The summer campaign for Vector ended a few weeks ago, and the company is still in the process of verifying the final tabs. I do, however, have good news that doesn't relate to car insurance.
Last week, I got a call from the company requesting proof that I was enrolled in enough college units and a photo for the scholarship brochure. I finished in the Top-50 in the scholarship race. Actually, I finished #50 exactly. And as if that wasn't close enough, I was $2 ahead of #51.
Granted, this is all pending verification, but from most of the managers I've talked to, people tend to drop up during verification because the company finds people on the list who aren't actually enrolled in enough units.
Either way, it looks like this summer's hard work will be paying off. Thanks to everyone who help me achieve this accomplishment.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Save it for the Super Bowl
Don't ask me about the Monday Night Football game.
Yes, I saw it. Yes, I cringed during the final four minutes. Yes, I thought the boys in blue had a chance even on the last play. And, yes, I was wrong about that.
How 'bout them Cowboys? How 'bout losing to the arch-rival Redskins in under four minutes?
There was only one thing I found more disturbing than the Cowboys' monumental collapse: the Redskins' celebration. After the game went final, the 'skins dumped a gatorade cooler on Head Coach Joe Gibbs. The players were all dancing around, jumping up and down like they had just won the Super Bowl.
In reality, they had come in to Irving, Texas and beat a team they hadn't beat at Texas Stadium in 10 years. I guess that's a big deal, but there are longer streaks than that. When's the last time the Lions won at Lambeau? Exactly.
I know that the Cowboys and Redskins are big rivals, probably the biggest rivals in the NFL (or at least the NFC). I just think that those over-the-top celebrations should be reserved for a time when they are deserved. They aren't for regular-season wins in week two!
Congratulations, Gibbs and crew. You've managed to embarrass yourselves even more than the Cowboys did during the final four minutes.
Yes, I saw it. Yes, I cringed during the final four minutes. Yes, I thought the boys in blue had a chance even on the last play. And, yes, I was wrong about that.
How 'bout them Cowboys? How 'bout losing to the arch-rival Redskins in under four minutes?
There was only one thing I found more disturbing than the Cowboys' monumental collapse: the Redskins' celebration. After the game went final, the 'skins dumped a gatorade cooler on Head Coach Joe Gibbs. The players were all dancing around, jumping up and down like they had just won the Super Bowl.
In reality, they had come in to Irving, Texas and beat a team they hadn't beat at Texas Stadium in 10 years. I guess that's a big deal, but there are longer streaks than that. When's the last time the Lions won at Lambeau? Exactly.
I know that the Cowboys and Redskins are big rivals, probably the biggest rivals in the NFL (or at least the NFC). I just think that those over-the-top celebrations should be reserved for a time when they are deserved. They aren't for regular-season wins in week two!
Congratulations, Gibbs and crew. You've managed to embarrass yourselves even more than the Cowboys did during the final four minutes.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Forget your agenda and help out
On my way to class today, I encountered a pair of students who asked if I was interested in helping victims of hurricane Katrina. Of course I stopped.
"We need to get President Bush out of office," the girl said.
What?
Apparently - and I didn't know this until just this afternoon when I had this encounter - it's entirely President Bush's fault that a hurricane hit the gulf coast. Then while there was a hurricane, he scaled the outside of the Superdome to tear off half the roof. He also had the electricity companies turn off power to hundreds of thousands of gulf coast residents.
Actually, despite what these two told me, I'm pretty sure the storm did all that. Granted, they didn't say it exactly like that, but that was their point. Bush was responsible for this and he should be removed from office.
What is wrong with these people? Bodies are floating down streets in New Orleans - a city that is 60 percent under water - and these people feel the best response is the remove the President from office. I don't even like President Bush, but how can these idiots think that anti-Bush propaganda will help Katrina's victims.
If I'm now homeless because of the hurricane, I don't care what's going on in Washington as long as it leads to me getting food, water and shelter. The fact that these people thought they were helping the hurricane relief by trying to generate animosity towards the president for a natural disaster (note: a natural disaster is one that is of natural causes) is unbelieveable.
If you really want to help, donate a dollar, five dollars, food, clothes, anything. But don't waste time with your petty political bullshit. That's the last thing victims of this storm need.
"We need to get President Bush out of office," the girl said.
What?
Apparently - and I didn't know this until just this afternoon when I had this encounter - it's entirely President Bush's fault that a hurricane hit the gulf coast. Then while there was a hurricane, he scaled the outside of the Superdome to tear off half the roof. He also had the electricity companies turn off power to hundreds of thousands of gulf coast residents.
Actually, despite what these two told me, I'm pretty sure the storm did all that. Granted, they didn't say it exactly like that, but that was their point. Bush was responsible for this and he should be removed from office.
What is wrong with these people? Bodies are floating down streets in New Orleans - a city that is 60 percent under water - and these people feel the best response is the remove the President from office. I don't even like President Bush, but how can these idiots think that anti-Bush propaganda will help Katrina's victims.
