| At the age of 32 I left the furniture industry, | | | | We had now spent about two hours together, |
| where I had spent 10 years working in a factory. | | | | and I was amazed when my trainer, then asked |
| My father was the general manager and he had | | | | me to take him back to the city hotel, as he was |
| designed a production line to produce upholstered | | | | taking the train back to Glasgow early that |
| furniture. I worked through the various | | | | afternoon. I had no option but to do as he asked. |
| departments until I finally became the assistant | | | | Back at the hotel he told me I would do fine. He |
| manager. But I'd worked myself to a state of | | | | gave me an address at which to contact him, |
| nervous exhaustion, because of the stress | | | | which was somewhere in Glasgow. He told me to |
| involved in producing endless quantities of | | | | send him any subscriptions I sold, less 40% this |
| upholstered furniture, and then organising its | | | | was when I learned that the 40% was to be my |
| assembly, and loading vehicles, with the finished | | | | income. |
| product, doing all of this in adverse working | | | | The rest of that weekend, I spent worrying |
| conditions, with no great prospect of further | | | | about the situation I was now in, having left the |
| career advancement. | | | | secure job at which I was earning £1000 pounds |
| The other great motivation for my move was | | | | a year (this was almost twice the national |
| based on the fact that I was not particularly | | | | average income at that time). However, by |
| happy with the kind of person I had become. I | | | | Monday morning having no other visible source of |
| was brought up under the Victorian attitude | | | | income, I set off to try earn to a living. The first |
| toward children, e.g. "speak when you're spoken | | | | thing I did was return to the same town and I |
| to" and "if you've nothing useful to say - shut up!" | | | | called once again on the hardware merchant. I |
| Because of this I became introverted, and I | | | | went inside and asked him why he subscribed to |
| needed to break out on this mental trap. | | | | the magazine. I did this to find out what benefits |
| I believed that becoming a salesman would help | | | | he got from buying it. He told me that it was a |
| me achieve a change in my personality. When I | | | | very useful tool, as it contained up to date lists of |
| told family and friends of my decision to leave | | | | steel prices and other materials. By the nature of |
| my job, people said I was crazy, because they | | | | his trade, he carried lots of small steel items such |
| thought that I had a job for life. I also had a wife | | | | as screws, nails etc and the price list enabled him |
| and three children to support, and here I was | | | | to keep the value and price of his stocks up to |
| about to enter unknown territory. | | | | date, no matter how long they had been on his |
| I had applied in writing for a position as a | | | | shelves. I questioned him further and he admitted |
| salesman with the local newspaper. They had | | | | that this benefit alone made the subscription |
| advertised for a new sales team, it said training | | | | worthwhile. |
| would be given for their classified advertising | | | | Armed with that knowledge I then studied the |
| department. I had been for an interview, which | | | | hairdressing journal that I carried and found that it |
| had seemed to go quite well but I had not yet | | | | contained a detailed guide, of the very latest hair |
| had a response. After a particularly bad week at | | | | style along with a tutorial in every issue. These |
| the factory, on the Friday evening I quit. As I | | | | showed hairdressers how to perform the cut and |
| was travelling home that evening I saw a sign | | | | also how to perm the hair to create the new |
| outside a city centre hotel, saying, "Interviews are | | | | style. I then moved on to the next village, where |
| being conducted today for salespeople". I parked | | | | I sought out the local hardware merchant and |
| my vehicle and went into the hotel. I found that | | | | approached him with the journal emphasising the |
| the person doing the interviews was just | | | | value of the price guide within its pages. He |
| wrapping up for the day. I persuaded him to give | | | | ordered the magazine and gave me the money |
| me an interview. He told me that the job on offer | | | | for the subscription. Next, I went into the local |
| was selling magazine subscriptions, of which he | | | | lady's hairdressing salon, showed the proprietor |
| was carrying about 400 titles. I explained that I | | | | the tutorial within the journal of the latest style. I |
| had no experience in this kind of work, but he | | | | illustrated how this would enable her staff and |
| assured me that he would give me full training. It | | | | juniors to treat her customers to the very latest |
| was a commission only job but as I had nothing | | | | fashion. She also took out a subscription. |
| else going for me I was glad to take the job. | | | | By the end of my first week I had earned £10 |
| The following day was Saturday and we agreed | | | | pounds. The second week I earned £20 pounds. |
| to meet early in the morning at the hotel. We | | | | The following week I felt I was really getting the |
| would then go together to start on the job | | | | hang of the job, because I earned £25 pounds. |
| training. I arrived at the hotel early next morning | | | | This was more money per week more than I had |
| with my vehicle, which fortunately was a van, | | | | earned at the factory. By now, I was beginning to |
| because when I arrived we loaded large bundles | | | | feel that I could make a career out of selling |
| of the magazines into the back. Then we set off. | | | | subscriptions. However, that weekend a letter |
| He directed me to a small town about 5 miles out | | | | arrived asking me to attend the newspaper |
| of the city. We parked my van, then he said, | | | | offices to start on a training course as a salesman |
| "Now I'll show you how to do it". | | | | on the Monday morning. As the job with the |
| He took two magazines from the back of my | | | | newspaper offered training and possibly better |
| van, one was a Lady's Hairdressing Journal and | | | | prospects with a good company I decided I would |
| the other was a Hardware Journal. We walked | | | | take up the offer, even though the starting pay |
| along the street and entered a ladies hairdressing | | | | was only £750 pounds per annum. |
| salon. He identified the proprietor and asked her if | | | | The few weeks work I did on my own, taught |
| she would be interested in taking out a | | | | me the value of asking questions even when your |
| subscription for the journal. She said "no thank | | | | customers are already buying your product. They |
| you" so he turned about, and we left the salon. | | | | can teach you about benefits of your product |
| Then we walked along the street until we found a | | | | that you may not be aware of. This is an element |
| hardware shop. We entered, and waited until the | | | | of sales training that is often overlooked. Then |
| owner had finished serving a customer, then he | | | | using this additional information and emphasising |
| asked the owner if he would like to take out a | | | | the benefits working in a practical way will |
| subscription for the hardware journal. The owner | | | | increase the value you bring to your new |
| said he was already subscribing for the magazine. | | | | prospects and enable you to increase your sales. |
| So once again we turned about and left. | | | | |