I'm employed!

I started a new job yesterday! I was offered an entry level position at a direct marketing business. I am excited about it because it offers me a great opportunity to learn about sales, office management, and how to train/manage a team. It is out of my comfort realm though. It is, essentially, a sales position even though I got a long speech about how it isn't when I asked. I'm taking this opportunity to expand my skill set, step out of my shell, and work on my persuasive speech.

A snapshot of what I'm doing:
My first day was yesterday and it was a long one! A work week is Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. We go out in teams and sell sets of makeup for commission. I got the sales pitch down very quickly and I'm comfortable with that part. We ended up going to a fair yesterday and I did fairly well talking with the vendors. However, I was very uncomfortable going up to people walking around or eating. That is my major goal next week.

At the end of the day we wrote out my challenges from the day, where I did well, and my goals for next time. It's a great way to stay positive and look forward to the next day. We ended up working until 8 p.m. and almost 12 hours of walking really wiped me out. I didn't sell as much as I'd hoped, due to my high expectations of myself. They said I did great for my first day. Some of my coworkers make a lot of money and move a lot of product so there is the potential to do quite well.

I find it very interesting to implement the various persuasive techniques. It ties back to my marketing training and is helping me work on those skills. It will take a lot of work to make my way up the ladder but it has a lot of potential as well as learning opportunities.

Overall, I'm not sure if this is the job for me. I don't like the amount of walking and the low return. I was also yelled at yesterday by a very angry waitress. I'm not sure if I have what it takes to make it in the direct "marketing" field for an extended period. I had two great interviews this week and I'm hoping one pans out. I'm thankful and happy to have a job and I'm going to make the best of this position and take away all I can from the experience. In one day, I learned a lot and look forward to learning much more.