Tricks of the trade: Share an insider's tip about your profession!

Will Chen — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 04:17:21 +0000

Have an insider tip you normally don't tell the public about? Here is your chance to share the tricks of your trade. Whether you have a friendly tip or a soylent-green kind of revelation, share them in the comments section and win a prize! Three commenters will be randomly selected to win a new Big Student backpack courtesy of JanSport (retail value $40).

This drawing is now over. Congrats to Bloggurl, Pastry Chef Girl, and Sage for winning the contest!

To kick things off, check out these secret tips from Wise Bread bloggers:

Linsey Knerl

When you put your business card into a trade show giveaway draw, you usually don't stand a chance.

I would say that MOST if not ALL companies sponsoring a prize for these things go look at each business card and pick the one they would most like to get business from. This is the card they declare the "winner." What better way to get a phone call answered by a top exec than with a "Congratulations! You won our laptop giveaway!"

Jessica Okon

Not from my current job but from when I worked retail:

The less you say the easier your return will be. Bring your bag, receipt, and hold the story. The more you say, the more the sales person will check for wear and tear.

Don't ever, ever, ever use the makeup from a department store tester anywhere other than perhaps your hand. Lepers shop.

People stick perfume bottles up almost in their nostrils. Spray the cologne on a card or your hand, don't sniff!

If you're going to buy fragrance, go on the weekend. That is when the fragrance models will be shilling for their various companies, and you're likely to get a free gift or extra gift.

If you want the full attention of your sales person or makeup artist without interruption from other customers, go during the week before lunchtime, or in the evening.

Julie Rains

I run a business and I think some people may think I have secrets but I don't. Now that I'm a wisebread writer, I have figured out why I am such a lousy sales person: I have a consumer advocacy bent.

But, I do learn from my clients, tidbits that may or may not be well-known. For example, the "service advisor" at the dealership (who calls you to tell you what's wrong with your car) is paid on commission. And drug reps have access to prescribing information of physicians and they plan their sales strategies and sales calls based on that information.

Paul Michael

Not sure if this is a "trick of the trade" but I'm sure the general public has no idea just how much profiling and research goes into a typical advertising campaign. Everyone is part of a group, whether it's Gen X, Baby Boomer or New Millenial. Along with that comes detailed profiling about spending habits, income, race, sex and so on. It's a politically correct nightmare if you think about it. And then there are focus groups upon focus groups.

You also have professionals specializing in media placement, even targeting kids from an early age for products ranging from bank accounts to alcohol and cigarettes (thankfully, I steer well clear of all that, it's shameful). I am not proud of a lot of what goes into advertising, it used to be a more honest area. These days it can be underhanded and downright seedy behind the scenes. Fortunately I now work client-side (in house) and produce promotions and creative ads for a much more upstanding and honest product. But just know that before you buy anything from dish soap to a new car, an enormous amount of time, money and research has gone into getting you and that product together. It's all about the bottom line folks.

Will Chen

How to get into concerts for free. A photographer friend recently told me how he gets into concerts for free. He calls up smaller local newspapers and offer to photograph concerts for free in exchange for press passes. Many newspapers will say yes because they don't have the money to hire professional photographer for every event. My friend's best tips: Make sure you sound confident on the phone and put up a portfolio of your work online.

Need a reason to stop drinking soda? Soda dispensers are the most disgusting things in the world. I used to work at a coffee shop and hooking up the dispenser was part of my daily routine. During every cleaning I would see an army of roaches pouring out of every hole of the dispenser. I guess sugar and moisture make the perfect roach bait. It was impossible to completely remove the sugar residue from the dispenser so no matter how hard I cleaned the darn thing, the roaches always came back.

Share your tip and you'll be entered in a random drawing to win a Big Student backpack courtesy of JanSport. We are giving away three backpacks to three readers. Deadline to enter drawing is 8/19. Don't forget to enter your email address in the field provided. Only one entry per person. Available to US residents only.

This drawing is now over. Congrats to Bloggurl, Pastry Chef Girl, and Sage for winning the contest!

About Our Sponsor

This week's prize is sponsored by the folks at JanSport. I've used the same JanSport backpack throughout high school and college, and I still use it whenever I get nostalgic about my student days. I've never tried the Big Student model before, but it looks like a pretty cool backpack.

Updated Design: The Big Student has two large main compartments for versatile storage, front utility pocket with audio electronics organizer and a quick-find cell phone pocket.

More Styles: The Big Student has 14 different colors and patterns. The three we're giving out are chocolate chip, white scatter, and grey skulls n roses. (My personal favorite is the tan camo.)

Rave reviews: These Epinions reviewers love the Big Student's lifetime guarantee and durability.

Contest: JanSport is giving away a trip for four to the Grand Canyon. All you have to do is join JanSport's official Facebook group. Check out this Big Student contest page for more details.

Written by Will Chen and published on Wise Bread. Read more articles from Wise Bread.