If I'm now homeless because of the hurricane, I don't care what's going on in Washington as long as it leads to me getting food, water and shelter. The fact that these people thought they were helping the hurricane relief by trying to generate animosity towards the president for a natural disaster (note: a natural disaster is one that is of natural causes) is unbelieveable.
If you really want to help, donate a dollar, five dollars, food, clothes, anything. But don't waste time with your petty political bullshit. That's the last thing victims of this storm need.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
...next class...
Today during two of my classes as the respective professors neared the end of the allotted class time, my ears perked up at the mention of two words: next class. The worst part was that these teachers weren't saying that they would "see you next class." Instead, they mentioned something they would be discussing during the next class period despite the fact they were not yet ready to end the current class.
As a student who is bored to death in a class I am required to take, that's just the worst thing a professor can do. I hear the words "next class" and the assumption is that we have reached the point where it is okay to break until our next session. Example:
"While it is important to realize the focus of market failures, that is something we will discuss next class."
At this point, the sentence I know I was expecting sounded something like this:
"But that's it for today. See you Thursday."
Instead:
"But what we do need to understand now is that..." and continue on for another 20 minutes.
As a student who is bored to death in a class I am required to take, that's just the worst thing a professor can do. I hear the words "next class" and the assumption is that we have reached the point where it is okay to break until our next session. Example:
"While it is important to realize the focus of market failures, that is something we will discuss next class."
At this point, the sentence I know I was expecting sounded something like this:
"But that's it for today. See you Thursday."
Instead:
"But what we do need to understand now is that..." and continue on for another 20 minutes.
Monday, August 22, 2005
Conference of Champions pictures
The boys of Lewisville were in Austin earlier this week for the Conference of Champions. Unlike last year, we decided to stay at a nice hotel as opposed to the Austin Motel.
Brian, Josh and Dustin hanging out at the UT student union.
G-money, Gaven Norris.
Josh and Gaven
Josh and OKC DM J-Whit, Johnathan Whitman.
Stephanie Carpenter and Texoma DVM John Carpenter
Shea, Steven and Josh
Steven, Zapata, Josh and Shea
Brian with Lewisville sweethearts Missy and Randi
Kafui, Hung and Brian Cluff stand tall in the face of adversity (and by adversity, I mean the smoke detector they disabled to smoke)
Lacey and Angela
Jason and Jarred sing
Missy and Mike
Brian, Josh and Dustin hanging out at the UT student union.
G-money, Gaven Norris.
Josh and Gaven
Josh and OKC DM J-Whit, Johnathan Whitman.
Stephanie Carpenter and Texoma DVM John Carpenter
Shea, Steven and Josh
Steven, Zapata, Josh and Shea
Brian with Lewisville sweethearts Missy and Randi
Kafui, Hung and Brian Cluff stand tall in the face of adversity (and by adversity, I mean the smoke detector they disabled to smoke)
Lacey and Angela
Jason and Jarred sing
Missy and Mike
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Road trip pics back to LA
I said goodbye to my parents and we hit the road.
We couldn't get very far without some food, so we decided to stop at Sonic.
I started off driving and got us from my parents house in Dallas to Amarillo before stopping to fill up the gas tank and switch drivers.
Andrew took the wheel.
I took a nap.
Once we got to Amarillo, we started to see some weird things, such as nine pink Cadillacs that seemingly fell from the sky...
...a flaming truck...
...a truck driver who respects his roots...
...a big ball...
...tee pees...
...and flashing lights along the highway for decoration.
After driving in and out of rainstorms all day - including a torential downpour just outside Albuquerque that left us nearly stranded at a gas station that was out of gas during the storm - Andrew and I made it to the Continental Divide, which was kinda cool.
Here's Andrew's continental divide.
So I resumed driving responsibilities as we drove on. Andrew thought I was some sort of king and decided to make me a crown....and coke. Just kidding. But it did make a cool hat.
As we drove into the night, Andrew did what he had done so very well the entire trip...sleep. zzzzzzzz
We made it to Holbrook, Ariz. for dinner at Denny's. At that point, we had driven 875 miles from my parent's house in Dallas. I woke up Andrew and we went inside to eat. The less-than-gracious hostess seated us and we ordered our food. I was really excited about the nachos because of the picture. I shoulda known better. It was not what I'd call good eatin'.
As I slept, Andrew drove us 90 miles into Flagstaff, but really all I wanted was for him to get me "as far away from that Denny's as possible!" Thanks, Andrew. Once we got to Flagstaff, I went from inn to inn looking for a room, but for some reason they were all full. We eventually found a Howard Johnson Inn to crash at. It was a pretty sketchy place, but then again, our goal was to end up at the USC campus, so being in a sketchy place was just something we would have to get used to. After seven hours of sleep, we hit the road. It was 7am, and we were LA bound!
We did think about stealing a bike before heading out, but common sense - and the unwillingness to become buddies with a large man with a monosyllabic name who wouldn't care to learn ours as he destroyed us - told us to just get in the car and get back on the road.
Before leaving Flagstaff, we put some gas in the Prius (yeah, you actually have to do that once in a while).
