Week 6

6-22

Well I’m getting a little frustrated with our Sunday’s. They are supposed to be our day off’s but we are getting less and less time. Now we are meeting 2 hours away, almost to Syracuse. So 4 hours of our “day off” is spent driving on the road. This wouldn’t be so bad except I have to drive if we want to sleep an extra hour because of the 3 first years, one doesn’t have a car and the other has a V8 truck. So obviously, mine is the best option. However, it is annoying to have to drive that whole time, so today I let Joe drive the way back. This week is my week for Mom. To be honest, I’m going to feel really bad if I do really well this week because I didn’t do so hot for my Dad. Although I still want really bad to start being a professional at this job. I’m at week 6, I’m a fast learner and so now I’m ready to take on the world.

I also learned that Travis is giving me some of his territory, which is sweet because North Colonie, the new area I’m working is loaded with kids and money. Two vital components to me having a successful summer. This week will be awesome because I will choose everyday to have a great day, no matter what. Bed time. Peace

6-23

Today I moved to my new territory and I’m not going to lie, it kind of sucked. I thought I had about 3 prime customers, but it turned out, I had none. The first house I pulled up to today had their own tennis court…so money is not going to be the issue in Colonie. I don’t know what I did wrong today, but I really need to figure it out. Positivity was good today, but I dunno I just couldn’t get the people to buy. Maybe it’s just the transition in territory, or maybe I’m doing something wrong. Either way it’s getting frustrating. This week is mom’s week, and I’m not off to a good start, but if I just keep plugging, it will get better.

6-24

I thought I was going to have a follow day today, but Travis said I didn’t. So I was totally stoked about going out there and catching up with people today. My plan did not go all to well, but I did have one customer. She was a cool mom, and I thought I was going to lose her because her husband got home right as she was handing me the check. She said, I bought some books! And he simply said, “Oh cool. Great!” So that went well. I think they would have bought more if I just would have showed them, but oh well. I’ll catch up with them at the end of the summer and sell them the rest of the stuff I have. I cannot believe this summer is half over. It is really starting to blow my mind how much I need to get with it, to reach my goals for the summer.

6-25

The follow day caught up to me. I actually got to follow Matt today for only a half day. I was really pumped up after I followed him. I got 17 contacts and 7 presentations with one sale from 3-9. I just have to keep working, and once I get some names on my list, I’m going to steam roll the town of North Colonie. I met some really cool families today so that was good. Tomorrow I’m going to tear it up. Without a doubt.

6-26

Wow today was amazing. I may not have had the best sales, but it was one of my best days mentally and sales wise so far. God just kept me so motivated through most of the day. After lunch and a little bit at 3 I was a little tired, but he kept me moving. I had 33 contacts, 9 presentations, and 2 sales. Both of my sales were only small sales, but the best part is that both of my customers paid in full today. So I picked up $304.12 today. How positive is that! I have been listening to a Christian Radio station on XM and it has really helped me out too. It just reminds me that I need to keep my focus on God in order to get my head in the right place. Travis had a follow day in Virginia today. The guy he followed had 6 strong customers for 200 units. Just to put that into perspective that’s $1000 a day. He said that the key was just being goofy and really connecting with the families. I met some really cool families today, but I also didn’t act as confident. So for the next couple of weeks I’m going to blow up the town of North Colonie.

6-28

I’m getting really bad about forgetting about this journal. Today was crappy, but good. I had 40 contacts, 10 presentations, but no sales. So yeah it was a rough day, I worked my butt off and saw no results today. The keyword in that sentence was today. I rewrote my approach and intro so that it really fits me and helps me to connect with the families I’m talking with. So sit-downs will become part of my day just like knocking on doors. That is going to be the key for me from now on. As long as I get sit-downs I’ll blow up. Until then I’m going to make small weeks like 50 units. So, this next week is going to be awesome because I’m going to switch my style up and let the haters hate and watch the units pile up.

wow. week 5?

