Sales, Continued

As I've probably mentioned before, I got into sales - the way I've made my living, for better or worse, since about 1982 - by accident. I had been refinishing furniture for a man named John Knight, who owned several furniture stores on College Avenue, but after my main partner in that venture had moved to Oregon, I found the work lonely and more difficult. So when the manager of one of John K's stores decided to do something else, John offered me the job, because 1) I literally knew the furniture inside and out, and liked talking to people, and 2) he sensed I would work cheap.

True and true.

As a couple of years passed, and especially after my first child was born, I realized I was not going to make the kind of money I needed by selling furniture, and took my friend Andy's invitation to apply for a sales job at ComputerLand. Twenty-five years later, I'm still in technology sales, because I still find technology interesting, and the money can be good. (Except when it's not).

But why sales in the first place?

A few reasons. 1) There are always sales jobs available. Seriously. Just check any job web site - or even the classifieds in a newspaper. "Now Hiring - Sales". I didn't say they were GOOD jobs. But they're available. 2) I had no other training. I have a Bachelor's in Creative Writing - Plan A was to be a famous writer. When I realized I lacked the discipline to isolate myself and write for hours each day, and I started playing in a band, Plan B was to be famous musician.

(I never said they were well-thought-out plans).

But maybe the key reason was, I somehow sensed that there was less kissing of the corporate ring involved in being a salesperson, since your work is so objectively quantifiable; as long as you make or exceed your numbers, you're usually left alone.

And that is still the reality, overall. What I underestimated, going in, was that making your numbers is not just a result of your skill as a salesperson. If you represent a badly-run organization, or if the economy stalls or dips, you can do everything right and still fail.

I know more about this than I wish I did.

And I still feel some serious pangs that Plans A and B did not pan out. But despite all this, I still take pride in my sales skills, because, when it all comes together and you're closing, it's a kind of magic. Something is happening because you MADE it happen.