We also put some food in our stomachs at Burger King. Hooray for french toast sticks!
In the Burger King parking lot, Andrew and I got to wondering where the front of this car went. Maybe we would find in on the way to Los Angeles.
As we left Flagstaff, we realized we had a long way to go.
I drove 147 miles from Flagstaff to Kingman, Ariz. before deciding to stop and switch. Andrew wanted to stop 15 miles earlier at a rest stop to go to the bathroom, but when we saw a billboard for a Cracker Barrel in Kingman just 15 miles away, he decided to hold it.
In Kingman, Andrew spotted a rehab center and decided to check in for obvious reasons.
But who was I to judge him.
When we got out of rehab, Andrew took the wheel and drove the 206 miles from Kingman to Barstow, Calif. where I had been planning on stopping since I left California in May. There, we would hit the first In-n-Out Burger on our route.
In California, we saw a weird golf cart with green flames painted on it.
The view was pretty good too.
Oh deer!
We found my street in California, but unfortunately we were still not in LA, so we continued west.
We rolled into LA 1433.6 miles and 31 hours later. It's good to be back.
We couldn't get very far without some food, so we decided to stop at Sonic.
I started off driving and got us from my parents house in Dallas to Amarillo before stopping to fill up the gas tank and switch drivers.
Andrew took the wheel.
I took a nap.
Once we got to Amarillo, we started to see some weird things, such as nine pink Cadillacs that seemingly fell from the sky...
...a flaming truck...
.jpg)
...a truck driver who respects his roots...
...a big ball...
...tee pees...
...and flashing lights along the highway for decoration.
After driving in and out of rainstorms all day - including a torential downpour just outside Albuquerque that left us nearly stranded at a gas station that was out of gas during the storm - Andrew and I made it to the Continental Divide, which was kinda cool.
Here's Andrew's continental divide.
So I resumed driving responsibilities as we drove on. Andrew thought I was some sort of king and decided to make me a crown....and coke. Just kidding. But it did make a cool hat.
As we drove into the night, Andrew did what he had done so very well the entire trip...sleep. zzzzzzzz
We made it to Holbrook, Ariz. for dinner at Denny's. At that point, we had driven 875 miles from my parent's house in Dallas. I woke up Andrew and we went inside to eat. The less-than-gracious hostess seated us and we ordered our food. I was really excited about the nachos because of the picture. I shoulda known better. It was not what I'd call good eatin'.
As I slept, Andrew drove us 90 miles into Flagstaff, but really all I wanted was for him to get me "as far away from that Denny's as possible!" Thanks, Andrew. Once we got to Flagstaff, I went from inn to inn looking for a room, but for some reason they were all full. We eventually found a Howard Johnson Inn to crash at. It was a pretty sketchy place, but then again, our goal was to end up at the USC campus, so being in a sketchy place was just something we would have to get used to. After seven hours of sleep, we hit the road. It was 7am, and we were LA bound!
We did think about stealing a bike before heading out, but common sense - and the unwillingness to become buddies with a large man with a monosyllabic name who wouldn't care to learn ours as he destroyed us - told us to just get in the car and get back on the road.
Before leaving Flagstaff, we put some gas in the Prius (yeah, you actually have to do that once in a while).
We also put some food in our stomachs at Burger King. Hooray for french toast sticks!
In the Burger King parking lot, Andrew and I got to wondering where the front of this car went. Maybe we would find in on the way to Los Angeles.
As we left Flagstaff, we realized we had a long way to go.
I drove 147 miles from Flagstaff to Kingman, Ariz. before deciding to stop and switch. Andrew wanted to stop 15 miles earlier at a rest stop to go to the bathroom, but when we saw a billboard for a Cracker Barrel in Kingman just 15 miles away, he decided to hold it.
In Kingman, Andrew spotted a rehab center and decided to check in for obvious reasons.
But who was I to judge him.
When we got out of rehab, Andrew took the wheel and drove the 206 miles from Kingman to Barstow, Calif. where I had been planning on stopping since I left California in May. There, we would hit the first In-n-Out Burger on our route.
In California, we saw a weird golf cart with green flames painted on it.
The view was pretty good too.
Oh deer!
We found my street in California, but unfortunately we were still not in LA, so we continued west.
We rolled into LA 1433.6 miles and 31 hours later. It's good to be back.
Home Sweet Home
I have checked in to my apartment at USC. For the second straight year, I'm going to be living in Cardinal Gardens. The best part is, I'm going to be living in the exact same apartment. Not an apartment with the same floor plan. The same apartment.
When I checked in at the CSC and saw my name next to a familiar apartment number, I got really excited. I loved my apartment last year. The location was great. I was pretty sure any other apartment in Cardinal Gardens would be not as good. Turns out it didn't matter. I'm back to where I was last year.
There was definitely a feeling of security going back into my old apartment. It was weird though, seeing everything clean and not having people ask about the smell.
But it is my home, and I'm glad to be back. I'm really looking forward to another great year out at USC.
FIGHT ON!
