The "other" side of me

Part 1
the other side of me ...no it does not mean i have a split personality , so no need to worry. What i meant is there's another "life" or side of me that is "normal", normal as in I have my friends and family , and bills to pay, and a "social" life other than work . Some times being in the car industry you feel as though you only have 1 lifestyle - WORK! hence our slogan underneath our logo "we live here too " ... trust me you will understand what we mean if you work the hours that we do , just as an example 8am to 9pm on wednesdays. Luckily enough I work with a lovely team , everyone get along with one another , it does make our job alot easier and more pleasant coming to work everyday.  And I'm sure most of my colleagues feel the same way.
Having said that I'm lucky in the sense that I have very understanding Managers who take into account my "hectic" life with my 6 years old daughter, being in this industry you do sacrifice alot of family time , time spent with your kids, time spent with you family . Im lucky enough to start later than the trading time and also finishes earlier so I can have time for my lil bossy princess.  I'd never realised how much homework a year 1-ner gets, reading, writing, maths , every single night a good hour and a half is "study" time . and it never ends, some times I feel the teachers do it deliberately , pile them with loads of homework , in a way its good for the kids i guess ...it just as a parent it means you have to spend extra time every night to sit and go through it with them . ( which already there's bath time , dinner time , bedtime ...as you can see Im running out of "time" to fit into a evening) and then ....that's when I get to have "my time" . which by then Im exhausted so bedtime is my top priority! Im sure alot of you can relate to this.

Today was our first trip to the dentist! Alana was every excited for her first dental visit , for the past week she'd been counting down every single day , until this morning when she was told she have 4 wobbly teeth , she started to panic and started asking questions such as , what do they use to take the teeth out , will they use a needle ? How come Im not a dentist? why cant I be a dentist? How do dentists become a dentist etc .etc. and so on , again if you have kids around this age group you will know this "question and why" game quite well . But the good outcome from today's dental visit is that now my little one have now changed her career path , she have now given up on becoming an astronaut , and decided to be a dentist when she grow up. I asked her why? she said because you get to have lots of stickers ( she was given a sticker for being such a good girl at the dental clinic) . Well I wont complain since dentistry is alot closer to home than being an astronaut!

So now Alana is very excited because she was told walking out of the clinic that the tooth fairy will visit her soon , and quite regularly too , since there are 4 wobbly teeth waiting for the tooth fairy to come and collect. In my culture we never had toothfairies , I didnt even knew they existed , so thanks to the internet and phone calls to other mums , I am now a fully qualified fairytooth mother! :)

What is it like? ....to be Me!

Have you ever wondered what it feels like to be a saleman Liars? Deceiving? Sharks? Untrusting! even statistics have put car salesman as third on the list for the most untrusted work status, just incase you're wondering second runner up are realestate agents and the top of the least are lawyers.
Previously i've worked for Estee Lauder, soft selling I called it. But i loved it! When I left the cosmetic counters and joined the car industry , what i wanted to take with me into this job is the "personal" touch . I remembered customers would just come in to buy a bottle of foundation, but I sat them down and did a quick makeover for them in just a couple of minutes, and their faces would lit when they see their own reflection in the mirror . those moments are worth the job!

I try to do the same in the car world, I want to help , I want the clients to be happy with what they've bought, I want them to feel "right" ! I get alot of comments from customers, "Wow i've never been served my a woman in a car yard before" .."what is it like to sell cars? " ... to me it is the same as selling any product! You are the buyer and me... well Im just assisting you with your purchase! I've seen mums, I've seen couples, young and old , I've dealt with all different sort of people ,from all different backgrounds and ethnics, some you get on like a house on fire, and some ...well ...you know just to back right off . But at the end of the day , you do your best to provide the best customer service . Service is important ,  there are thousands of hairdressers, thousands of restaurants , shops and more shops around the corner , everywhere!!, car yards and more car yards, everyone has the same product, its the service that makes the whole purchasing experience different! . That's what I want to achieve , I want to make that difference , change the perspective on salesman , we are not sharks , nor hungry lions waiting to pound on you as you walk into our yard .
It always suprise me when I greet the clients , they shook my hands yet you can tell they're unsure about it all.
Maybe they dont like car dealers but have got no choice but to step into one. or maybe, they were greeted by a female salesman which is pretty rare in this industry and so they are even more confused. As a saleman what do I do ? Smileeeeee ofcourse!!! After a few minutes most clients relax and just enjoy the experience. Its rewarding when clients turn around during the test drive or at some stages of it all and say " it's nice dealing with a female, it's not pushy" .....well ....like I said , Im here to assist you , to make your experience as enjoyable and pleasant as possible , and whether you decide to buy the car right there and then , it doesnt matter, or whether you come back the next day , or the next week , or you might found the car might not even suit you , It doesnt matter . I have clients whom sent thank you cards after they've picked up their brand new car, I have clients who hugged me and thanked me for selling them the car, I have clients whom brought in their puppy to visit me when they brought their car back for the services. I have an elderly lady whom I would catch up for coffee and she tells me about her endless trips overseas, I have a little girl that would run up to me for a cuddle everytime her mum brings her into the dealership, I appreciate those simple momments because I know they've trusted me , they've remembered me! and I do see some of them again quite soon for a matter of fact because they brought back their family and friends , they've even recommended me! I feel proud and happy of myself , because that tells me Im doing my job right,  doing what I've always believed in....Customer service ! THAT is what makes our dealership different to others ! :)

Blogging

Today is one of those days where the last place i want to be is sitting infront of my computer at work . My throat is sore ,my voice come and goes, my eyes are tired , i look like a zombie just woken up from his grave. The last thing i want to do is to talk to clients. ( hope my manager is busy and not read this :p )
Well now im glad i sat infront of my computer , because i've found many interesting blogs ( http://aussiemummybloggers.com/), and amazed at how many mums out there are also blogging , beautiful stories i've read that really touched my heart and brought tears to my eyes (http://savemumsanity.com/2010/07/16/my-boy-with-the-crooked-smile/), i love reading blogs , you can feel the warmth and imagine up a character of the writer who you've never met before. its nice , it's lovely! people put out their time to write their memories, thoughts , its precious! You also see photos of their family, loved ones, and the photos of their kids ( http://coffeekidschaos.com/2010/08/02/my-favourite-bit-of-home/), Mr2 and Mr3 and the names that they call their kids by , it is really gorgeous! like mine , i call mine lil miss bossy! ....
Its sunny outside ...beautiful weather ...today isnt so bad after all!