (where the definition of optimal is context-sensitive). It is neither more nor less important than other traits. However, globalization is forcing a more general definition of street smarts, which then becomes more important than other managerial traits. Street smarts are partly acquired through experience and partly learned through training. Training can make the individual realize potential ways of employing "street smart-ness". Once trained, the individual can continue to build upon the skill through experience. Therefore, the solution to help students acquire this trait is two-fold. In the global context, street smart-ness varies!

      Shankar Balakrishnan

      Systems Analyst

      Deloitte Consulting

   6. Having an MBA and having been trained in a top 100 U.S. company, and now working with a start-up I must agree that MBAs are often too theoretical and do not have the hands-on experience needed to determine when to close, when to walk away in a negotiation, and how to behave.

      Unfortunately, the most successful business people I have met in my age group (38) were the ones who had an excellent mentor at work or were from a family who owned a business. Street smart in my opinion is more of a skill that you develop. There is a price to pay, and I too had to pay the high price of walking away from a business that I had developed and that was going public. I left without any of the percentage of stock I was suppose to have, even though I had a written document! I don't have to tell you either the amount of hours I had put into bringing up the project...

      Yip! Everything has a price, I only wished I wouldn't have had to pay it after my MBA.

      Well, my reward: I have learned that being street smart is all that matters. I have learned never to fall in love again with technologies and to use legal advisors referred by people I trust who have used them before. I am also aware that legal documents can be interpreted in many ways. And I learned that my MBA law courses were not at the executive level and didn't teach what they should from a street smart standpoint.

      Maybe some of you will think it is because I was not that clever in the first place. I disagree. I did not had the survival or killer instinct developed strongly enough, or maybe I thought good faith was good enough. Wrong!

      When you lose something you have worked for…you realize that you have to fight for yourself and protect yourself first in this business world. There is no free lunch!

      Unfortunately, talking with MBA colleagues, I also realized that my experience and comments are shared among many other MBAs who wished they had been trained more aggressively, since the business world is becoming more and more sophisticated in communications, and also in street smart ways to make deals.

      Now, I am implementing what I have learned and it's starting to bring results. I will remember the million it cost me though!

      Anonymous

   7. What is called here 'street smarts' seems to me to be addressed by the term practical intelligence by Prof. Robert Sternberg of Yale University. His PACE center is conducting some research in this and related areas.

      Lilly Evans Strategic Learning Web, UK

   8. An essential element of being street smart is being able to understand the other person's psyche in real time. Some people get that training early at home, thereby explaining the genetic make up and parents from business background theories, while most of us learn it through our professional interactions.

      MBAs, in my experience, lack this skill because they come from a sanitized platform of theoretical business education. When these theories clashes with the practicalities of real life, and they invariably do, a freshly minted MBA usually loses focus and has to re-engineer his mental make up in order to survive and then move up the ladder.

      Most MBAs, luckily, are able to do so exactly for the reason they fail in the first place. Their theoretical education provides them the tools and strategic understanding skills that accelerate an average human being's learning curve.

      Umar Khalid

      The Daily Leader

   9. "Street smarts" are a combination of attitude and skill, both of which are acquired through experience. The result is an ability to choose the right strategy or tactic to fit the situation.

      Most people acquire their knowledge of how to operate in the "real world" via personal experience. Intelligent people also learn from the experience of others. That is why so many MBA programs teach using the case study method, to offer their students business experience in addition to learned theory.

      As for the role of parents in managerial positions, they simply pass on their own management experiences and lessons learned to their children, directly or indirectly. Their children have a significant advantage if the parents pass on the "right" lessons.

      My advice to MBA students is:

      1) Learn as much as you can not just enough to get an "A" in the class. Try to understand how the theories apply in the business world.

      2) When you get into the business world, learn as much as you can about your job, your boss' job, and the job of everyone around you and in other departments. It will help you understand how the company works and the context of your position in the company. Just as importantly, it will also help develop a network of friends, associates, and possible mentors as well a reveal a career path that fits your personal goals.

