Moans, Groans, Rants and Good Times of a Salesman!
Do you ever feel like Arthur Millers' Willy Loman from Death of a Salesman? Personally after 35 years in sales I can say that I have had a lot of those days. There would be days I would come home and just think I can't do this anymore. So what happens the next day? You roll out of bed and hit the road again with a refreshed outlook.
My purpose for this blog it to be an outlet to those that need to moan and groan and just sometimes rant. It can be good for the soul. Better to let it out in written form than to take it out on the client or family. It is also a place to share the funny side of sales. We all have stories about that one salesman or buyer or manager etc... I want this to be a forum for me to share my experiences as well as offer assistance to those who need a place to let off steam, ask for advice or just share a funny story.
So here is my story. Six months before graduating from college my professors were all singing Kumbaya and claiming the business world was in alignment with the universe. I don't know what universe they belonged to but 3 months later the job market was very harsh for a still wet behind the ears college graduate. I landed my first real job out of college 6 months after I graduated and 2 weeks before my wife and I were to be married. Love don't pay the electric bills.
At the time I was working in the accounts payable department of a small southern family owned discount store chain. Not Wal-Mart, but they did start business about the same time. A salesman for one of the accounts I handled was in my office asking about a missing invoice. He mentioned to me that his company had an entry level sales position that was about to be open where I lived. Next thing you know I am married and staring a new career in sales. It is sometimes who you know and not what you know.
Nobody ever said it was going to be easy. Sales to some people is as natural as breathing and to others it is about as natural as a fish on dry land. Being an introvert, sales was not easy for me. It is not what I had intended to do as a career. Yes, with a marketing degree in hand I was destined for the business world, but sales was not my first or even second choice as a career. Some people say sales and marketing are the same. They are but they aren't. I will save that for another day. My first choice was across the table from sales and that was purchasing. With a little over a year of sales under my belt I received a call 'from my previous employer about a purchasing position. Two weeks later I am in what I think is my dream job.
It did not take me long to realize that purchasing is not what I wanted to do. I missed working from home, setting my own schedule and a company car (actually a 1982 Chevy Malibu Stationwagon). Twelve months later I was back in sales for the largest consumer products paper company is North America. I enjoyed a great 11 years there before being bought by who is now the largest consumer products paper company is North America. I loved that job and I loved working for that company. If they were still in business I would still be working for them
Here comes one of those funny stories. Growing up I had an allegiance to a different major University than I do now. Needless say my wife and I are huge college football and basketball fans. The team we followed was the University of Arkansas Razorbacks. My dad was from Arkansas and that was our team growing up. Back in the day we didn't have 500 sports channels. We had ABC, CBS and NBC. In north Louisiana we could not get the Razorbacks basketball games. There was a little town in Arkansas about 90 minutes north of where we lived that aired the Razorbacks' games. I had routine sales calls in that area. When ever the Razorbacks had a big game my wife and I would drive up there and spend the night. We would have dinner at the Western Sizzlin Steak House and watch the games. I would make my calls the next day and then head home. A nice little get away for a new couple just starting out on their own.
Wow! In 1982 the idea of being a salesman was very alien. It took a lot for this introvert to become comfortable in my sales career. My approach to sales and customer service was to be honest, dependable and never pushy. Here I am 35 years later and I am still at it. I know I haven't moaned, groaned or even ranted yet, but trust me I have a cast of characters that will fill many posts to come.
I'd be willing to bet there a lot of sales people with their own cast of characters. Feel free to share. I would enjoy reading them.
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I could never imagine a career in sales, it looked so difficult and I would constantly stress about not closing a deal. I did however, work in service. I was a small engine mechanic. I started my career in 1991 and worked for Sears Canada, it was unheard of that a woman would be a mechanic.
My funny story was a gentleman in his 30's I would say came into the shop one day and wanted to speak to Al, my partner in crime. But Al was on the road doing service calls. The gentleman came back 2 or 3 times and each time I asked him if I could help him with something but he declined each time. Finally the last time he came in, he relentented and explained he wanted to but a lawnmower. So I took him in the warehouse and showed him a few, he wanted to have a look on his own, so I told him he was welcome to push whatever one he wanted out and the back deck and start it up. I went back to my work bench. He seemed to be in the back a fair bit of time but I figured he had to pass me to head out to the parking lot, so I continued working. After a while I heard a quiet voice asking me if I could help him. So I followed him to the back deck where he had a lawnmower sitting. Next he turned and asked me; "how do you turn it on". It took all my power not to laugh, but I think he ate a bit of crow that day. I often seen him after that day when he wanted to get a tune up for the lawnmower he bought. He never asked for Al again, he dealt with me.
Mary
Great story. You were quite the trail blazer.