All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go.... Yipee. Another 3 days wasted out of this week in meetings I really don't want to go to. Oh well. Now, if I can just make my customers understand why they haven't seen me in so long..........talk about starting out behind the eight ball!!
I am not a fan of company meetings. Nope, not at all. Oh I realize they are a necessary evil, I just wish they were better planned. It urks me that I was up in Atlanta last week - with some down time - and now I gotta take another 1 day for travel, 1 1/2 days of meetings and then home Wednesday night. I got work to do folks!!
The secret to this type of sales is consistancy and relationships. I can't get consistant because I've been putting out fires during June (well, that and moving). July only had about 1 1/2 weeks of calls, between being sick and meetings. August ain't looking so good either. And...if I'm not in the stores how will the sales people ever really know how wonderful I am?!? To know me is to love me!
I'll go. I'll listen. I'll take notes but I'll be consumed with what isn't being done. All the paperwork, the visits, the training. Oh My Goodness. It's looking like a month of 7 day weeks. And then the summer is over! Where did it go? I missed it.
I've been in meetings, fighting fires and chasing my tail. I've been putting together training classes that I don't have time to conduct. I've been spinning my wheels.
So - I'm going to take a huge risk. I've been thinking and thinking and thinking what I love most about my job. What makes me the happiest. What I really want to do. I figured it out. It's training and presenting. You know, formally. I've just got to figure out a way to tell my boss I need to change lanes. Oh, it won't happen for about a year, but I need to start laying the ground work now. And....if they won't agree to that career path I start poking around in another direction. Does that scare me? Hell yeah! I really enjoy this company, my team - love my product. I just hate the rest of it. To be perfectly honest - I hate prospecting. I like handling big accounts. I like the consistancy. I like getting to know a company and helping them grow. It's what I do. These $20, $30 thousand dollar accounts don't interest me. I can't help them, I don't make an impact.
Anyway, I'm out the door. And making a plan. It's a 4 hour drive so I've got plenty of windshield time to plot it all out.
Posted by Tammi at August 2, 2004 10:24 AMThe hardest part is figuring out what you love to do. Once you know that, you can work out how to find it and how to get paid for it. You've already got a foot in the door...so, get a plan, create the proposal, show the positive impact and you'll be aces. (I wonder if On-Star is looking for a trainer?!)
Have a safe trip, I know you'll find a way to make it work. You always do.
Be safe, be careful!
Posted by: Lee Ann at August 2, 2004 10:53 AMMy sister and Mom LOVE training. It's a tough one. I know that when my company laid off, it was always HR and training first. They outsourced it. Big mistake. A lot of companies don't truly understand the real value.
You can do it. Just keep your eyes open and be aware of opportunities.
Posted by: Boudicca at August 2, 2004 07:06 PMAh, the days of cold calls, I don't miss 'em a bit.
Posted by: Sgt Hook at August 2, 2004 09:22 PMSounds like working for a consulting company may be in your future.
Posted by: Jim at August 2, 2004 09:31 PMI knew you would make a great teacher, just teaching a little older people than I imagined.
Posted by: Machelle at August 3, 2004 08:01 AMI love reading about ambition in action. It's better than espresso :-)
Posted by: Harvey at August 3, 2004 09:11 AMI don't understand why we don't have a comment party goin' on .... :evil grin:
Posted by: _Jon at August 3, 2004 04:14 PMFunny thing, one day a while back I was reading one of your posts and thought "She would be really good at seminar-type training." You have a great outlook and if you verbalize in person anywhere near the way you do in your writing, well that's a big part of the battle.
Follow your heart, even if you have to just chip away at your goal to get there. Start chippin'.
Posted by: Bonfire7 at August 4, 2004 12:31 AM_Jon - I don't think this is an appropriate place for a comment party [winks, tosses can of Reddi-Wip]
Posted by: Harvey at August 4, 2004 09:40 AM