She’s bossy. And has an answer for everything.

Yup. Guilty as charged. 😜

Essay #101

Hey guys! Writing has been difficult lately. I’ve been in a funk, dreading the incoming administration, thinking too much, and trying to in get as much Alaska as I can before I have to leave for the Heartland.

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How did you begin your working life?

My very first job at 16 was pouring soda at a hamburger joint. I would get home at 2am smelling like burgers and fries. Later, I would bus tables at a breakfast restaurant starting at 7am, usually with a slight hangover. 🤷🏼‍♀️

But this story is about my first REAL, grown up job. It was my kick in the right direction for which I am eternally grateful.

Let’s go waaaay back. I was so young, maybe early twenties. That one year of college was too costly for my single mom, so I started tending bar and waiting tables. One day this woman came in for lunch and said, “You would be great selling radio advertising. You should come to my office for an interview”.

I’m like, “Nah. I’m making $125 a week plus tips, have my own apartment (above a shoe store) and play racquetball every day. I’m good, but thanks.”

Six months later, the bar was sold and I took my overachieving personality to a business I knew nothing about. It was a real job, not the kind I would smell like french fry grease at the end of the day. It was the start of an advertising career that lasted almost 40 years.

Now in her 80’s, the woman who offered me the job has been my friend and mentor to this day. She took a chance on me and I tried like hell to not let her down. (I tell the youngs, get yourself a mentor…they will help you be the best you can be.)

From back in the day to a few years ago. I owe this woman big time.

During that time as a sales rep for this small town radio station, I was boisterous, hard working, over the top, and driven. My approach was, ‘shoot first and ask questions later’. It seemed to work until…

My boss got a call from the owner of a Mexican fast food chain. He demanded I be replaced with someone else.

Why?

“Because she’s bossy and has an answer for everything”, he said.

My manager replied. “I understand. I’ll assign you a new rep. But I do need to ask, if she doesn’t have an answer to all your questions, who will?”

HA! Take that, Mr. Shitty Mexican Restaurant Guy. 😂 Seriously, I was afraid she’d fire me… but I had the client spending a ton of money and I was one of the top sales people at the station.

And let’s face it. The client was right. I was bossy. I still am.

My boss tried not to laugh as she told me to maybe tone it down a little. But not too much… after all, I was selling a ton of advertising.

Selling air was a great job. It gave me the experience and confidence I needed to eventually start my own ad agency.

She took me out for a drink to discuss that possibility and the bartender told me “you’re only a failure if you don’t try.”

If that’s the criteria, I was no failure.

Those early years were a good time to be in media. We developed our own promotions, knowing what would appeal to the small businesses that our one hundred thousand watt signal covered. And there was a constant push/pull with the purists in programming who wanted as few ads as possible.

But today, small town stations are almost extinct, having been gobbled up by big corporations. They’ve lost their local feel… and the fun. Algorithms rule and now it’s all about efficiency and profit.

My cohort Mike (pictured below) and I were stations the top salespeople. We would spend a day on the road, hitting every small town business, selling them local sports programs and talking till they said yes. Literally sucking the air out of the room. 😂 We were a helluva team, in spite of his plaid pants. 🤦‍♀️

To my knowledge the restaurant client was the only one that I know of who ever complained about my approach. Others have described me as “nice-bossy”. No pressure, but I had to deliver results for them AND make the sale.

I pushed hard for my ideas but in the end, the client gets to do what they want. We used to say, clients have the right to make the wrong decision. 🙄

I don’t think sales has really changed. Clients don’t want another order taker. They want someone who gives a shit about them.

I genuinely did, and they knew it.

I was getting paid to deliver ideas and results. If you can’t demonstrate real enthusiasm for a client’s success, even if it comes down to being a bit bossy (in a nice way), then you need to find another way to earn a living.

Like working the cash register at a Mexican restaurant.

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