Elusive Enthusiasm in Sales Profession after 20 years. Reluctant to jump ship and leave behind golden client relationships

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I have a fine arts / advertising design degree from Art Center College in Pasadena. I have been a furniture sales rep for the past 20 years and doing moderately well. (Have been in this field by accident/ circumstance). I work with architects and designers in the contract design industry.

After being forced to resign from my last position with furniture manufacturer after 10 years I have been searching for the right position. This was my opportunity to re-define/reinvent myself. It has been 1-year and I've been living off my savings and am getting down to the wire. How do I begin to find how to "reinvent" myself?

Although I've got my own rep group currently, my heart just isn't in this any longer. I have excellent deep relationships with high profile players in the Los Angeles area and am reluctant to chuck it all in my frustration. I know there is a valued place for me with my unusual combination of skills (design knowledge and sales/business development) yet it seem so elusive.

I aspire to the Fast Company mentality yet it seems a bit out of reach for me in spite of my efforts. Thanks for your time and consideration in my experience.

-- carole boyajian (cboyajian@pacbell.net), December 03, 2000

Answers

Carole there is only one mentality in my mind that you should always subscribe to, your own. The only thing I don’t quite understand about what you have said is that you took a year out and your close to the wire as far as your personal finances are concerned, but it seems you are no where near figuring out how to reinvent yourself as you were last year.

I see that you were forced to resign. This must have been hard thing to take considering your lengthy experience in the furniture industry. The first thing that comes to mind is whether you have let that experience go or whether it is something that you’re still whipping your own mind with. To get close to seeing what you need for yourself, first you have to throw the useless old mind garbage out and that means any feelings associated with unpleasant experiences.

You will know when you have actually done that because you will feel fresh and new again like a brand new sparkling diamond, rather than a darkened piece of coal. Honey, you’ve got the talent to keep on shining where you are. By all indications you are smart enough to keep a good list of contacts but a good list is only good if you are prepared to use it. So what is the mentality you need if it isn’t the Fast Company one you have been chasing? It is the one that says I am going to give permission to look after Carole Boyajian and ask much more meaningful questions. If you don’t ask the right question of your network, your not going to get the answer you want. How do I reinvent myself? isn’t really a good question when you have access to the kind of resources and people you say you have.

Carole I don’t get the feeling that this is about re-inventing yourself, though if you really feel that way I have included articles that deal with that area. I am not one that prescribes to the theory that you reinvent yourself, change focus, but reinvent? Why would you want to reinvent if you know who you are?

You know what talent you have got and there is no point in talking in a hypothetical about what can be if you have not decided on what is, and that is what is Carol Boyajian really about? What lights up Carol Boyajian? What makes her alive? Reinventions happen because a combination of experience and strange luck combined. You can try to be something, you can try to copy someone successful and these are all worthy pursuits, but if you are getting closer to the wall and you have spent a year really thinking about this and your still back at square one, then maybe square one was the right place all along.

Do you let go of a good solid network? No. What you can do is begin to construct another layer on top of the network which is your fall cushion should you be stuck at route No.1. Everybody who reinvents themselves better have a good exit strategy and what they call a fall back position. What is your fall back position right now? I think Carole it’s the life you have built to this point. So IMHO you have done your year of whatever. It is time to get back into the circle that you are familiar with before people in that circle think you have left town and your not a player anymore. Once you reconnect with that, then is the time to think about reinvention.

While the gas is low, there is no sense in pushing down hard on the accelerator pedal. Route No.2 may look like a cool place to go right now, but you can still drive down Route No.1, so get that refill and then take a vacation the next time, instead of a sabbatical. Sometimes you can find Route No.2 while Route No.1 is the one taking you safely home.

REINVENTION ARTICLES WRITTEN BY SOMEONE OR ANOTHER…

Someone called Joan Lloyd says (she says she is an expert): http://careers.jobconnection.net/joan/main.html

Someone who calls it Research: http://216.148.241.173/saleslink/bnews/991112.html

Someone else wrote a book about it: http://www.reinvention.net

And of course there is someone called Tom Peters that Fast Company now: http://www.tompeters.com/by_fast_company.htm

and gee whiz that last “someone” is the closet you are going to get to taste the Fast Company Mentality you have been trying to taste.

Good luck Honey-chuckle, hope things work out good for you.

M.

"To be or not to be that is the question" A quote by Willy Shakes. M Profile at: http://www.fastcompany.com/fasttalk/replypost.html? p=9738 Mantra of M. "Life is about Private Relations not Public Relations"

-- Mark Zorro (zorromark@consultant.com), December 04, 2000.


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