Dan

Dan

Dan

Dan

What an in incredible story. I am sure quite a few of us who are reading this know exactly what you were going through. I am delighted that are able to share that with us and clearly articulate your feelings about the situation.

Dan

What an in incredible story. I am sure quite a few of us who are reading this know exactly what you were going through. I am delighted that are able to share that with us and clearly articulate your feelings about the situation.

Dan

I was with an organization when things were going very well overall, but the territory that I took over was undermanaged for several years. Within 12 months of taking over, I had the 2nd highest sales volume out of 22 reps in Canada, and the 4th highest increase year over year results to budget. I still had a lot to learn, but I was off to a great start. The following year, things started off quiet well, but then the economic downturn kicked in. I continued to grow as a rep, build relationships with current key accounts, and prospect for new business. I was quickly getting a reputation as the best rep that this company had seen in the region for close to 10 years. It felt great, but I knew I was in for a rough ride, with the economy quickly taking a turn for the worst.
 
As changes occurred, I worked directly for the head of Canadian operations for a few months. He was smart, successful, but very tough on reps, especially the ones that were struggling. Initially I was told that I would be protected if the economy made change necessary within the organization. But I started to not feel so protected as the pressure mounted to grow the business even more, when I had one of the hardest hit regions of Canada in my territory! In the midst of the turmoil, I had the top results in a 6 week promotion, beating out 100 sales representatives across North America, but none of that seemed to matter.  A new Sales Manager was brought in, and the honeymoon with them was over in about two days.
 
As the struggles continued, and I was only a few months removed from great success, (and  in the boss’ “inner circle” so to speak) my colleague who had the other part of my region thought we were going to be let go soon. Maybe I was naïve, maybe I thought that I could never be fired, but the writing was on the wall. We suddenly had to call in to the boss every morning, and every afternoon to say exactly what we did for the day. That lasted for two weeks. As I reflect now, that was done in the hopes that we would just quit, and they would be free and clear of us both. I thought we made it, and passed some kind of test. I was wrong, dead wrong! The two of us were let go on the same day shortly after. The new Sales Manager who ultimately pulled the trigger on my demise quit two months later!
 
I had moved my family 9+ years previously to this city, to take my career to the next level, and do great things. I was being groomed for sales management with a previous organization and I had never felt better about things, then they were purchased and the company went sideways fast. I made the difficult decision to leave, and moved on to the above mentioned role. I made the best of a difficult situation, and “survived” in a very challenging working environment.
 
I was in shock for a few days, and it felt like I was repeatedly being kicked in the gut. I felt like I usually did one somebody passed away close to me. I was numb. My parents and in-laws were in town for my son’s birthday, and I had to walk in the door and tell them that I lost my job. To add to it, my wife was not working at the time. I was bitter, I was angry; I know that I had done no wrong. A decision had been made, and I would have to live with it.
 
This was not supposed to happen to “Tim Mushey”.  At the end of the day, thankfully these feelings only lasted for about two weeks. My wife did an incredibly simple, yet important thing next. She suggested that we hop on the train with our son and go to the mountains for a few days.
 
It was just the perspective that I needed. When I felt that fresh, cold mountain air hit my face, my outlook changed quickly. She reminded me all that I had achieved in life on a personal and professional level. She reminded me that I WOULD do it again. I started reflecting on my past accomplishments, and decided that bigger and better things were in store for me in the future.
 
To supplement my income with another outside sales role in the future, I would finally embark on some part time online marketing aspirations that I had been dabbling in for a while. I saw the joy on my family’s faces when we had that time away in the mountains, and I knew that everything was going to be ok. I was a fighter, and I was in for some of the toughest challenges in my life, but I would come out of it stronger than ever.

I was with an organization when things were going very well overall, but the territory that I took over was undermanaged for several years. Within 12 months of taking over, I had the 2nd highest sales volume out of 22 reps in Canada, and the 4th highest increase year over year results to budget. I still had a lot to learn, but I was off to a great start. The following year, things started off quiet well, but then the economic downturn kicked in. I continued to grow as a rep, build relationships with current key accounts, and prospect for new business. I was quickly getting a reputation as the best rep that this company had seen in the region for close to 10 years. It felt great, but I knew I was in for a rough ride, with the economy quickly taking a turn for the worst.
 
As changes occurred, I worked directly for the head of Canadian operations for a few months. He was smart, successful, but very tough on reps, especially the ones that were struggling. Initially I was told that I would be protected if the economy made change necessary within the organization. But I started to not feel so protected as the pressure mounted to grow the business even more, when I had one of the hardest hit regions of Canada in my territory! In the midst of the turmoil, I had the top results in a 6 week promotion, beating out 100 sales representatives across North America, but none of that seemed to matter.  A new Sales Manager was brought in, and the honeymoon with them was over in about two days.
 
As the struggles continued, and I was only a few months removed from great success, (and  in the boss’ “inner circle” so to speak) my colleague who had the other part of my region thought we were going to be let go soon. Maybe I was naïve, maybe I thought that I could never be fired, but the writing was on the wall. We suddenly had to call in to the boss every morning, and every afternoon to say exactly what we did for the day. That lasted for two weeks. As I reflect now, that was done in the hopes that we would just quit, and they would be free and clear of us both. I thought we made it, and passed some kind of test. I was wrong, dead wrong! The two of us were let go on the same day shortly after. The new Sales Manager who ultimately pulled the trigger on my demise quit two months later!
 
I had moved my family 9+ years previously to this city, to take my career to the next level, and do great things. I was being groomed for sales management with a previous organization and I had never felt better about things, then they were purchased and the company went sideways fast. I made the difficult decision to leave, and moved on to the above mentioned role. I made the best of a difficult situation, and “survived” in a very challenging working environment.
 
I was in shock for a few days, and it felt like I was repeatedly being kicked in the gut. I felt like I usually did one somebody passed away close to me. I was numb. My parents and in-laws were in town for my son’s birthday, and I had to walk in the door and tell them that I lost my job. To add to it, my wife was not working at the time. I was bitter, I was angry; I know that I had done no wrong. A decision had been made, and I would have to live with it.
 
This was not supposed to happen to “Tim Mushey”.  At the end of the day, thankfully these feelings only lasted for about two weeks. My wife did an incredibly simple, yet important thing next. She suggested that we hop on the train with our son and go to the mountains for a few days.
 
It was just the perspective that I needed. When I felt that fresh, cold mountain air hit my face, my outlook changed quickly. She reminded me all that I had achieved in life on a personal and professional level. She reminded me that I WOULD do it again. I started reflecting on my past accomplishments, and decided that bigger and better things were in store for me in the future.
 
To supplement my income with another outside sales role in the future, I would finally embark on some part time online marketing aspirations that I had been dabbling in for a while. I saw the joy on my family’s faces when we had that time away in the mountains, and I knew that everything was going to be ok. I was a fighter, and I was in for some of the toughest challenges in my life, but I would come out of it stronger than ever.