1. Paul Cousins AMA thread

2. ReceiveDeath receives a death

3. Avatars

9/24/2013 9:15:18 AM

Alias?

9/24/2013 9:18:25 AM

m.thewolfweb.com

9/24/2013 9:21:30 AM

have the poll updated more than once every year

9/24/2013 9:34:11 AM

scrolling cb. refreshing is annoying b/c i'm lazy

9/24/2013 9:54:34 AM

Quote :

"Alias?"

9/24/2013 9:56:48 AM

All new ideas ITT

I'm Krallum and I approved this message.

9/24/2013 10:02:47 AM

4. more "y"s in usernames

9/24/2013 10:03:48 AM

I realize this thread is about improving tww.... which I have not. Hear me out, maybe I can offer some insight.

I am in outside sales, which is currently salary+commission, but will move into straight commission starting at the beginning of July 2010. I have been in this position since July 2009. I have competition from several direct manufacturing sales reps, large distributors, and local distributors. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of each:

Direct Advantages: Immediate knowledge of new technology, no middle man mark up, one shipping bill (paid by manufacturer or buyer of goods), access to larger range of non-commodity items, control inventory, have access to many distributors that can effectively sell their goods which increases market share, and set prices of commodity they manufacture.

Direct disadvantages: Typically have 1-3 sales reps per region (i.e. southeast, mid-atlantic, northeast, etc.) limiting the number of accounts they can successfully manage/cold-call, lack physical customer service or physical technical service available to or affordable for smaller users or altogether, are sometimes not trustworthy because they will go in behind their distributors that sell their commodity to one account in large quantities (i.e. they missed a big account, and have found out about it through a distributor selling their particular product) which leads to the distributor not selling their product anymore, have too many distributors selling the product ultimately driving the set price down through deviations, possibly rely on distributors to actually sell the product, and competition from other direct sources.

Large distributor advantages: have access to other commodities that go hand in hand with other manufacturers (poor example- grocery stores sell milk as well as cereal), get direct pricing, many locations regionally or nationally easing the shipping burden of buyers with multiple locations, personal service either customer or technical, many sales reps that are able to cover a broader territory, access to multiple manufacturers of the same commodity allowing to keep prices in check, service programs that smaller companies can't offer and direct providers can't match in price or value, and experts of many many commodities as opposed to one or a few.

Large distributor disadvantages: smaller local distributors creating price wars (think Michael Scott Paper Co vs Dunder-Mifflin), direct mfg's going in behind and stealing business, limited access to all of the mfg's (you won't find Harris Teeter name brands in Food Lion and visa versa), can't truly set prices because it's based on both supply and demand, territory management, and tough growth prospects in slower economies (this is true for direct as well really)

Local distributor advantages: Typically a good ol' boy setting where the seller and the buyer know each other for years (this does happen at all levels, but mostly at the local level), local folks are right down the street and can be used in emergencies, if the local guy buys at high enough volumes then there is no shipping charge to the end user, and access to both direct mfg's and large distributors.

Local distributor disadvantages: easily beaten in price, array of commodities, array of technology, lack of trained staff, low cash flow, etc etc etc.

This is what I have noticed in my six months, I am sure there are plenty more that need mentioning. The way I am setting myself apart as a sales person is this: I go after the big accounts right now while I am new. The big accounts, if I land them, will take care of me while I am new and building a customer base. The money made off of those allows me to focus free time on smaller accounts that get me higher margins. I build up big accounts, I would like to have 5-10 of these, then get 20-30 medium accounts. If I lose 1 or 2 big accounts, the 20-30 medium accounts keep me afloat while I go after new big accounts. I don't really waste time on small accounts simply because they basically pay for breakfast or something really small.

I will say this, if you can't get a big account in the first 6-8 months (assuming you have cash flow that you can ride this long) you could be in a world of trouble. If you can get one, it will really make going after the others a lot more enjoyable and less stressful. It's simply just very exhausting wasting any time on anything other than big accounts in the very beginning. You work just as hard on the medium sized accounts and see 1/3 to 1/36 of the money in my situation.