When I checked in at the CSC and saw my name next to a familiar apartment number, I got really excited. I loved my apartment last year. The location was great. I was pretty sure any other apartment in Cardinal Gardens would be not as good. Turns out it didn't matter. I'm back to where I was last year.
There was definitely a feeling of security going back into my old apartment. It was weird though, seeing everything clean and not having people ask about the smell.
But it is my home, and I'm glad to be back. I'm really looking forward to another great year out at USC.
FIGHT ON!
Monday, August 08, 2005
Scholarship Race (update)
With only three weeks left in the summer campaign, it's becoming a really tight race for a scholarship. Both Jordy and I have solidified spots in the top 50 for now, but he is already back at school and I'm leaving Saturday.
Hopefully, we've both done enough this summer to each be a winner. Here's this weeks numbers:
DATE ******* NATIONAL RANK *** $OLD
JOSH'S STANDINGS:
June 24 ***** 106 *************** 11,025
July 1 ******* 42 **************** 16,523
July 8 ******* 44 **************** 19,114
July 15 ****** 34 **************** 23,162
July 22 ****** 30 **************** 27,123
July 29******* 27 *************** 30,647
August 5 ***** 29 **************** 32,055
JORDY'S STANDINGS:
June 10******140 ****************6,402
June 17******111 ****************8,854
June 24 ***** 102 *************** 11,232
July 1 *******140 ****************11,232
July 8 ******* 143 **************** 12,901
July 15 ****** 126 **************** 14,925
July 22 ****** 47 **************** 23,391
July 29*******33*************** 29,039
August 5 ***** 30 *************** 31,888
Hopefully, we've both done enough this summer to each be a winner. Here's this weeks numbers:
DATE ******* NATIONAL RANK *** $OLD
JOSH'S STANDINGS:
June 24 ***** 106 *************** 11,025
July 1 ******* 42 **************** 16,523
July 8 ******* 44 **************** 19,114
July 15 ****** 34 **************** 23,162
July 22 ****** 30 **************** 27,123
July 29******* 27 *************** 30,647
August 5 ***** 29 **************** 32,055
JORDY'S STANDINGS:
June 10******140 ****************6,402
June 17******111 ****************8,854
June 24 ***** 102 *************** 11,232
July 1 *******140 ****************11,232
July 8 ******* 143 **************** 12,901
July 15 ****** 126 **************** 14,925
July 22 ****** 47 **************** 23,391
July 29*******33*************** 29,039
August 5 ***** 30 *************** 31,888
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
A costly typo
You've gotta read this story about a Kansas newspaper's typo leading to a woman's possession being stolen. Because of the paper, people took $3,500 worth of stuff and her kitty. That sucks.
Anyway, check it out.
Anyway, check it out.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Pictures from SCII
Josh gets his personal sales trophy from Lloyd Reagan at SCII. Push report: $7,454.
Johnathan Whitman (Oklahoma City DM), Brian Dunivant (Lewisville DM), Josh (SFSM Lewisville) and Jordy Bernhard (Lewisville SA) each celebrate an SCII victory.
- Whitman's office was the top new office for the conference.
- Dunivant's office won the second consecutive summer conference push.
- I took home top team-builder honors as my personal recruit (Zach Shor) and I beat second place by $5K.
- Jordy Bernhard did what everyone knew he could as he turned in a $15,000 push report to win the conference's personal sales push.
Josh and Anna enjoy cruising around Dallas in the party bus after Summer Conference II.
Monday, August 01, 2005
Scholarship race update
Vector released updated All-American standings last Friday, and I'm proud to say that I am one of two Lewisville reps on the list. Yeah, I know I'd be on it this week, but there's another rep in our office who's busted his ass this summer - Jordy Bernhard. This guy is a stud when it comes to shipping blades, and this summer he is getting the recognition he deserves.
Congratulations Jordy! Keep it up!
DATE ******* NATIONAL RANK *** $OLD
JOSH'S STANDINGS:
June 24 ***** 106 *************** 11,025
July 1 ******* 42 **************** 16,523
July 8 ******* 44 **************** 19,114
July 15 ****** 34 **************** 23,162
July 22 ****** 30 **************** 27,123
July 29*******27****************30,647
JORDY'S STANDINGS:
June 10******140 ****************6,402
June 17******111 ****************8,854
June 24 ***** 102 *************** 11,232
July 1 *******140 ****************11,232
July 8 ******* 143 **************** 12,901
July 15 ****** 126 **************** 14,925
July 22 ****** 47 **************** 23,391
July 29*******33*************** 29,039
Congratulations Jordy! Keep it up!
DATE ******* NATIONAL RANK *** $OLD
JOSH'S STANDINGS:
June 24 ***** 106 *************** 11,025
July 1 ******* 42 **************** 16,523
July 8 ******* 44 **************** 19,114
July 15 ****** 34 **************** 23,162
July 22 ****** 30 **************** 27,123
July 29*******27****************30,647
JORDY'S STANDINGS:
June 10******140 ****************6,402
June 17******111 ****************8,854
June 24 ***** 102 *************** 11,232
July 1 *******140 ****************11,232
July 8 ******* 143 **************** 12,901
July 15 ****** 126 **************** 14,925
July 22 ****** 47 **************** 23,391
July 29*******33*************** 29,039
Friday, July 29, 2005
Worst day of the summer
I'm so glad that yesterday is over because July 28 was undoubtedly the worst day of the summer.
