A Pro's Circuitous Route to Self-Employed Nirvana

As much as Peter Fasulo enjoys the art of selling, he loves training sales reps even more.

In the 20 years he spent in corporate sales, training became his passion. "I really liked watching people's sales go up," he said.

So, in early 2005, Fasulo decided to dedicate himself to

Fasulo, who has no employees but subcontracts to another trainer when needed, expects to become profitable this year. But to hit his stride, he needed to revise his business model several times.

The first year, he ran a series of newspaper ads, hoping to land clients. All it did was build local name recognition, he said; he still wasn't bringing in any money.

"I was an unknown entity," Fasulo said. "There are companies around that are larger than mine."

As any seasoned sales rep would, Fasulo switched approaches. In 2006, he began running half-day sales seminars at hotels, promoting them to networking groups through e-mails. He billed the programs as $199 courses that were available, for a limited time, for $99 per person. This strategy helped Fasulo fill seats with prospects who could see him in action.

He launched the seminars with an eye toward his ultimate to goal: building a national presence. Fasulo ran seminars on Long Island, in New Jersey, even in Boca Raton, Fla., promoting the seminars to business contacts, encouraging them to bring their bosses and subordinates and inviting corporate sales managers to sit in as guests. The first event drew 15 people. The next one drew 20, and the next 28. Fasulo started landing clients for more in-depth training.

In Boca Raton, a public relations friend boosted his business by sending e-mails about an upcoming seminar to local chambers of commerce. Decision-makers from Fortune 500 companies attended; Fasulo signed some on as clients.

PJF's Web site lists Cablevision, Clear Channel and Comcast as clients. Though some are out of state, 80 percent of Fasulo's clients are Long Island-based.

He originally planned to write six different books about sales. To date, he's self-published one, "The 3 Ps To Sales Success" (those would be preparation, professionalism and positive attitude). Though the book is "not jumping off the shelves," Fasulo said the title has helped him establish credibility. He still plans to write the others, and hopes to sell them to a big publisher. "It's taking time," he said.

For now, Fasulo has a new offering: part-time sales management services for small companies that can't afford to hire a full- timer. With this service, Fasulo runs staff-training sessions, meets one-on-one with reps, helps set goals and even assists owners with hiring. Two companies have signed on and two more are considering the service, he said.

Sales trainers can do well in any economy, said Rich Isaac, president of The Sandler Sales Institute in Hauppauge. During downturns, sales training is one area in which companies want to invest. And in good times, companies invest to grow even stronger.

That silver lining view "could be a mindset," Isaac pointed out, but it's the kind of positive outlook that helps secure sales.