6-16

Marvelous Monday. That’s what today was. I started my week with two sales. One was a weak sale, but he told me he would have cash for me on Friday and he has bought books before, so I trust him. It will only get better after today. It’s been a tough transition not hanging out with Chris and accepting the new people, but I think it’s going to make me better. To battle through that struggle and still make this my best week will prove that I can adapt and not let things get me down. I met two very positive people today. The first was a dad who looked pretty rough. I didn’t even think he would let me talk, but he was so into his kid’s education. He wanted the very best for his kid because he had dropped out. He loved the books but didn’t get them. I have no idea why. I mean seriously he was the most excited out of all the people I’ve seen that looked at the books. After it was over, he apologized for not being able to “help” me and then offered me 10$ bill. I walked away and refused it, but just thought how cool he was. The other dad I met was very snobby and conceited. He was drinking wine and talking about how horrible the schools were. He said that his kids were doing math before kindergarten and that he could teach them math better than the teachers at the school. However, at the end of all that, he did say that he wanted me to send in my resume to his company. He works for a place called ipix.com. It’s a virtual touring company that allows you to view something online as if you were standing in the room. That’s about all I know about it. It really shocked me that he said that and then it hit me. This job is just what God wants me to do. I’m not trying to sound arrogant, but many people have told me that the pitch was good and that I delivered it well. I am starting to believe them, this is what I like to do and people think I’m good at it. So there’s no reason why this week won’t be my best week ever on the book field. Goodnight.

6 – 19

Wow so I totally forgot to write this. When I moved rooms, I just forgot about this journal. My bad. The new roommates are good and I found out that I can call my parents at night. So those were both positive things. This week has been pretty good, besides the zero day today. The area I’m working in is pretty poor however. Everyone loves the books, but seriously, the places I’m talking to have noooo money whatsoever. They don’t even have checking accounts. I was thinking about that just now and I have 3 checking accounts…interesting. Anyway, I really need to get some sleep and be excited because tomorrow’s Friday which means the next day is Saturday which means the next day is SUNDAY!

6-20

Today I followed Matt. It was good, but I was really hoping that I could just go out and work today. I wanted to catch up with everyone I missed during the week. However, because I didn’t work today, my gravy day tomorrow will be amazing. I’m going to finish strong this week and do my absolute best. God will take care of the rest. I’ve realized that I’ve let myself become bored and apathetic with this job. That self dies tomorrow and I will pull myself out of this hole of procrastination. If I’m going to be here, I am obligated to give it my best and to say that I did everything I could to make this a great summer. There’s no reason why it shouldn’t be.

Funny stories: dog on door, I don’t believe it, digging ditches, terrified

6-21

Today, was an awesome day. My positive attitude today made all the difference in the world. I woke up about 10 minutes before time to go and just made myself have a good day. The day actually went really well. All the families I talked with, it really seemed like I connected with them and was able to help them. Here’s an interesting story, I almost skipped over this one lady because I didn’t think she would have any money. The funny thing was, she was waiting for me outside, and she was 1 of my 2 strong customers and she paid in cash. It’s just so weird to see the people God puts in our lives. He knew that I was going to be able to help her and she was able to help me realize how important it is to trust God. This next week is going to be a lot of fun because I’m going to make it fun. I don’t really feel like writing much more, sorry for the short post this week. I’ll do better next week.

Week 4, disappointment haunted (past tense, that's key) all my dreams

6-8

I’m just saying it now. This will be my breakthrough week. I’m running through the red tape of failure. This week is Father’s week. Because Sunday is Father’s Day, SW devoted this week to show the appreciation that we have for our dads. Our work and units this week will reflect our dads’ work in our lives. This job really makes you understand how hard parents work and the sacrifices they make just to please us. It brings them so much joy just to see us do well. After I told my dad that this would be my best week for him, he thanked me and said that all the work he put in for me had become worthwhile because of who I am becoming. That will resonate all through this week as I get 300 units this week. That means I’ll make $1500 in this week alone. That’s more than all of my first 3 weeks combined. I have also decided to devote this week to God. I want to genuinely help other families. This week should only be about others and none of it should be for myself. If I go out and help others then the units and sales will come along as a bonus. Everybody’s getting’ ‘em this week!