      David Fitzgerald

      NuTool

   10. On this second U.S.A. Day of Infamy, the important question is asked: "Do MBA's need to learn more 'street-smarts'"? The answers is yes, and please allow me to broaden the issue. It is vital for our society, business and otherwise, that MBA's receive significant learning of leadership, social, and emotional intelligence. "Street-smarts" is a small subset of what else MBA's need and might be called a combination of intuition, savvy and political skill.

       Daniel Goleman and others have identified approximately a score of interpersonal, intrapersonal and leadership skills and traits that business executives absolutely require to be successful. Research shows that more than 70% of personal, career and organizational success is determined not by IQ, not by learning accounting, marketing, finance, planning, IT or technical skills, but rather by an executive's self knowledge, inter-personal and leadership abilities.

       We all know this is true; it's commonsense. Yet, our formal education processes ignore this learning, leaving it to the accumulation of experience and individual propensity and motivation.

       What is so sad about this approach to leadership development is the huge cost of lost opportunity. Leadership, emotional and social skills can all be learned and improved upon by every individual. IQ is in no way a limiting factor. Try a career in mathematics, physics or rocket science with average intelligence, and one is likely to face many difficulties and much frustration. Almost every human being, however, has the ability to continually learn these personal skills, simply by virtue of his or her humanity.

       I assert that devoting 33% of an MBA curriculum to the learning of leadership and social intelligence would have a profound effect on the business community—and perhaps the entire planet. Nothing in organizations is more powerful than motivated, committed human beings. Nothing impacts the bottom line as much as the quality of leadership and the enthusiasm of caring, hard-working people who align their own and their organizations' goals.

       It would not be easy to augment MBA programs for the significant learning of leadership and inter/intrapersonal skills and social intelligence. The payoff, however, would be absolutely huge.

       How we might accomplish this evolution is open for debate. Already a few MBA programs have risen to the challenge. The process is not easy, but it is extremely satisfying to all involved, and definitely doable.

       Oh, the immense number of poor decisions I've seen over three decades that could have been otherwise with a little common sense, leadership, social skill and a little savvy. How much waste of human talent have you seen? Is it not worth the effort?

       Mal Rudner

       Enflo Corporation

   11. Street smarts can only be acquired in the school of hard knocks. It is not something academic or theoretical and cannot be thought in the traditional sense of education. Streets smarts equate to how well honed your survival skills are if you were to be put on the streets with others trying to do the same. I believe that the street smarts education is quantified when what seems like your future is at a stake and on the line. For example, for a young entrepreneur with no formal education starting a new business with borrowed funds, he is forced into a situation where he either has to learn how to be street smart quickly or the business environment will teach him that. We are talking about his whole life savings, plus some, here. This guy has tremendous amounts on the line. So if he were to fail in this venture and learn from it, isn't this earning is ten times more valuable than an MBA scholar working with Bain&Co.?

       Jack Wung

       Curtin University

why cant i jus concentrate on studies < IQ>

Well , recently im vex with my studies. its like i dun have any interest in my studies. Although schooling can be very fun. all i wanna do is werk. werk not as as engineer. But werk as a " Businessman". Hopefully.

In school , teaching can only give us a portion of IQ. and i have a low IQ since i was a kid. I hated maths , physics all this crap. But there are some people who have high IQ esp the china students.
They possess high IQ in school. HOLY SHIT. THEY HAVE HIGH INTELLIGECE. I dunno HOW THE hack can they solve the physics and maths. And MIND U, Engineering maths AINT ez. we are doing like JC math and more depth physics and chemistry. U tell me how the hell can i learn all tis ?

The other fren of mine Jian li , he also same as me. He saes the moment he goes to werk, he jus feels like goin back study. And when he wanan study , he jus feels like goin back werk. OMG dats contradicting.

So which 1 is better ?? Studying or working ??