It started out like most days this summer, with me waking up at 4 a.m. to get ready for my internship down at 570 KLIF. But when I left KLIF, I went home to change before my 9 a.m. demo. When I got to my demo, I realized I had forgotten my bluebook (the binder with all the pictures of the different knives), so I only sold half of what I should have to that customer.
After that, I made a quick stop at the eye doctor before heading up to Richardson for a group demo. For the record, I hate group demos. They are never as good as a rep thinks they'll be. I thought that this was going to be a great demo. As it turns out, I - like most people going into group demos - was disappointed.
Two of the ladies there weren't in the demographic we typically show Cutco to, the man there was more interested in the female rep there who had set up the demo, and the other woman probably would have bought a small set had she not been in a group setting where no one else was getting anything.
When I escaped that beating, I got on to the George Bush Turnpike to head over to Lewisville, which is where I was when I got pulled over for goign 75 in a 60. While 15 mph sounds like a lot over the speed limit, I was going with the flow of traffic. The ticket definitely helped to just ruin my day.
So when I finally got to Lewisville, Brian decided to take me to Six Flags in Arlington. We had fun for a while but when it came time for me to leave, I walked out of the park, and I reached into my pocket to get my car keys. Too bad the keys weren't in my pocket. I had left them in the park. I had left them somewhere in the huge amusement park. At this point, I was already late to get to Lewisville to run a meeting.
I tried to get back in to the park, but because I didn't get my hand stamped as I left, they weren't letting me back in. One guy told me that if I wanted to get back in, I should have gotten my hand stamped. I told him I didn't know I'd be going back in, but it was only because I lost my car keys. He said that's exactly why I needed my hand stamped. I paused and considered punching the guy in the head.
Eventually, I found a cop who agreed to escort me into the park to the lost and found. I waited at the lost and found in the line for about 10 minutes before being helped. When I got to the front of the line, I described my keychain and thankfully the guy had it. He put it on the counter and asked me to fill out some survey or something before I left because I needed to do something to take back my keys. Well, when the guy turned around to get something from a back shelf, I took the keys and took off. I definitely did not have time for that!
I bolted out of the park and to my car, where I got in and got going. While I was on state highway 360, I started feeling sick because of the roller coasters. I hate roller coasters. Yesterday was my first time on a corkscrewing roller coaster, and it was most likely my last. I decided to pull over to the side of the road, get out, and throw up. I definitely felt a little better after that.
So from there, I continued driving up to Lewisville, but as in-a-hurry as I was, I couldn't speed. I couldn't risk a second ticket for the day. I finally got to Lewisville, only 45 minutes after I was supposed to be there. When I got there, someone was already giving the talk I was going to give because they didn't know how long it'd be until I got there.
So I had basically driven up to Lewisville for nothing. Awesome.
I really hope I don't have another day like this for a while, because I really don't enjoy it. This definitely was the back-breaker of the summer.
It started out like most days this summer, with me waking up at 4 a.m. to get ready for my internship down at 570 KLIF. But when I left KLIF, I went home to change before my 9 a.m. demo. When I got to my demo, I realized I had forgotten my bluebook (the binder with all the pictures of the different knives), so I only sold half of what I should have to that customer.
After that, I made a quick stop at the eye doctor before heading up to Richardson for a group demo. For the record, I hate group demos. They are never as good as a rep thinks they'll be. I thought that this was going to be a great demo. As it turns out, I - like most people going into group demos - was disappointed.
Two of the ladies there weren't in the demographic we typically show Cutco to, the man there was more interested in the female rep there who had set up the demo, and the other woman probably would have bought a small set had she not been in a group setting where no one else was getting anything.
When I escaped that beating, I got on to the George Bush Turnpike to head over to Lewisville, which is where I was when I got pulled over for goign 75 in a 60. While 15 mph sounds like a lot over the speed limit, I was going with the flow of traffic. The ticket definitely helped to just ruin my day.
So when I finally got to Lewisville, Brian decided to take me to Six Flags in Arlington. We had fun for a while but when it came time for me to leave, I walked out of the park, and I reached into my pocket to get my car keys. Too bad the keys weren't in my pocket. I had left them in the park. I had left them somewhere in the huge amusement park. At this point, I was already late to get to Lewisville to run a meeting.
I tried to get back in to the park, but because I didn't get my hand stamped as I left, they weren't letting me back in. One guy told me that if I wanted to get back in, I should have gotten my hand stamped. I told him I didn't know I'd be going back in, but it was only because I lost my car keys. He said that's exactly why I needed my hand stamped. I paused and considered punching the guy in the head.
Eventually, I found a cop who agreed to escort me into the park to the lost and found. I waited at the lost and found in the line for about 10 minutes before being helped. When I got to the front of the line, I described my keychain and thankfully the guy had it. He put it on the counter and asked me to fill out some survey or something before I left because I needed to do something to take back my keys. Well, when the guy turned around to get something from a back shelf, I took the keys and took off. I definitely did not have time for that!
