Already September?!

It is hard for me to believe that I have lived in Jacksonville for nearly six months. The time has flown by like I never imagined it would. The last time I posted updates on my career I had just returned from an intense week of sales training in Atlanta. After returning I continued training and have spent the last few months refining textbook skills and tasting their real world application. Before I get into details on my successes and failures in my new profession I want to talk some about the strides I've made in my personal life.




This blog originally began with an incredibly excited and optimistic (and definitely naive) young man wrapping up his undergraduate work in the same city he grew up in. Resting on the laurels of my academic achievement, I allowed myself the luxury of relaxation; letting my guard down and enjoying the feeling of being free from deadlines, term papers, bluebooks, and libraries. Looking back at the blog, it doesn't take long to see myself slip into the same plight as millions of other college graduates struggling to find their way in a tough job market. While I was not as tenacious as I should have been, winning a national marketing competition in my down time was at least something to add to my resume and further differentiate myself from the masses. Still, I was slipping. Unfulfilled working the job I had worked during my undergraduate I had a choice: take a promotion and get serious about records management or do something drastic. I chose drastic and quit my job during a recession, moved to a new city, took on all sorts of debt, and started looking for a job.

Talk about a confidence booster. In the post about RBS training in Atlanta I talked about the statistics of being hired at Cintas. It was nice to feel elite again. It was nice to achieve something again; the first visceral achievement since I graduated. It wasn’t some abstract thing. It wasn’t a GPA, diploma, marketing competition, honors society. It was a job: a place to go, people to meet, and money. Then it was time to put up or shut up. I landed the job and it was up to me to prove I deserved it. And there in lies the answer to the mystery as to why time has flown by. There hasn't been a "down" or "slow" week since I have been down here. Not even a kidney stone could sideline cold calling, phone blocking, new presentations, and follow up appointments. Sales is a vicious cycle. You could have one of the greatest weeks ever, sell at Diamond level pace, but come Monday morning the slates are wiped clean and you have $0. I would be lying if I said that didn't smack me in the face every week. I am used to more gradual achievement. It took some time to get used to it, and I still may be adjusting.

Overall things have gone well. I've sold a couple of different kinds of businesses. Tango Pizza restaurant, 31 W Insulation, and Bosman's Childcare and Learning Center. Sales has been challenging for me. Much of what this job requires to be successful forces me way out of my comfort zone. I am constantly faced with unique situations that don't have clear answers. I learn something new about the business, the process, and the game every single day I go out. Sometimes that makes the job incredibly fascinating, educational, and exciting, while other times it's terrifying, stressful, and frustrating.

I am blessed to have this opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed. As I go forward I hope to continue to learn from both my successes and failures. And trust me, I've not sold a lot more business than I've sold. But I'm getting better and that is in itself encouraging.