If you have any other questions, you can PM me. I hope this helps in the slightest!

9/24/2013 10:25:40 AM

I vote for a TWW iOS app.

9/24/2013 1:26:42 PM

9/24/2013 1:28:16 PM

is there a TWW app, yet?

9/24/2013 1:29:44 PM

^http://i.imgur.com/960CKp4.png

9/24/2013 1:34:18 PM

Spoilers would be a simple way to spice up the site. I mean look at /vg/ that shit is thriving

I'm Krallum and I approved this message

9/24/2013 1:40:20 PM

more nudes

9/24/2013 3:00:16 PM

Quote :

"Paul Cousins AMA thread"

Would be epic.

9/24/2013 3:06:23 PM

message_topic.aspx?topic=336376

9/24/2013 3:25:41 PM

Is that Miley on the left in the pic a few posts up?

9/24/2013 3:28:08 PM

someone post the site 3 address.

I lost it.

9/24/2013 3:39:44 PM

Quote :

"m.thewolfweb.com"

this.

i'm tired of accidentally hitting "home" instead of "go to bottom" with my finger nail in every thread I open

9/24/2013 3:47:24 PM

Make Site 3 public, the people demand it!

9/24/2013 3:49:42 PM

Not having avatars and signatures is still one of the few good things that this site has going for it. Nobody here is 13, we don't need to see a picture of your favorite pokemon or an animated gif of a dancing cat every time you post something.

9/24/2013 4:09:20 PM

Delete my account if avatars are implemented.

9/24/2013 8:28:07 PM

Quote :

"i'm tired of accidentally hitting "home" instead of "go to bottom" with my finger nail in every thread I open "

9/24/2013 8:56:06 PM

Quote :

"Make Site 3 public, the people demand it!"

I've been waiting a year for Ken to commit the code to our repository so I could start code reviewing it, so I wouldn't hold me breath

9/24/2013 9:47:20 PM

That's just what you want us to think. You're trying to discredit the Qntmregime so that your ruling party seems like a savior.

9/24/2013 10:05:42 PM

If someone signs up then the e-mail they get with their password should say something like, [b"]You just took the time to register, so start posting on the boards and loading photos."[/b] A direct link to the forum needs to be provided in the e-mail too.

9/24/2013 11:19:01 PM

yes, that's exactly what we need




















you are one strange fucker

9/24/2013 11:22:58 PM

a photo gallery that doesnt compress the fuck outta the pics

9/24/2013 11:26:52 PM

^^Well maybe we need to remind them that it is a waste of time to sign up, if you aren't going to use your account. I wouldn't say it exactly like I said it though.

9/24/2013 11:46:17 PM

ahahahahahahah

9/25/2013 10:54:24 AM

I'd post a lot more if every page played Tegan/Sara.

9/25/2013 12:53:48 PM

Quote :

"m.thewolfweb.com"

9/26/2013 9:16:41 AM

Quote :

"m.thewolfweb.com"

Yes, that's exactly what we need, because we don't all have phones with full-featured browsers on them

oh wait

9/26/2013 9:44:20 AM

Is the "outside sales" meme used anywhere else besides TWW?

9/26/2013 5:11:57 PM

I've owned or been a partner in several companies.

Kayak doesn't have a clue what he is talking about, brownie27 has a lot of valuable info in her post. Her strategy has been absolutely the mindset I have used in every single cash-flow dependent business I've been in. You have to land some big fish ASAP, and then build out a safety net customer base.

The things I've learned:

Never quit your day job to start a company unless you have at LEAST a full year of expenses saved (if you don't have 50-75k in the bank, on top of capital costs for the business, forget it). You will increase the likelihood of failure due to personal cash-flow issues by 10,000%. Even then, don't quit your day job. In my experience, without a single exception, every self-started business that is still in business and successful today was started in someone's spare time.

