Call a Mechanic, We’ve Blown a Tire: Part 4 of My Employment Bio

(This is part 4. You should start the story here if you haven’t already.)

In November of 2012 I went “all in” on a cold-call sales job at a great little company named Wingswept in Garner, NC, which would give me more predictable hours and room for my side gig through the holiday season.

I was tasked with selling website solutions to auto mechanics, over the phone. Having never sold over the phone, I jumped in with both feet. Pro tip for southerners selling stuff to people in New Jersey: speak quickly.

Just 53 working days later, on February 18th of 2013, something unprecedented (and relatively unexpected) happened.

I was let go. Canned. Told to clean out my desk.

You can cue the red flags that I am not supposed to talk about, because they will hurt my chances for future employment, but the real story is that I was let go mercifully.

Telesales is a strange beast, and while I am very good at selling things when I am looking at the customer, I simply did not have what it took to get up to speed on hitting my sales numbers in the timeframe they were looking for.

Those who still might be looking for a red flag, hear what my supervisor said about me just days after letting me go:

He is an enthusiastic, intelligent, witty, tenacious, dependable, hard working individual with a great sense of humor and a high degree of integrity. If you would like more information, I will be happy to speak with you personally.

Seriously though, you can call and I’ll give you his cell phone number to hear more. And if you are a mechanic, you should probably consider their websites. I still think they are the best deal around.

Being let go from a sales job helped me to see something crucial: I like selling things (I like the persuasion, and correctly matching up a product with a customer’s needs). But liking something is not enough. I discovered that I love something else. Cleaning out a desk and choking back tears walking out of the building helped start me down the path toward pursuing that love.

And yeah, you can read about it (and perhaps even write yourself into the story) in the next chapter.