How Being An Almost Rock Star Set Me On A Path To A Long Career in Sales

It was 1973, I was sitting in my messy dorm room scattered with albums and posters all over the place at Ohio University dreaming about the future - my future. I wanted to become a rock star, just like Jimi or the Allman Brothers. Wild, fiery and travelling across the country. I was 19 years old and hung out with my band Ironman5, playing gigs at bars with beer covered floors, strewn with cigarette butts dreaming big dreams. And they almost happened! They really did.   Until this one time that changed everything for me.

Our band the Ironman5 had a gig at this frat house and as usual I showed up with great anticipation and my always trusty old Stratocaster and my 100 watt Twin Reverb amplifier. That amplifier would blast anything and everything, and this night was no different. They were going to feel the full power as I turned  all the dials up to 10: volume, master volume, bass, treble all the way up. Suddenly, while we were in the middle of a cool, popular 70s song my Fender amp started making some popping and crackling sounds, and then... then it shut down. Blown!  And me being so close to becoming a real rock star! Well at least as close as the great singers in all the showers in the world. I bet you know one of those.  I needed to come up with a plan that would provide me with the money needed to put me back on the rock star track. First step: Figure out how to replace my broken Fender amplifier. 

I quickly came up with a plan. Summer vacation was coming up and I would need a summer job. I had an idea. I could find a job in a music store and reap the benefits of the employee discount. Brilliant, right? I immediately started looking for a job in a music store. I bought a copy of the local paper, The Columbus Dispatch and started reading through all of the ‘Help Wanted’ ads. Was there any other way to find a job? After a week of pouring through ad after ad after ad, I finally found it! Right there under ‘Help Wanted: Music Store’ looking for sales people - call 263-1891 ask for Russ. I was so excited I called Russ right away and without many questions, he gave me an appointment for the very next day!

The next morning, I borrowed one of my dad’s two or three sizes too large suits, put on a tie and went off to meet Russ. When I arrived right on time for my interview, a young guy about my age took me into Russ’s office. Russ was a middle aged former band director, about as straight laced as they come. I can only imagine what he thought when he saw me, along haired skinny 19 year-old in a way too big suit and tie. 

Russ asked me questions, I actually can’t even remember what they were and in fifteen minutes, the interview was over. Russ told me I’d hear back from them soon. I was ecstatic! But, a few days went by - and there was no word from Russ. I really wanted this job, my future depended on it!. About a week after my interview, I was telling the story to my roommate Tony, how much I really wanted that job; I had even thought of the possibility to practice in the guitar department when I wasn’t selling an instrument to a customer.. For this young man with big dreams, it was perfect! Then Tony said “Why don’t you call Russ and ask for the job?” 

I asked “Tony, can I really do that?” 

“Sure, why not?”

I dialed up my courage and called 263-1891 and asked for Russ. When Russ came on I said, “Russ, it’s Lee. I interviewed for the sales job last week. I don’t know if you’ve made a decision, but I really want to work in the store. Can I have the job?” Russ responded, “I think we have a place for you, call me Monday.” When I called Monday morning Russ told me I got the job and I could start in two weeks. Perfect!

On my first dayI showed up at 8:00 am sharp. Being a young college guy, admittedly I hadn’t been up that early since high school, but I was so excited. This was a dream allowing me to make money, practice guitar and get a steep discount on a new amplifier. My new boss, Russ took me into the weekly Sales Meeting at the store and introduced me to my new colleagues, the salespeople. A few were older, probably in their early thirties but the rest were young guys in their early to mid twenties and then there was me, a nineteen year old college kid. The Sales Meeting started out with Russ asking us what we want, how much we want to earn and then he got out a record and started playing a motivational talk by Earl Nightingale. I’d never heard of the guy before, but he was this man saying all these motivational lines like, “What the mind can conceive and believe, a man can achieve.” Russ closed the Sales Meeting with a talk about how we need to go out there and sell, sell, sell. Be a closer! Do whatever you need to do to make a sale.

After a couple of weeks at the Music Store, I had come to believe sales meant when someone came into the store and I asked them, “May I help you?” I was really asking, “Hi there! Can I have your wallet?” 

Even to this day, the perception of doing Sales is so often misinterpreted

as “Can I have your wallet?” where in reality it is something totally different. I worked at the Music Store for two years, and while I didn’t make much progress  towards becoming a rock star, I was definitely

putting me on the path of becoming a salesman.

I've been selling something since I was 19. It's been a twisted tangled road with a lot of starts and stops. What has made the ride so much fun so far is that I've been lucky enough to work with people who taught me a lot and allowed me to keep growing. 

In short over the years, and it took me a long time to learn this, I don't have any interest in trying to convince someone they need my product, I do not make sales pitches, I learned that for me, pitches keep customers from getting what they want. I believe there are a set of problems we can solve. If you have one of those problems, we should consider talking. If you don't have any of those, we shouldn't have a sales conversation today. We might become friends, we might enjoy each other, but if I can't solve your problem, I'm not interested in selling anything to you.