I got my start in sales because I wanted to be a rock star. Let me explain. Before my sales career started, I considered my main job to be playing guitar with my heavy metal band. My brother got a job at Office Depot’s business division and asked if I would be interested in coming along.
At first I said, “no way dude, I’m not cutting my hair for some office job.” Then he told me I would be working with a music publishing company in NYC, Office Depot’s largest customer at the time.
Part of my responsibilities would be to help the executive assistants with their office supply purchases. I would have access to record executives, which meant I could slip them my band’s demo tape, get a record deal and become a rock star millionaire. I negotiated to keep my long hair and took the gig.
After many attempts to get my demo tape in the right hands, I still didn’t get a record deal. I did, however, find that I enjoyed working at Office Depot. The job was a natural fit for me.
I got promoted to a junior sales position, calling on small businesses in downtown NYC. I had no idea what I was doing, but I was eager to learn. I read as much as I could about sales, signed up for training seminars, and shadowed several of Office Depot’s top sales reps.
My biggest challenge was to know when to apply what I had learned. What is the next step when a prospect says yes, no, or maybe? I decided to create a process to help me remember what I should do in every situation. The process told me what to do next. I no longer needed to improvise. I was able to minimize the risk of missing an important step or doing the wrong thing at the wrong time.
Over the years, I’ve made many improvements to the original process and have branded it “SalesMetabolism,” combining the sales process with my passion for living a healthy lifestyle.
By the way, I still play guitar, and I’m looking for like-minded Metalheads that want to go on tour and rock the world. If you happen to know anyone, please let me know.