I have heard that werking life sucks. Indeed it is. because we are living in a materialistic society where every1 is competiting with each other. I experience that in sales even now. Werking is bout handling ppl and knowing situations and knowing ur way round.

On the other hand, Studying is relaxing that werking. ahh.. i said in comparision. But if u look at it indivudually, studying is stress too. Lotsa projects , reports , assignments and alot.


The lesson: That's jus the way we are living our life.

Its True < dats Guys style>

--Guys hate sluts even though they have sex with them!
(oh yeah..you're not "popular" if you've slept with more than 6 guys..you're a HOE)

--Guys may be flirting around all day but before they go to sleep, they always think about the girl they truly care about.

--Before they call, guys try to plan out a little about what they're gonna say so there aren't awkward pauses, but once he's on the phone he forgets it all and makes it up as he goes.

--Guys go crazy over a girl's smile.

--Guys will do anything just to get you to notice him.

--Guys hate it when you talk about your ex-boyfriend or ex love-interest. Unless they're goin for the let-her-complain-to-you-and-then-have-her-realize-how-wonderful-and-nice-you-are method.

--A guy who likes you wants to be the only guy you talk to.

--Boyfriends need to be reassured often that they're still loved.

--Guys get jealous easily.

--Guys are more emotional than they'd like people to think.

--Giving a guy a hanging message like "You know what?!..uh...nevermind.." would make him jump to a conclusion that is far from what you are thinking. And he'll assume he did something wrong and he'll obsess about it trying to figure it out.

--Guys are good flatterers when courting but they usually stammer when they talk to a girl they really like.

--Guys are very open about themselves.

--It's good to test a guy first before you trust him. But don't let him wait too long.

--If a guy tells you about his problems, he just needs someone to listen to him. You don't need to give advice.

--A usual act that proves that the guy likes you is when he teases you.

--Guys love you more than you love them if they are serious in your relationships.

--Guys will brag about anything.

--Guys use words like hot or cute to describe girls. We rarely use beautiful.If a guy uses that, he likes you a whole hell of a lot.

--No matter how much guys talk about asses and boobs, personality is key.

--Guys learn from experience not from the romance books that girls read and take as their basis of experience.

--Guys think WAY too much. One small thing a girl does, even if she doesn't notice it can make the guy think about it for hours, trying to figure out what it meant.

--Guys seek for advice from girls not other guys. Because most guys think alike, so if one guy's confused, then we're all confused.

--Any guy could write out a rulebook or advice book for flirting, but no guy can write out a book about relationships.

--If the guy does something stupid in front of the girl, he will think about it for the next couple days or until the next time he spends time with the girl.

--If a guy looks unusually calm and laid back, he's probably faking it and is spazzing inside.

--When a guy asks you to leave him alone, he's just actually saying, "Please come and listen to me."

--If a guy starts to talk seriously, listen to him. It doesn't happen that often, so when it does, you know something's up.

--When a guy tells you that you are beautiful, don't say you aren't. It makes them want to stop telling you because they don't want you to disagree with them.

--When a guy looks at you for longer than a second, he's definitely thinking something.

--Guys like femininity not feebleness.

--A guy has more problems than you can see with your naked eyes.

--Don't be a snob. Guys can be intimidated and give up easily.

--Guys hate rejection, but they hate being led on even more.

--If you are going to reject a guy, just do it. Don't say they are like a brother or just good friends, it just hurts even more. Tell them that you aren't interested in a relationship and they will respect you.

--Guys really think that girls are strange and have unpredictable decisions and are MAD confusing but somehow are drawn even more to them.

--No guy can handle all his problems on his own. He's just too stubborn to admit it.

--Not all guys are *******s. Just because ONE is a jackass doesnt mean he represents ALL of us.

--Guys will test the waters to see how far they can get with you. Even if he doesn't intend to it will happen. Know how far it is you want to let him go and he will respect that...after you let him know a couple times.

--When a guy sacrifices his sleep and health just to be with you, he really likes you and wants to be with you as much as possible.