6-9

Today I followed Jes. Even though the practice weeks are over, I still learned so much. She is so good at taking people’s angriness and turning into serenity. The people would just calm down and be like, Oh ok, cool. It was really neat to watch. It was however, blistering hot. My shirt sleeves were discolored from me wiping sweat off my face the whole day. I got in late tonight, but it was ok. I had to pick up Chris in Albany. It turned out to be great because I got to talk to my mom and sister a lot on the way down. It was weird but I got to help Virginia get into a system. I took the principles from the book field like starting out slow and then building on them. It was really neat to see how much I’ve learned and how I’m putting those ideas into practice.

6-10

Well to be honest, I wrote 6-9 tonight. Haha. I was so tired and it was late last night so I didn’t write one. I tried to recall everything that happened yesterday in the best way I remember. However, today was a disappointing day. I came into the week so pumped about Father’s week and had to follow my first day. Then today, I had a zero sales day, only 27 contacts, and 6 presentations. I think I figured it out though. Because it’s father’s week, my mind is so set on getting sales that I’m not really focusing on serving others. I would talk with non-prospects like older people and they were all very nice today. Then I would go to a mom and I would get denial after denial after denial. The mindset is the biggest thing I need to work on. I just have to really not care whether or not they even want to talk to me. Some people will, but most won’t. That’s just how this job is. Once I really begin to figure that out, I’ll be alright. The sales will come if I just focus on helping others, and not being prideful towards myself.

6-11

The combination of prayers, a little hard work, and a servant mindset helped me get a sale today. I had 25 contacts, 11 presentations, and 1 customer. The customer got 3 handbooks so that was good. I’m really going to try to get handbook customers tomorrow. I need to finish strong to have my best week and get to recognize all the appreciation for my dad. I really want to achieve this goal this week. Today I was walking up to a house and was looking at the ground. When began to walk up on the porch I found myself literally 6 inches from this massive dog’s face. I immediately turned around and ran for my life. Luckily he was tied up or else I would have been his lunch. I’m not kidding, this dog was huge and pissed off. Another funny story, Chris and I tried to get free donuts tonight, but my friend Mike wasn’t working. So we decided we would just go look in the trash to see if we could see the leftover donuts. As soon as we opened the dumpster we changed our minds. The smell was terrible. Chris got hit on by a gay guy today and a 48 year old mom. Interesting…Both are very funny stories with very funny quotes. The first was,(what Chris thought he heard,

Guy: “Are you okay?”

Chris: “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Guy: “No…are you a gay?”

Chris: “Oh. No sorry to disappoint you.”

The other one was just a one liner.

Chris: “I’ll just stop by later on tonight.”

Mom: “I’ll be sweet for you tonight.”

6-12

Today contained a sale, but it was still a disappointing kind of day. I mean I was satisfied with everything that happened and what I learned, but I just want to do so well for father’s week. It’s so frustrating to know that I’ve done really well in the past, but now can’t get back to that point. I want so badly to have my best week for my dad, and I think that I’m almost too focused on that. I feel like last week my focus was on God helping me and this week I’m saying the words, “God take this and use it for your good,” but I’m not really meaning it. Which is also frustrating. Tomorrow is Friday and I really need to just let everything go to him. I need to get out of my car and get on my knees and just give up everything. Today was cool to see how people are seeing the real me. I know this because after I left their house, even if they didn’t buy or even look at the books, they would always wish me a happy day or something like that. This morning at about 9:30 I went back to some old territory to try to catch a mom and she was out of town. I was kind of bummed about that, but then saw a car with its hazard lights on. About 50 yards down the road I saw a woman walking. I put two and two together and realized she had run out of gas so I stopped and offered her a ride. She agreed and I stayed with her until she got back on the road. It was so cool to see how God used that disappointment of that mom to turn it into something positive and a way for me to help this woman. The cool part was, later on in the day I was about to go knock on this door when I recognized the car was the same one I helped get gas for earlier in the morning. She didn’t answer, but it was still cool that it was her. Anyway, it’s almost midnight and I need to get some sleep and give the rest of the week to God. As I was typing that I realized that at the beginning of the summer I gave all of it to him, which was great, but I didn’t really do it. I thought that since I did it that one time that it would be taken car of. The truth is that I need to genuinely give everyt day to him in order to really mean it. It’s the same with our faith. We need to serve him daily, or break it down een everysecond should be devoted to God or else we’re not doing what we were made for. So that’s what I will start doing. Giving every day, goal period, customer, whatever, to him.

