An Unbelievable True Story ˚◦(―˛―")˚

My second ever sales role was for a company selling refrigerated display cabinets and cold rooms, big ticket items for the target customers.

I had come from a role selling electrical installation products to contractors, I knew that business as I was a qualified electrician.

My knowledge of the refrigeration industry was minimal to say the least.

So the company that expected me to bring in enough business to cover my wages, car and all the other sundries plus make a profit gave me a few glossy sales brochures and sent me out for a day with the cold room installation team.

I had no idea what I was selling, how to sell the product, who to sell it to and why they would want to buy it.

I knew nothing about the benefits or indeed necessity of regular maintenance of these products, so how could I also sell our maintenance package?

They also gave me a old rusty heap of a car, now, looking back it was pathetic, but at the time I just felt that the car was a symbol of how important they felt I was to the whole business and I was not happy. Whenever I turned up at a company in this car I would always try to to park it away from any where it might be seen by the people I am visiting.

After six weeks of struggling to make any headway I decided to dump the role, I already had a new job lined up and was going to move to another area with my new wife.

So after six weeks and with no confirmed sales or indeed any potential sales, what did the company do?

Well, they offered me a sales role in the new area I was moving to.

Unbelievable.