I bolted out of the park and to my car, where I got in and got going. While I was on state highway 360, I started feeling sick because of the roller coasters. I hate roller coasters. Yesterday was my first time on a corkscrewing roller coaster, and it was most likely my last. I decided to pull over to the side of the road, get out, and throw up. I definitely felt a little better after that.
So from there, I continued driving up to Lewisville, but as in-a-hurry as I was, I couldn't speed. I couldn't risk a second ticket for the day. I finally got to Lewisville, only 45 minutes after I was supposed to be there. When I got there, someone was already giving the talk I was going to give because they didn't know how long it'd be until I got there.
So I had basically driven up to Lewisville for nothing. Awesome.
I really hope I don't have another day like this for a while, because I really don't enjoy it. This definitely was the back-breaker of the summer.
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Irregardless
This morning on NBC's newscast, there was a story by Brian Mooar, who I assume is just some networ nut who did his national story and sent it out to affiliate stations. The story was about Democratic senators cracking down on internet pornography, but that's really not the point.
The point is that at the end of this story, Mooar said the following sentence:
"Senator Lincoln's office maintains that this is good legislation, irregardless of Third Way's involvement."
Does he not know that irregardless isn't an actual word? It is improper grammar and just annoying to hear someone say. Don't believe me? You don't have to.
I looked it up on www.dictionary.com to find out what one internet dictionary had listed for the word. The following paragraph returned from my search:
[Probably blend of irrespective, and regardless.]
Usage Note: Irregardless is a word that many mistakenly believe to be correct usage in formal style, when in fact it is used chiefly in nonstandard speech or casual writing. Coined in the United States in the early 20th century, it has met with a blizzard of condemnation for being an improper yoking of irrespective and regardless and for the logical absurdity of combining the negative ir- prefix and -less suffix in a single term. Although one might reasonably argue that it is no different from words with redundant affixes like debone and unravel, it has been considered a blunder for decades and will probably continue to be so.
The point is that at the end of this story, Mooar said the following sentence:
"Senator Lincoln's office maintains that this is good legislation, irregardless of Third Way's involvement."
Does he not know that irregardless isn't an actual word? It is improper grammar and just annoying to hear someone say. Don't believe me? You don't have to.
I looked it up on www.dictionary.com to find out what one internet dictionary had listed for the word. The following paragraph returned from my search:
[Probably blend of irrespective, and regardless.]
Usage Note: Irregardless is a word that many mistakenly believe to be correct usage in formal style, when in fact it is used chiefly in nonstandard speech or casual writing. Coined in the United States in the early 20th century, it has met with a blizzard of condemnation for being an improper yoking of irrespective and regardless and for the logical absurdity of combining the negative ir- prefix and -less suffix in a single term. Although one might reasonably argue that it is no different from words with redundant affixes like debone and unravel, it has been considered a blunder for decades and will probably continue to be so.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
No time for sleep
After Monday's Summer Conference II in Grapevine, I went out for a night on the town with a few other Vector reps and managers as a reward for being one of the top sales reps from the conference. The 20 of us (including top reps, winning managers and the division manager) boarded a party bus and went to dinner at Fogo De Chao. We drove around Dallas before going to The Dome in Reunion Tower.
The night that started just after the conference around 6:30 p.m. ended at midnight. At that point, I stayed up past 3 a.m. talking to another rep I met on the party bus, Anna. Apparently, when you combine the propensity for constant talking that we both share, no one gets any sleep. We talked until about 3:15 a.m. before I finally went to bed for 45 minutes - after all, I did have to wake up at 4 a.m. for my internship.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed talking with Anna a lot - although she did make me feel like crap because I never single-handedly tried to solve world hunger (she's one of the truly good people in the world) - but I hadn't slept since 4 a.m. Monday morning.
Now I was expected to go to my internship having slept 45 minutes of the past 24 hours. Needless to say, that didn't work out too well.
When I got to my internship, the lady I work for let me go after about an hour because it was such a slow news day and I was so tired. Thank God! I went home and got some much-needed sleep.
The night that started just after the conference around 6:30 p.m. ended at midnight. At that point, I stayed up past 3 a.m. talking to another rep I met on the party bus, Anna. Apparently, when you combine the propensity for constant talking that we both share, no one gets any sleep. We talked until about 3:15 a.m. before I finally went to bed for 45 minutes - after all, I did have to wake up at 4 a.m. for my internship.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed talking with Anna a lot - although she did make me feel like crap because I never single-handedly tried to solve world hunger (she's one of the truly good people in the world) - but I hadn't slept since 4 a.m. Monday morning.
Now I was expected to go to my internship having slept 45 minutes of the past 24 hours. Needless to say, that didn't work out too well.
When I got to my internship, the lady I work for let me go after about an hour because it was such a slow news day and I was so tired. Thank God! I went home and got some much-needed sleep.
"Are you tired?"
