I have been sharing my story about the monster, that I have decided to take on, in bits and pieces..not thinking that the lessons that I am learning could be of value to others, so here I go.

It’s been nearly two months since joining the Avo Sales Team (Lions and lioness..no kidding!). It’s been quite a change. Working in a sales support position before, I guess gave me a little bit of insight into the lives of these hunters, but it is only when you are amungst the pack in hunting season (by the way, it’s always hunting season!) do you realise the intensity of it, you can’t help but gain a great respect for what they do.

I am definitely in a challenged space, it’s not easy but the results and rewards at the end of the day are great.  The catch however (and this catches many people) is that it takes time before you start to reap those rewards. I equate it to a gym routine. You hire a personal trainer in the hopes of shedding tons of kilos, fast, but instead he tells you with patience and consistency, you are going to lose cms, strengthen and tone. Now this takes longer, but the longevity of it, is for keeps!

I stepped in this space with the hopes of taking a bit of time to learn the ropes and in no time thought I’d will be selling tons…lol…didn’t happen and according to our new, very talented sales manager, Becky, (Becks write your own blog about your advances - this is my blog) a sales cycle can take up to a year…if you’re good! In the meantime she has introduced me to principles of the sales world that guarentee sucess namley: consistency, discipline and commitment.

I can’t tell you how grateful I am to be in a position to learn and practise these qualities so early in my career. Sales, like public speaking, is avoided by many, it’s almost like one is born with the talent and if honed in the correct way, with the right people around you, the sky is limit. In Andre’s words I would describe myself as a Retriever, reaching out into Tomato space, in the hopes of never settling as a top dog!

I can’t help but feel that this monster I have taken on, seperates the boys from the men and the thrivers and the survivors (as Jules would say).  The greatest part of it, is that the power is in your hands! It is without a doubt that the disciplines and lessons learnt in the sales industry will take me from strength to strenth, but comprehending the importance of and the critical role that a sales person plays for a company, makes me even prouder.  In the words of Andrew Carnegie: ” You can take away my money and my factories. As long as you leave me my salespeople, I will be back where I was within two years time”.