I graduated from the National Sales Center along with 3 others this past Friday. Writing has not been a priority for the past few weeks, partly because I’ve been busy and partly because I’m too stunned to think it all through. I’m in the process of interviewing for positions with 6 different MLS teams, but I can’t say which until I’ve picked one, just in case they find out about this exciting and fun writing tool I have called a blog. Man, even blogs are passé now. Anyways, the interviews will be conducted primarily by phone, although one will be in person. They will last for about 30 minutes each, and follow standard interview procedure. My decision will, in all likelihood, be made by Wednesday evening.
As a sales team at the National Sales Center, we finished up our second LA Galaxy campaign last Friday, half an hour before the final decision on who would graduate was to be made. In total, we had four weeks with the Galaxy, which is three weeks longer than we’d had with any other team over the course of the first month. This was our first taste of full-time sales work, mainly because we had time to work with people who weren’t able to buy in one week. Many of our biggest sales throughout the campaign were started in the first week and only finalized in the last. With the extra time, we were able to give buyers more time to make decisions, and better tailor our options to their interests and needs. It was a more realistic sales experience than the first month.
The last week of the LA Galaxy campaign was tense. Nobody in the group was a lock to graduate, and because some of the biggest sales were still in the making up until the last hour, nobody knew who would end up with the most revenue. One big sale had the potential to move anyone from worst to first. We worked, on average, 12 hour days to ensure that all leads were contacted and all interested Galaxy fans were connected with the seats of their choice. To be honest, it felt like I didn’t know myself during that week. Days consisted of 3 things: Work, food and sleep. We threw in a few athletic endeavors just so we didn’t go completely crazy, but for the most part, it was all work, all the time. It sounds worse from where you’re probably sitting, but that’s what the job was, and sometimes that’s how it will be. There are days in MLS ticket sales where you work 9 to 5 and leave the office, but there are also days when you prepare all day and night for a big phone call coming up, and do it alongside your daily work. It’s the nature of the beast, and although it gets grueling at times, it adds variety and excitement to each day.
When the announcement of my graduation was made, I took off the invisible 50-pound suit of armor that I had on for the first eight weeks and chucked it aside. I was both stunned and exhilarated. I was excited that the work I had put into studying and learning the sales process had paid off. Moreover, I was relieved to know that working hard really could lead to success. But then I thought about the seven people that didn’t graduate, and who I have become incredibly close with over the past 8 weeks, and who, for the most part, had put in more time and effort at the office than I had. It was very difficult to assess why I was any different from them, and although obviously something set me apart in the eyes of the program directors, the thought that I wasn’t any better than anyone else continued to linger.
Living in a dorm room in Minnesota with cafeteria food and limited mobility is not easy. As uplifting as it is to be reminded that this is an awesome opportunity, the feeling doesn’t last for long. The lifestyle of the place, however, remains consistently in focus and on the mind. It takes a certain strength and resolve to keep reminding yourself of this program’s long-run benefits. I’d be lying if I said that I never contemplated packing my bags, letting the directors know that I wasn’t cut out for this, and leaving in the middle of the night. Of course it was never really an option, but the point is that this program was, and is, tough. The first 35 days were new and fresh, and I think many of us felt that we were not ready to leave the program at that point. But now, after 60 days, I know for sure that the trainees remaining feel like they are ready to leave. As awesome as it immediately felt to be singled out as ready to go, the feeling only lasted as long as it took for the other trainees to start congratulating me. It’s not like it was their fault for wishing me well, it was just that if it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have graduated. Somehow putting me above them isn’t fair because we learned and achieved so much together. Aren’t we taught the importance of a team mentality in MLS sales? Everyone here will be hired full-time, because they are completely capable and have a ton of potential. And I know that. But it doesn’t stop the feeling that somehow me being chosen over them is unfair. In a way, everyone who will remain here for another month deserves more congratulations for their toughness and grit than I deserve for being selected.
So I got picked. I’m elated, but a little unsettled. I’ve already had 3 interviews today, and I have 3 more tomorrow. I make my decision on Wednesday night, and fly to Albany on Thursday. There’s still a lot more to be decided. Stay tuned.
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