The Unapologetic Sales Guy

A Child's Career Ambitions Realized....With the Help of Pizza and Paint.

We've all heard it in my line of work. I'm not interested, I'm too busy to talk to you and a myriad of other kneejerk responses used as verbal ammo to hopefully thwart the efforts of an impending pitch. Almost as if they fear I'm offering them a nice papercut with a healthy dose of lemon juice. (Props to Miracle Max.) I get it, don't get me wrong. Many of us were trained as children to avoid strangers and to always be guarded. And much like superstition, these learned behaviors have a way of manifesting themselves in our decision making processes as adults. But what if we're wrong? And what if sales people are actually there to help?

As a kid I learned fairly early on that I had an ability to connect and develop rapport with folks. I also learned to be trustworthy and hardworking. My first sales gig was at age 11. One evening I had ordered a pizza to be delivered. As I sat in-waiting, anticipating the cheesy deliciousness the local Domino's served up, I noticed the now forgotten promise of thirty minutes or less had well expired. After what seemed like a famished eternity, the delivery driver finally arrived. As I was accepting my free pie the driver mentioned to me that he'd wished my family had our address painted on the curb out front. See, this was pre-GPS days and pizza drivers had to rely on maps and flashlights to navigate suburban landscapes. An idea suddenly popped in my adolescent brain.

The next morning I rode my bike to two places. First the local hardware store where I picked up spray paint, tape and stencils. The next stop was the Domino's I had ordered from the previous evening. Armed with my newly-acquired inventory, I explained to the store manager how my enterprise will benefit he and his restaurant, quoting his own employee. The pain point was clear and he was more than happy to relinquish his grip on a stack of gift certificates for half priced pizzas.

The door knocking and deal closing that ensued that summer was one of the greatest self-taught lessons I learned in my professional life. It was unmarked territory and I painted addresses on curbs until the cows came home. Five bucks a pop and the customer got it back on their next pizza order. The Domino's manager couldn't be happier about the free advertising let alone the savings he realized with the decrease in late deliveries. He eventually had a tiny Domino's shirt made for me, gave me some doorhangers to handout in the field and paid me a few hundred dollars a month, doubling my income. At eleven years old I was earning more than both of my teenaged brothers combined.

See, I learned that summer that I wanted to be a sales guy. I learned I WAS a sales guy. And for the decades that have followed I have been disciplined in the knowledge that a successful sales guy should be proud. Because a successful sales guy is only successful if all parties benefit, including himself. While I haven't painted a curb or eaten Domino's in a long time, I'm still the same kid as a grown man. The one who's constantly looking for ways to benefit others because I know that's what will ultimately benefit me. And for that, I'm unapologetic.

Charlie Ezelle is currently a business development executive, (Sales Guy), with AT-PAC Complete Scaffolding Solutions.