Bridge jobs

After my failed business venture, I had to scramble. Boke in every sense of the word, and with national depression looming, I was suicidal. It took every ounce of faith I had to get up in the morning.

I finally landed a job selling software. I was selling high-end software because I had the sales and technical skills needed for that job. I was the first salesman this compony ever had. One of the founders had functioned as the sales roles and was ready to retire. I was to be his replacement.

In order to sell this high-end software, you needed to have tech skills, business knowledge, and sales skills. Our software was the highest priced in the industry. I had to sell this by demonstration. They gave me the worst territory to start with. My job was to cold call and set up a demo.  I learned Salesforce CRM to accomplish this.

I would get one demo in an area or state and then fly out to the site present a demo and then drive around for the next week, dropping in on every potential client in the are and try to secure another demo. I must have logged ten thousand miles of windshield time.

They wouldn't relinquish any better territory, so we ended our relationship.

I then went to work for Radio Shack and then Time Warner Cable inbound sales. At T.W. I was their during the digital switchover, and I made great money because of that.  I landed a job back in the book business. I went to work for a legal and law book publishing company.  I sold legal, business, medical, and other printed publications. My territory was the odd zip codes of N.Y. City. I called on The N.Y. Yankee's, The U.N., and other high profile companies.

I had to learn two different CRM's and sales techniques to be able to know at least enough to pitch these high-end publications to sophisticated customers. It was like drinking water from a fire hose.

In the middle of my career there, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was passed, and we had the first book out on the legislation.  I cleaned up again.

The company realized a division selling only hard-bound book publications was a dying proposition. They shut us down and consolidated the book with the online subscription and digital departments.

Once again, it was back to the career search for me.