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Throughout my sales career, I’ve gone from hot shit to cold baloney and everything in between.
Each of these incarnations have been life lessons sandwiched between the virtues of humility and perseverance.
And what I’ve gleaned is that you can’t plan for everything but you can be prepared for anything.
Three things you can bet on in sales are that marketplaces change, 99.9% of products and solutions are commoditized and it’s never or will ever be about you.
Admittedly, these basics took me longer than they should have to appreciate but I suppose that’s a lesson within the lesson.
When the financial crisis hit in 2007/8, I was riding high on the sales wave and closing deals effortlessly.
This part-time potter, bouncer (who graduated to bartender, but still only worked the low-tip afternoon shifts) with severe dyslexia, had “made it” or so I thought.
Gettin’ Schooled
So yeah, I pretty much sucked at school for the exception of art and creative classes.
At the time, no one ever talked about dyslexia so I figured I was just plain dumb.
Academically, I hid in corners and desperately avoided any situations where I’d be found out.
But despite my best efforts, I couldn’t hide years of below average report cards and evaluations all stating that – I’d get better grades if only I applied myself.
So when I realized I had a skill that allowed me to earn, my belief system about what I could do shifted bigly.
I felt proud and envisioned an actual future whereas before, I was enslaved to the force of average since learning things the traditional way wasn’t my jam.
Get In Where You Fit In
Getting into sales was blind luck, but once in, I ran with it.
I didn’t have to be the smartest guy in the room, just one that could act fast, twist the occasional tongue while working harder than the rest.
And just when I reached cruising altitude, the financial crisis slapped me back down to Earth leaving me stunned and wondering, WTF do I do now?
Yellow Usually Means It’s Not That Serious – Bobby Unser
So I planted my flag at the corner of desperation and derring-do.
After months of looking, I became a Senior Account Executive for the Yellow Pages.
If you don’t know what the Yellow Pages were – they were a phonebook (1966-2019).
Before Pay Per Click, Facebook and Gram Ads were all the rage, small businesses would pay for ad space in the Yellow Pages and that’s how some customers found you.
It sounds absolutely ludicrous now, but yeah – that happened.
That stint was a fat slice of humble pie.
I cursed my circumstance for a year and questioned how I’d ever find my way back to making the type of skrill I’d gotten used to.
COVID Confessional 2020
So why the confessional?
Because it’s been a rough year for a lot of salespeople.
COVID hit and even if you were recently hired in sales, making and exceeding goal has been much more challenging when one’s target companies are just trying to keep the lights on.
Consequently, a bunch of folks might think of this year as the worst in history.
They’ve resigned and grown used to already talking about 2020 as DOA with zero room for gains.
Meanwhile, there’s an entire population who’s having their best year ever.
Those who realized that withstanding 2020’s hot mess, inside a dumpster fire, inside a train wreck, meant retooling their game plan in order to survive then thrive.
What’s Your 411 on 2020?
So which is it?
The best year or the worst?
That’s the question that needs answering while recognizing 2020’s not over yet.
Creativity, resourcefulness and ingenuity always emerge from tough times.
You might be feeling as if you’re better than the situation you’re in, you’re being punished or maybe this is some kind of test.
At least, that’s what we tell ourselves when we can’t see the exits.
But I know you’re capable.
Much more so than I was when I spent a year of my life selling ad space in a damn phonebook during the age of the internet.
You have the power to PIVOT.
You Can’t Go Back and Change the Beginning, but You Can Start Where You Are and Change the Ending – CS Lewis
I get it, change isn’t easy.
There’s no such thing as an overnight success.
And while we all wish change happened instantly…
The decision to change is a singular moment, whereas the actual transformation itself takes time.
So if you’re feeling like cold baloney and at odds with your lot in life, it’s temporary.
If this below – average dyslexic student, artist and x-bouncer/ bartender guy can spend a year at Yellow Pages then shimmy his way into high-ticket sales to Chief Legal Officers in the Fortune 500, all you need to do is bet on yourself.
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So which is it?
Is 2020 the best or the worst year?
And if it’s the former…
How do you change your story before the clock strikes 12:01 on 12/31/2020?