6-13

Today I had another pick up experience. I was on my way to get gas and as I was coming off of the exit ramp I saw someone walking. I immediately felt the urge to pull over and had noticed a car on the interstate. So I just did it. I gave this guy named Bob a ride. Turns out, his car had a flat and he didn’t have a tire iron or jack. To add to that stressfulness, he had no phone and was on his way to work. Keep in mind that this was about 9:30 p.m. His job for the night was to make auto parts deliveries to shops all night long. He said that he would probably be working until about 6 in the morning. I really felt bad for him. I mean, yeah my job now is tough, but I can stop whenever I want and my life would be fine. If he just decided to not work hard one day, his family would feel the consequences of that. He told me that he was taking care of his mother, trying to help a friend who just lost a son, and balance his own family all at the same time. Again I just felt sorry for the guy. He was so real though. He was like a dose of straight reality. That’s real life for some people. Bob told me that he didn’t care if went “up there” or down to hell. He just wanted to go somewhere. He told me that just before I stopped to pick him up he was thinking to himself, “why am I the one eating dirt right now.” I wanted to talk more about God with Bob, but didn’t know what to say. At the end of our ride all I could think to say was “I’ll pray for you.” He said, “thanks, I need it.” He handed me a $20 bill even though I insisted that it wouldn’t be worth it because I just drove him seriously like 2 miles. But he wouldn’t take no for an answer and left it sitting on the middle console. It’s cool to see how God used me tonight on my way to get gas. Talking with Bob just added to the realness of God. Everything happens for a reason and God is always with us. Today my goal was to meet 3 cool moms. I met that many and so many more. Even dads have been awesome to talk to. For now I should go to bed. If you’re reading this and you have everything you NEED, then be thankful because others don’t. That’s the main lesson I’ve learned all week. God has taught me so much about selflessness, but it would take waaaayyyy more than a week to uncover how much I still need to learn.

6-14

It’s the end of Father’s week and I did not reach my goal. I had 94 units this week. I was 206 units short of my goal. I wanted so bad to get it, but just couldn’t get things to go. It’s ok though. I called my dad and tried to apologize for not hitting my goal, but all he did was reassure me that the units aren’t what he was proud of. He said he knows that I want to do well this summer, but the changes that have taken place in the past four weeks are what he’s proud of. He told me that just being here and doing the work makes him proud. Tonight was just another reminder of how much my parents care about me. I’m really glad this week is over. I’ve got to put it behind me and move on. I just looked at the pace-setter (a book that tells how everyone is doing this summer). I missed being in the top 100 by 13 units. I want to be in the top 100 next week. I’ve got to really work hard this week to do that however. I’ve been wasting a lot of time recently and that needs to stop. I need to get organized. Tomorrow Nate will be here and our whole organization will meet together and there will definitely by some Frisbee playing going on. I’ve got a little bit more paper work to do, then I can go to bed. I can’t wait for next week.

Week 3

6-1

June already? How did it come so soon? Ok so to be quite honest the end of May went quickly. I mean if you think about it I’ve been doing this job, training included, for 3 weeks now. To me, that’s kind of crazy. It seems like a lot less. I’m super tired tonight, and I have a ton to do tomorrow. This week I’m reaching for higher goals. I want to feel like I’ve put my best foot forward. By the way, really random, but we don’t have water right now because our well is being primed…so no shower or bathroom use…interesting. Today we had our Sunday meeting and played Frisbee, that’s pretty much it. Oh!! I got my car washed finally! It looks a million times better. Ok I’m falling asleep.

6-2

My attitude today was awesome, however, my stats did not reflect them. I only had 28 contacts, 10 presentations, 31 units. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll get back up to my good numbers. I want so bad to hit 300 units this week and get 78 presentations. I need prayer for my family. Things are becoming different because we’re all over the place and some of us are lonely. Sometimes we give so much to others that we forget about our needs. Pray for those that do this, and help them by showing them we love them. Tomorrow is a new day, and I reallllly need to go to sleep. Goodnight.

