Freelance work sustained us upon arrival in Elko, NV growing to include the new practice that hired my bride as a medical assistant. You can take the boy outta Radio but cannot take Radio outta the boy, so in time, I got a gig selling radio advertising, first for one radio station owner in the market, then another. Asked to deliver sales training to new reps at a third owner's station, the lessons David and Chris gave me back in Milwaukee were illustrated with anecdotes from my decades of sales experience. One of those radio stations shared their newscaster Lori with the local NBC TV affiliate.
Lori introduced me to the station manager, Terry, another local radio veteran. My prior video production experience was slim but sufficient to get a gig selling, writing, and producing local tv ads. Occasionally shooting something for the news, operating a studio camera, or MacGuyvering things like a teleprompter when the one possibly used by Ernie Kovaks finally went kaput. The high desert is home to few pirates, yet two tv advertisers, in particular, liked the cut of my jib.
Mike ran Plumbline Mechanical, a family-owned plumbing & HVAC business. Our conversation while shooting their ad led to an in-house marketing gig. Duties there grew to include day-to-day management of his Benjamin Moore Signature paint store. Working closely with Wally, the sales manager, the company enjoyed considerable success.
Lane ran The Pizza Barn, a family-owned family restaurant that enjoyed a legacy position in the market. For decades he'd bought "packages" from reps at area stations, making me the first rep to discuss how his business was doing before suggesting he buy from me. Becoming his trusted advisor, we leveraged his budget for all stations more thoughtfully, providing dubs of my ads to competing stations to ensure consistent branding.
Sharing an authentic Chicago Style pizza recipe, I gave Lane a pan & plier set one Christmas so he could play. Volunteering my palette in the interest of science, he nailed it right from the start. Chicago Style Pizza became his number two seller, right behind Tostada Pizza, the winner in his "suggestions from our staff" contest.
Serving as the Vice President of the local car club, the Morrodders, fed my automotive jones. Creating slide shows for the Sunday awards programs from photos of every registered vehicle was a hit at the annual shows. Upon learning we were soon to be grandparents, my Sweet Pea and I bought an RV and burned rubber on our way back to Florida. Much of our trip was spent discussing whether to keep or sell it after the move.
Our heated debate ended in flames in Chattanooga when a fuel line let go, and the bastard burned down to the waterline. Summoning my sisu, I unhitched our Sonata, piled our menagerie into the back seat, and continued to our new digs in Miramar, FL. We lost much of our treasure, forced to leave appliances, televisions, and other loot behind as we motored on.
A proud grandpa four times over today, thanks to a day job in B2B sales, my knives remain sharp, and the lights remain on. Lane became a client when OOMM 4.0 opened here, updating his radio ads for several years after the move. David, now the voice of Football on Westwood One Radio, had me update his website and help with his labor of love, a streaming service: The Titletown Music Archive. Chris (yes, that one) discovered my radio services website and suggested we reconnect.
And so it goes. Life is an adventure. Buy the ticket. Take the ride. Selling has been the key for over fifty years. From those first trips around the block, experience sailing through life taught me how to think like a pirate. Have fun, be lazy, and cheat.
Fun is the human connection. It's how an eight-year-old me described getting into Flow during my first sale in 1967.
Lazy puts Achem's razor in motion, using templates rather than reinventing the wheel.
Cheat in the literal sense, and you lose, but the spirit of the law usually trumps the letter, IMHO. Ask for forgiveness rather than permission.
Do you want to get paid to have fun? Don't quit yer day job, but see me at recess to see if my business incubator is a good fit for you. Get on the bus, and we'll build your brand from your current idea to money in the bank in 24 months.
Bring on your ideas, passions, and perhaps some pina colada mix. Congratulations, it's your turn. You've found the guy with the rum.
