A few selling tips for the Angels front office

So you’re going through a rough patch, Eppler. We all can see that you’re having a hard time making a move. No one’s biting on the trade front and competitors keep one-upping your offers. I understand what you’re going through.

As a sales manager, I, too, have been through some hard times selling product (the team) and myself. Last year, you were closing everything — from Shohei Ohtani to Zack Cozart — and it just felt like you couldn’t lose. But a measly 12 months later, you find yourself and the whole office letting even the most easy transactions walk. We’ve all been there, but it’s important to review the basics and continue to control the controllables. Let’s discuss some of our classic selling tips and how we can finish out Q4 on a high note and have a Christmas to remember!

Don’t Let Personal Uncertainty Get in the Way/Show High

One of the first things to keep in mind is that you need to remove personal qualms with pieces. Customers have different opinions and you can’t keep yourself from closing a sale just because “Zack Cozart is getting older” or “Cam Bedrosian is not good for a 25-man roster.” What is important to you might not be important to other teams, and it’s important that we listen to their needs and act accordingly.

It is important to also remember to show high and come down if necessary. You live in California, so by all means, take a deep hit and make some bizarre 4 or 5 team trades. It also helps if the other GM is shown something while high too, especially if you’re offering Calhoun for Kluber uninhibited or something else absolutely ridiculous to the sober mind.

Financing Options

Don’t be afraid to bring up the financing options that the Angels front office possesses. The team may be thought to be utterly strapped, but it is backed by big money and has more flexibility than previously thought. Don’t let those big clients walk just because of a hefty price tag— remember that payments don’t look nearly as bad as the lump sum.

Turn Over to Another Expert (Half the credit is better than none)

Don’t be afraid to defer to your friendly neighborhood SBNation blog, Billy! We only made like 7 or 8 posts to help you through this process, so use them! If you want to hit one of the staff members up because you need some assistance, feel free to DM. You and Jessica DeLine have spoken before at a minor league game, so you’re practically best buddies who work well together at this point.

Don’t Get Down

One bad month isn’t going to kill your career or get you fired, man. It’s been rough thus far, but there’s still time to turn it around. I know what it’s like to let the bad thoughts fester and you absolutely must quash them now before you go all Jerry Dipoto on us. We believe in you, Eppler. You can do this.

Update: He literally just closed a Matt Harvey as I finished this. This is not what I meant by show high. We’ll keep working on Billy, I guess.