It’s a challenge to both be genuine and anonymous so bear with me! My plan is to stay incognito only as long as my financial situation requires. I write for a much more meaningful reason than winning a better sales job. I’m a 20+ year veteran of sales. It would be a lie to say my family (spouse and four children) are the reason I write this blog. Without them, however, I would neither be here nor have had the experiences I share.
Sales was not the original direction of my career. That varied from being a rock star, to a computer programmer, to an advertising genius. I took my first job in sales for a small manufacturing company because they promised to also let me assist in their meager advertising efforts. Being a stereotypical young person, I was easily enticed by the prospect of making more and more money by applying for better and better sales jobs. This describes the trajectory of my career which spans over several years and industries.
I now have the first-world problem of being a victim of my success. Although I am not rich, I have a lifestyle that attempts to achor me in sales – no matter how unhappy or unfulfilled I am. Boo hoo! With the help of multiple resources (therapy, philosophy, and a variety of business authors) I realized that bringing meaning into my life, work and personal, was essential.
So here I am. A skilled sales person who could probably create yet another blog on how to change yourself into a better sales person. Instead, I’m taking the much easier route of changing the field of sales to better fit someone like you and I. Fortunately, more and more research points to the traditional mindset around sales and sales management as being flawed in many ways. With hope, my writing will make anyone involved in selling something more enlightened, encouraged, or at least not alone in feeling frustrated.
Sales people exist to serve customers – not sales managers, CEOs, or investors. Companies, large and small, are made up of individuals. We’ve been conditioned to think our jobs are about money and recognition when in reality, the greatest and most meaningful thing we do is help others. Please read and share my posts, comment when you feel inspired, look into the valuable books I refer to, and help bring meaning to sales!
WHO I AM:
- A real person
- A real working sales person
- A real sales person who wants to be free to express opinions about the sales profession without fear of getting fired – hence the anonymity
- A real sales person who knows the way we think about and manage sales people needs to change and is hoping that writing this blog will create change in some way, big or small
WHO I AM NOT:
- A company
- Someone working for a company looking to use social media to gain personal information about individuals in order to sell their information.
- A troll, creep, criminal, or any other miscreant looking to exploit anyone
- The government
MY GOALS:
- Be the best father and husband I can possibly be
- Support a modest and healthy living for my family
- Change the world for sales people and others feeling unfulfilled by their work
INDUSTRIES I’VE WORKED IN:
- Telecommunications
- Real Estate
- Information Technology
- Medical Devices
- Pharmaceuticals
- Education
- Manufacturing
- Retail
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE:
- Over 20 years – mostly in sales
- Enough time to have both sucked wind and kicked ass in the world of sales
meaning2work 