6-3

The tiredness is beginning to catch up to me. The lack of sleep and the 12 hour days are wearing me down. That’s why I’m going to catch some good sleep tonight. My day was productive statistically, but it was like I wasn’t really there today. I had 36 contacts, 10 presentations, but no sales. Tomorrow will be different. It’s going to be hump day, which means I’m just skiing down a mountain now. It’s really cool to see my forearms getting darker…I just wish the rest of my skin matched it. I want to do well this week, I want to have at least 300 units. There’s no reason why I can’t do that. We’ll see how the rest of the week plays out. My biggest problem is leaving parts of the sales talk out. I forget important parts like the intro, and I’ve also had trouble finding a need. Most people just say that they have everything they need. Anyway, my eyes are closing.

6-4

Well I had the exact same stats as yesterday, with the exception of one sale. Which shouldn’t really count because it was only software. I think I’m so concerned about getting my contacts and presentations that I’m not really going through my sales talk. I’m just doing demos to get a stat. Hopefully I’ll be able to turn this around tomorrow. WE picked up internet tonight, which could be bad…I also got 48 bottles of VitaminWater in the mail today :D. Today we had some Europeans come stay with us. They were really cool. I wasn’t aware that SW recruited people from other countries to sell, but it makes sense. It’s an awesome opportunity. I still have to make my lunch and fill out some paper work so I think I’ll go for now. Hopefully this will keep you entertained for the night.

6-5

Today was a pretty good day. I had 40 contacts, 12 presentations (the most ever), and3 small sales. I also got to experience the fun times of the job. I met a mom who said the classic, “I’m not interested” and so I told her it would only take 5 minutes and then immediately sat down. She slowly followed and we got around to talking about all kinds of stuff. It was really cool to just connect with someone and completely change their attitude towards me. My bank account got really fat this week which is cool. I also get to deposit two more checks tomorrow. They were right, it gets better. This week started slow, but it’s going on the upward curve now. One sad note, Beth left today. I knocked on a door today and the dad said they just had a death in the family. I graciously apologized and then went to the next house. I found out that the previous family with the death had his wife just pass. They had about a 10 year old daughter and the mom died at about 6:00 that morning. I felt terribly sorry for them. I also met a guy that was building something out of some wood so I asked him what it was for. He told me that it was a casket for his dog. He was going to have to put him down tomorrow. I told him that I had done that his year, and I was sorry. Both sad stories I know, but that’s what makes this job so cool. You can see tiny glimpses into what people go through and see how they keep going. Love God and Love people, that’s what will get me through today and tomorrow. OHH a funny story. I pulled up to this gas station to look for a map. The car next to me had stickers all over it. No seriously like covered in quotes and stickers. The guy inside had a huge beard and kind of looked like he could have been a hippie. When I pulled up beside him he was sleeping, and he seriously had like 3 inches of snot hanging from his nose. He woke up when I pulled up next to him and got out of his car, but he hadn’t noticed the 5 pounds of snot hanging from his nose! Crazy I know. Anyway hope that cheered you up.

6-6

No sales today, but I met some awesome families. I found this new neighborhood that wasn’t on the map, but was absolutely loaded with kids. I know that sounds creepy, but it was one of the most positive things ever. Only about 3 houses in the neighborhood of 20 houses didn’t have kids. Like I said no sales, but my contact to presentation ratio was a little less than 50%. We also picked up a new member to our team today. His name is Josh. Chris and I talked with him a lot tonight about how the first weeks suck, but how it gets better. He said it was encouraging, and it was strange for Chris and I to be giving advice, because we have only been here 3 weeks. However, we’ve learned so much. Sunday is never going to be so good.

6-7

I almost quit early today, but I didn’t. Gravy days for me so far have not been that great. It was 7:00 and I thought I was pretty much out of houses, but I went back over my territory and then went up a new street. I just talked with Travis and I know why my Gravy sucks. I had been setting up appointments during the middle of the day and the appointments are only for gravy. (Now the light bulb is coming on in my head). He also gave me some really good approaches for teachers. Today was freaking hot. The bank thermometer said 91 and I believe it. I sweated more today than I have all week combined. It was unbelievably hot today. My stats for today were 31 cont. and 13 presentations. It was my best day for presentations so far, but 0 units. So that kind of sucked. The best part about all that is that next week I start to really DO this job. Instead of just getting numbers I’m going to start actually talking to people. It’s going to get even better this next week.

