Sons of Loki

Last night, the three of us in the flat were burned out (either from work or from exams) and decided to have a chilled night with a few beers. There was nothing on TV, and we couldn’t really be bothered to set up the kit for Rock Band, so I pulled out the old poker set and dealt everyone in.

I first played poker in high school, I think – it was, and remains today, a deeply cool adult-y thing to do. It’s a tremendously interesting game, unlike anything digital or otherwise – even chess lacks the subtle joys of betting and bluffing your opponent. I started playing it again with a group of my friends at university last year, and after some beginner’s luck I soon found myself to be not very good, but I enjoyed it anyway.

I’ve never played for big money in a professional context – occasionally we’d put money in, and I did win once, but I prefer a laidback evening with friends to serious competition with strangers. I’ve been thinking about playing online at sites like PartyPoker, though; the idea of doing it in an online environment and being able to test myself at a level that suits me does appeal.

Playing poker last night reminded me of something else. Since I last posted here, I’ve started work at an opticians, and I’m really enjoying it. I’ve found out a lot about myself at my new job. There’s an element of sales to my position – it’s not hard selling and you’re only ever recommending what’s best for the customer, but I’ve found it a struggle sometimes to properly explain myself and to properly explain the product in a way that makes the customer want to buy it. If you push too hard, most people will – quite rightly – clam up and outright refuse. If you don’t push at all, you end up with a string of “alright” sales, and the customers end up with glasses that are okay, but not as great as they could be. (In particular, way too many people settle for going without reflection-free coatings. The camera in your phone has it, everybody in Germany has it, why wouldn’t you want it on your glasses?)

There are tactics. I’ve talked myself into a corner quite often, where I’ve tried to promote one option and wound up discrediting another, with the result that the customer goes for neither. You really have to play your cards in the right order, and at the right time – just like poker, you can’t get too greedy, or the customer will fold. It’s an interesting business, sales.