This moring, a gas-station clerk asked me a question that I felt didn't need asking. As I paid for my chocolate milk and muffin (I eat the best breakfasts!), he asked me, "So, are you tired this morning?"
Am I tired this morning?
Well, yeah.
Consider the fact that if you look at a clock it will tell you that it is not yet 5 a.m. here in the Central Time Zone. As a general rule, I think someone should never ask the question "are you tired this morning?" before 6 a.m. Anytime before then, there's no need to ask.
Am I tired this morning?
Well, yeah.
Consider the fact that if you look at a clock it will tell you that it is not yet 5 a.m. here in the Central Time Zone. As a general rule, I think someone should never ask the question "are you tired this morning?" before 6 a.m. Anytime before then, there's no need to ask.
Monday, July 25, 2005
Scholarship race
This summer, while working with Vector, I've been in a big scholarship race. Everyone who works with the company this summer and is in school has a chance to win.
Last summer, I came pretty close to winning, but because the scholarship race is based on sales, and because I went back to school two weeks before the end of the summer campaign, I got passed the last week of the summer and dropped out of the top 50.
This year, I hit the contenders list June 24, when I reached 11,025 in sales for the summer. I was 106 in the company with room to go for the scholarship. With only a month left in the scholarship running, I decided I'd post my progress with the scholarship competition:
DATE ******* NATIONAL RANK *** $OLD
June 24 ***** 106 *************** 11,025
July 1 ******* 42 **************** 16,523
July 8 ******* 44 **************** 19,114
July 15 ****** 34 **************** 23,162
July 22 ****** 30 **************** 27,123
I'll make sure to update each week for the rest of the summer campain to let yall know how I am doing.
Last summer, I came pretty close to winning, but because the scholarship race is based on sales, and because I went back to school two weeks before the end of the summer campaign, I got passed the last week of the summer and dropped out of the top 50.
This year, I hit the contenders list June 24, when I reached 11,025 in sales for the summer. I was 106 in the company with room to go for the scholarship. With only a month left in the scholarship running, I decided I'd post my progress with the scholarship competition:
DATE ******* NATIONAL RANK *** $OLD
June 24 ***** 106 *************** 11,025
July 1 ******* 42 **************** 16,523
July 8 ******* 44 **************** 19,114
July 15 ****** 34 **************** 23,162
July 22 ****** 30 **************** 27,123
I'll make sure to update each week for the rest of the summer campain to let yall know how I am doing.
Commenting on comments concerning Cutco
Once again, I feel the need to respond to someone who insists on posting comment after comment on my blog about Vector Marketing. This will, however, be my last response to these comments because - quite frankly - I'm getting a little tired of dealing with this guy who keeps doing this.
Please stop referring to this as a "job" with your retarded quotation marks. This is a job, regardless of how uncommon or unique it is and regardless of how much you don't like it.
You say that the company will take every single person, but that's not entirely true. Would the company like more sales reps, yeah, of course they would, but why would they want to hire a moron to show their product and make the company look bad. I'm sure there are some managers who hire anyone with a pulse, but I also know that some managers hire only truly qualified, clean-cut kids who need some extra money and are strongly motivated. How do I know? I work for one of those offices.
Now this next comment of your, I just don't understand: "The only ones they seem not to accept are those who are not young, naive, and inexperienced because they are the only ones who don't know any better."
First of all, just as a personal pet-peeve, don't use a sentence with a triple-negative. It's just tough reading.
Okay, so you're saying the company only hires young, naive and inexperienced people because they "don't know any better." Where do I even begin with this??? Okay, first off, young inexperienced people are hired by a lot of companies all the time every day. Someone has to get a first job somewhere. Mine happened to be editing an SAT workbook. For other kids, it's bagging groceries. And for some, yes, it's working with Vector. That's probably one of the greatest things about this company, the fact that no experience is necessary. It's a great resume builder.
As far as the naivity of new sales reps, what does that have to do with anything? People are told at the interview what the job entails. If they don't wanna show Cutco to people, they are more than free to walk out of the interview. They aren't chained down. We don't lock the doors. Walk out if you don't like it. But don't say that those who are coming to the office looking for a job don't know what they'll be doing when they leave. They know the details of the job.
The fact that you say that those hired "don't know any better" is insane. Some of the best Vector reps are personal recruits of a friend who works with the company. That rep tells their other friend who is looking for some extra cash about his job, so the friend goes in, knowing all about what this job is.
Is it true that some people go in to the interview not knowing exactly what they'll be doing? Absolutely. But that can be said about many positions where you don't know the specific details of a job until it is explained to you at an interview - which is exactly what Vector does.
Me personally, I went in to the interview not knowing what I'd be doing, but who cares. The manager explained the job to me. I thought it sounded like fun, so when he offered me the job, I shook his hand and said "thanks" because I wanted to do this. Other people don't take the job because they don't like it, but if someone doesn't want to do the job, they don't have to.