Week 2 minus a couple days, sorry

5-28

Alright well I know I missed two days, but I did write them. My freaking computer didn’t save them though. Oh well. They were good days. Yesterday I learned the importance of trusting everything to God.

Today I just had to motivate myself to keep going. I got in this crazy mode where I was just talking with everyone and really connecting with different people. It was a good feeling, and I’m going to try to continue that same attitude tomorrow. I will admit, it’s getting a little bit tougher. I’m doing ok at the talk and everything, but I just am having trouble just being here. Being at home, sleeping in, seeing my family, all that would be absolutely amazing right now. But like I said, oh well. I am exhausted today so good night!

5-29

The lesson of today involved recognizing the numerous positive little things and giving back to others. There are so many positive instances that happen throughout the day that I take for granted. I found that if I pause and try to think of everything positive in the day, there really isn’t much room for the negative stuff at all. I encourage you to all try it. Every time you think of something negative, just name 2 positives that counter it and you’ll find it very easy to forget the negatives. Ok so remember that story of the guy at Dunkin’ Donuts who gave me the two free donuts? Check this out, I figured that if he just gave me those donuts that late at night that they probably just threw them away each night. I rolled up to the drive thru and asked them about what they did with the donuts. Sure enough they said they just threw them out. I asked him, his name is Mike, if I could just come by and get all the donuts and he said sure. This is probably one of the top 5 most positive events of my summer so far. We honestly had at 4 dozen donuts to split between 6 people. It was awesome!! As for the giving back, I met a family today that loved the books. They weren’t the richest family, but the mother cared deeply for her children’s best interest. You could tell that she wanted the books, but saving the money might be tough. She agreed to get the books, but later called me and told me her husband wouldn’t let her get the books. So I decided that since she and her kids liked the books so much, that she deserved to have them anyway. One week we get to choose a family to give a set of handbooks to as part of the company’s plan. That family will probably get the set, unless I meet someone who is equally excited, and wants the books like they did.

5-30

Today was kind of a crappy day. I had some sales fall through that I thought for sure were going to work. Something is happening, I’m not getting into doors very well, and when I do get in, I’m not really getting the sales to go through. I did get more demos by just sitting down and getting them to follow me. It really does work if you just sit down, they feel obligated to follow you. I’m trying to keep my head in the right place. It’s just so tough to stay positive when door after door keeps saying no, or you run into older family after older family. I also talked with Tiny a little bit tonight. He’s an amazing guy. At first I kind of judged him because he is a gamer, and exactly how you would picture an ex military gamer would look like. But he vacuumed our room today because he wanted to save us from Beth’s wrath. He didn’t have to, but it was just to keep the peace. He’s the type of guy that just does little things so that everyone is happy. And yet he is sacrificing so much to keep it. God is awesome, goodnight.

5-31

Saturday, aka all day gravy. Which means that we are supposed to be catching up with families we missed during the week. I didn’t do a very good job organizing my families so I didn’t have much gravy. I actually had to go to a new area today, which normally people don’t do. I wanted so badly to have my best presentation day today, but just couldn’t get it to work for me today. I also quit a little early, which I look back on as a disappointment. Today was very eventful however. After I ate my lunch I had a really bad stomachache and ended up puking. So that kind of sucked. The majority of the weather was nice, but there was this one time…I was looking down the street and saw someone’s garden getting what I thought was watered by a sprinkler. Wrong. I was witenessing a huuuuuge downpour coming right at me. Before I could pull out my rainjacket, which was neatly packed away, I got doused. I just stood there and soaked it up. This had already happened once today. Then on my way home it was rain and hail. But on a more positive note, I filled out my BAR and noticed that I had improved dramatically. I went from about 49:35 hours to 75:13 this week. I had 109 contacts my first week and 228 this week. 18 presentations the first and 43 this week. I also had 4 customers the first week and 11 this week. I collected $372.36 last week and $1,196.17 this week. My first week units were 74 and this week it was 168. So total I’ve made about $1,000 of profit this summer. Pretty sweet for two weeks worth of work huh? Wow it’s almost 1 o’clock and I shouldn’t be getting less sleep on a Saturday night than I do during the week, so I will talk to you tomorrow.