You don't need 98% of what you think you need to get started. You do not need an office. You need a mailing address (use your home address), a telephone number (get a Skype number and skype phone) and an email address (godaddy+1and1).

If you are creating a partnership, never split 50/50. There must be a majority partner. 51/49 is fine.

Create an LLC, or a S Corp. I personally recommend the S Corp if you intend to make more than 50k a year in net income, or if you will be dealing with consumer sales. The LLC is a better option for low income businesses, it's cheaper, and still affords some liability protection.

PAY YOUR: Income, Workers Comp, Unemployment taxes as well as any fees/permits/licenses required by the state. NC requires permits for damn near every sort of business, and if you get caught without one they will anal rape you. Same goes for your taxes, although MANY businesses are exempt from workers comp and unemployment taxes (ask your accountant)

Don't buy ANYTHING you can't get an immediate return on. Buying equipment can sink your new company faster than you can blink an eye. Like brownie and robster have said, cashflow is the number 1 killer. Avoid spending money at all costs until you have a substantial buffer in cash.

If you don't have GREAT credit, forget about it. Improve your credit rating, then think about starting your business.

If you do have GREAT credit, find a bank that will give you credit cards, a line of credit and a business checking account. BB&T was the only bank in NC that would do this without linking to a private personal account. You will need this to help even out cash flow issues, and if you are a S Corp, you MUST have this to ensure your limited liability status.

Keep your company's assets, earnings and expenditures very clearly separated from your personal trio. This can be pretty hard to do as a sole proprietor, but it's going to be a nightmare come tax-time if you don't. And resist the urge to pay yourself. Keep every penny possible in the company, and expense everything possible to the company.

You better LOVE people. Because talking to people is going to make or break you. Customers, contractors, colleagues, distributors, suppliers, are all going to be critical to your own success. The more people like you, the more they will like your business, the better deals you will get and this will all translate into more and higher margin sales.

Don't expect to turn a profit for 24 months. If it happens great, but it's normal for a brick and mortar business to take 2-3 years to establish real, positive cashflow.

Forget about healthcare. It's insanely expensive until you hit 50+ employees and can qualify for group plans. Get personal coverage through BCBS. Depending on the type of business, you may be required to have a liability insurance policy, check with your accountant or lawyer on this.

Forget about vacations, time off, or free weekends. Forget about going home at night and not thinking about work.

Never hire your friends. Never hire your family. Personal relationships will eventually sabotage business relationships.

9/26/2013 5:44:06 PM

current students don't know what brent road is. if the domain name hillsboroughstreetroundabout.com is available it would attract more users

9/27/2013 11:54:26 AM

Unsuspend all users, too hard to keep track of aliases these days

9/27/2013 12:36:35 PM

Quote :

"hillsboroughstreetroundabout.com"

AHAHAHAHA

yes plz

9/27/2013 1:48:50 PM

FDT tool

9/27/2013 1:53:53 PM

To improve TWW, I suggest we all do the needful.

9/28/2013 8:36:33 PM

SEARCH

FOR

#HASHTAG

Everyone is doing it

9/29/2013 11:46:04 AM

allow Premies to post arbitrary HTML again

the fun will never end

9/29/2013 7:25:34 PM

I'll throw my support behind the Paul Cousins MMA thread. GIFs courtesy of BigHitSunday.

9/29/2013 7:33:35 PM

terminate Carzin and OmarBadu

9/29/2013 8:44:50 PM

Complete mod overhaul

9/29/2013 9:29:37 PM

get rid of aliases

9/29/2013 10:23:48 PM

lolwut

9/30/2013 12:49:10 AM

More AMA requests:

- Tom Stafford
- Anita Flick
- Gary Birdsong
- screaming Asian man on Hillsborough
- Marye Ann Fox
- homeless people in the library

11/1/2013 9:39:08 AM

AMAs would be cool, but nobody in their right mind would agree to an AMA with us

Plus we can't down-vote/remove the stupidity like reddit can.

11/1/2013 9:47:31 AM