It was mid summer and I was bored, I figured I might as well call this place and apply for a job then lying around like a leech. I wanted to work, to have some income flowing in, I would never have guessed that this job would give me something more valuable, something which I can take with me for the rest of my life, something that would change my view, my perception on how I should live my life to the fullest. Did I mention I sell knives?
I walked down the stairs to a room where there were thirty metal chairs and a desk. Each seat filled, the room is jam packed with other teenagers around my age. Even though there was steep competition I showed the manager that I am the guy you want not them, me. I was worried she'd see right through my act, but I was very convincing. I was hired and officially a sales rep of Vector Corporation.
As with every job we need training, all of us underwent three days of training. But I noticed that the number of teens that went through training day by day were dropping. They were pulling out; they were quitters, I mean we get good pay, we have flexible schedules, we will have this on our resume, and we will gain experience. I guess they didn't like that in order to work with Vector, you have to sit down with people for about and hour and very nonchalantly, relaxed stated of mind get customers to buy a knife set. I guess if that's not what you like, you wouldn't take the job either.
After training I was off; I got a bunch of phone numbers, relatives, friends, friends of relatives, and even some some church folks. My first demo was with Ida, an elderly lady from my church, Oh, God bless her heart, she sat through my whole presentation, we made a lot of small talk and she actually bought a set from me. It was my first demo so I was a novice, apparently I was likable, she couldn't help herself, and she had to buy something from me. She bought a five piece kitchen tool set which included a basting spoon, spatula, slotted turner spatula, whisk, and a slotted spoon. Who would have believed that I would have a conversation with a church lady, a good conversation when she was sixty years older then me?
I had set up more demos with relatives, friends, and eventually total strangers. When I walked out of every single demonstration I felt happy, even in those when I didn't make a sale because I walk out of all their doors knowing that I just congregated with a stranger and that alone makes me exited. I was learning, learning to do better at my job, learning to take the trains for the first time and more importantly learning to be more sociable I am now using my mouth to express myself and using my ears to listen. I felt my life changing for the better. I learned how to make simple yet effective small talk, and my confidence just skyrocketed. My confidence was always high but since this summer, I am reaching for number 1 in every single area of my life.
In my first week I had 13 demos, what an accomplishment, it may seem like a big number to you, but other sales reps in my office clocked in 20 appointments, even though I am proud of myself. At the end of the week I had to go to a conference in the Sheraton hotel on Main Street. The room is packed, I would say about thousands of teenagers around my age, we are all dressed up nice and exited about the conference. The seats in this room are very cushion soft, they feel suave. The room has 100 ft ceiling and really looks nice, extravagant. All the teens from all over New York are here, not just New York City, and they are all here with their managers. At the beginning of the conference we were told just to get know each other, so immediately the room gets filled with voices, I spoke to one kid who said he went to a demo where the customer just said" I don't care what you have to say, just sell me your biggest set.".
Wow is all I have to say. The speakers were now talking, now I don't remember their names but I remember their message. It's really hard to put this experience in writing, you really have to be there to appreciate it. The speakers gave valuable information on how I could sell better, but it was really the messages on life that really sticks to me. I was truly inspired by the words and it seemed to me I wasn't the only one.
Some of the stuff these speakers were saying I already had on my mind, such things as "It's my time to shine", "Getting of the someday aisle, I won't put things off till I am about to die". "I act now, my future, my life isn't going anywhere unless I take action". "I have to live every single second of my life to the fullest, I will not settle down". "I will risk being the fool", and my life will be great. This experience was incredible, and the beauty of life is, there's more to come.
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