Lucky Chap

September 13, 2020 Ken Frankis

Lucky chap…

I was 28 when I started my first job in sales. I had never sold before. Hadn’t read any of the books. My previous job was with The Beeb in a management role. My progress there was impressive I suppose but in my heart I knew this wasn’t for me.
Colleagues and friends always told me I was a natural salesman; I should be selling. And so an adventure began…
First sales job…Mayfair, London. On day one I was put straight in at the coal face. No training. Just a desk and literature on the product, plus a pile of files showing past customer transactions.
It was a high end retail business.
Well, I guess I was lucky. I made loads of sales in the first week even though I needed someone else to tidy up the admin stuff.
I continued to be lucky and within a couple of months was outselling the whole team. Then, as luck would have it, became the top UK performer; a privilege which lasted for many years.
Others told me what I was good at; what they noticed. They put labels on things and asked me to help them in certain situations.
I just carried on. The rewards were high but purely a consequence of the fun I was having. I never thought about the money…

So, something good was happening. No master plan, strategy or conscious process in place. The sales just kept on coming.

There was bound to be a point at which I would become curious.

To be continued (when you are ready)…

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