Hey, who are you calling an old dog?
If the shoe fits….
I used to be the young guy around my office, what the heck happened; did somebody fast forward the clock?
With age comes wisdom
In exactly 61 days from this post, I will be celebrating 30 years of employment with the same firm. Is that old-school or what? It must run in the family; my dad was with Minute Maid/Coca Cola for 40 years.
Doesn’t sound like I took too many risks along the way, does it? I didn’t get married until I was 27 but started on a family shortly thereafter. I am somewhat conservative by nature but being responsible for others, my family specifically, probably made me even more so.
Would your outlook change about work if you didn’t have a guaranteed paycheck? Out of approximately 70 employees in our corporation, there are currently 7 of us who have no income other than what our book of business produces. No guarantees. That is called 100% commission and it means for the last 25 years I have never, ever had two paychecks that were the same.
That sounds pretty risky for a conservative guy, doesn’t it?
That is why I have to laugh at times when I see certain guru’s online, these young whippersnappers who are so-called experts, telling me how to do it. Their motto really should be do as I say, not as I do.
Oh, they might have had some limited success along the way, but was it sustainable? If they were so successful, then why aren’t they doing it anymore? Do as I say, not as I do…
30 years, same job, commission only; I must be doing something right, you suppose? Or just too dumb to know any better.
However….comma….that is not to say I am too old and set in my ways that I can not still learn. In fact, I like to think I am more of a sponge and can still learn from each and every person I encounter. Some good, some bad, but it all can be processed to make me smarter.
There is usually good information in there somewhere, but sometimes you just have to take it with a grain of salt…whatever that means…
Something else I know
Sales is all about production; what have you done for me lately? You might have had a walk-off home run along the way, but if it wasn’t enough to walk away, then you have to get right back in the grind. Ideally you can parlay that shot into other opportunities, but as soon as you start to coast you are losing ground.
That sounds like hard work, you would think after 30 years at least you could slow down.
No rest for the weary and there are young bucks coming in every day taking shots at my accounts.
But that is what keeps me in the game, eager and willing to learn and know if I don’t at least get up to bat, I will never get a hit.
Age is just a number…
That’s what all the old people say…
I can assure you, the texture might look a little weathered, but Billy the Kid is who you will find inside.
For what it’s worth, my 9-point guide to new tricks
- Be all in; if you are going to commit to something, give it all you have. Do what you said you would do.
- Be persistent; not annoying, but stick with it.
- The grass is usually not greener on the other side.
- Be marketable; always continue to grow and learn to increase your worth to the organization and to yourself.
- Make the ask; otherwise, don’t complain if you don’t get what you want.
- People really do remember how you made them feel; work on making it a positive experience.
- Don’t assume I know what you do; own it and tell me who would benefit from it. How can I help you?
- Say please and thank you; that will never get old.
- Finally, you don’t have to be the smartest person in the room; just smart enough.
Almost as good as my eat less, exercise more wisdom, huh? It never is rocket science, it just seems everybody wants to put a new or different twist to it.
My lap around the track
My first quarter was very solid; but that was only one lap around the track. If I’m going to break Bannister’s mile record I will need to keep this pace for the next 3 laps as well. That means keeping my eye on the ball (hey wait a minute, I thought you were talking about track…). That also means my social activities online will be intermittent. But it’s ok because I am in a good place online and off, so it’s still good to be me.
How is your year shaping up; are you still keeping your eye on the ball?
You will probably notice I use quite a few sports analogies in my writings; since I was never going to be a pro athlete, maybe writing about it would have been a good avenue for me. Nah….I’m where I’m supposed to be; I have the greatest job in the world…really.