I really don't feel like answering any more of your bickering comments, but if there is some reason you feel so strongly against this company, I've gotta hear this personal vendetta. Did you get a job with Vector, not do well, blame it on others, and set out a mission in life to destroy this company? Or are you just jealous that friends of yours can make $20K in a summer while you bust your ass and make $2K? I don't know your life's story. I don't care about most of it. But why do you honestly feel the need to - in your mind - educate the world about what you think are the "evils" of a good company?
If you haven't been keeping up with this ongoing online "feud" just take a look at these past posts and comments:
Top Dog (June 21, 2005) + comments
Response to recent comments... (June 22) + comments
Defending Vector: a response to more comments (July 17) + comments
Please stop referring to this as a "job" with your retarded quotation marks. This is a job, regardless of how uncommon or unique it is and regardless of how much you don't like it.
You say that the company will take every single person, but that's not entirely true. Would the company like more sales reps, yeah, of course they would, but why would they want to hire a moron to show their product and make the company look bad. I'm sure there are some managers who hire anyone with a pulse, but I also know that some managers hire only truly qualified, clean-cut kids who need some extra money and are strongly motivated. How do I know? I work for one of those offices.
Now this next comment of your, I just don't understand: "The only ones they seem not to accept are those who are not young, naive, and inexperienced because they are the only ones who don't know any better."
First of all, just as a personal pet-peeve, don't use a sentence with a triple-negative. It's just tough reading.
Okay, so you're saying the company only hires young, naive and inexperienced people because they "don't know any better." Where do I even begin with this??? Okay, first off, young inexperienced people are hired by a lot of companies all the time every day. Someone has to get a first job somewhere. Mine happened to be editing an SAT workbook. For other kids, it's bagging groceries. And for some, yes, it's working with Vector. That's probably one of the greatest things about this company, the fact that no experience is necessary. It's a great resume builder.
As far as the naivity of new sales reps, what does that have to do with anything? People are told at the interview what the job entails. If they don't wanna show Cutco to people, they are more than free to walk out of the interview. They aren't chained down. We don't lock the doors. Walk out if you don't like it. But don't say that those who are coming to the office looking for a job don't know what they'll be doing when they leave. They know the details of the job.
The fact that you say that those hired "don't know any better" is insane. Some of the best Vector reps are personal recruits of a friend who works with the company. That rep tells their other friend who is looking for some extra cash about his job, so the friend goes in, knowing all about what this job is.
Is it true that some people go in to the interview not knowing exactly what they'll be doing? Absolutely. But that can be said about many positions where you don't know the specific details of a job until it is explained to you at an interview - which is exactly what Vector does.
Me personally, I went in to the interview not knowing what I'd be doing, but who cares. The manager explained the job to me. I thought it sounded like fun, so when he offered me the job, I shook his hand and said "thanks" because I wanted to do this. Other people don't take the job because they don't like it, but if someone doesn't want to do the job, they don't have to.
I really don't feel like answering any more of your bickering comments, but if there is some reason you feel so strongly against this company, I've gotta hear this personal vendetta. Did you get a job with Vector, not do well, blame it on others, and set out a mission in life to destroy this company? Or are you just jealous that friends of yours can make $20K in a summer while you bust your ass and make $2K? I don't know your life's story. I don't care about most of it. But why do you honestly feel the need to - in your mind - educate the world about what you think are the "evils" of a good company?
How 'bout them triplets
When I heard the other day that the triplets - the original triplets - were going to be inducted into the Cowboys' Ring of Honor together, I thought it was one of the best calls Jerry has made since buying the 'Boys.
Troy Aikman. Emmitt Smith. Michael Irvin. The triplets.
There may have been others, but none were better. Aikman led the Cowboys to three Super Bowl wins. Irvin put up Jerry Rice-like numbers until an injury cut-short a Hall of Fame career. And Smith ran his way into the record books with 18,355 career rushing yards.
When the three amigos are inducted into the Ring of Honor, I have made it a point to fly back to Dallas for the game, a Monday Night Football game against the hated Washington Redskins in the home opener.
Growing up watching the triplets do there thing and do it well was one of the greatest experiences ever. As a kid in Dallas, nothing was bigger than the Dallas Cowboys, and on the Cowboys, no one was bigger than the triplets - not even Jerry.
They got to Dallas in consecutive years. Irvin was drafted in 1988 - and when he left the NFL, he was last player to play for Tom Landry to retire. Aikman entered the league in 1989, and Smith made his way to Dallas the next year as part of the Herschel Walker deal.
Until Irvin's untimely retirement, the triplets dominated football. The beginning of the end didn't come until Michael didn't get up from the solid turf of The Vet as half of Philadelphia cheered his injury (don't get me started!).
People talk now about Peyton Manning, Edgerine James and Marvin Harrison being the "new triplets." Until they do what the Cowboys' version of the triplets did, they will be nothing more than three good football players on the same team.
Any team can assemble three good football players, but until they can come together to dominate their positions at the same time while dominating the entire National Football League, they will not compare with the triplets.
HOW 'BOUT THEM COWBOYS!
HOW 'BOUT THEM TRIPLETS!
Troy Aikman. Emmitt Smith. Michael Irvin. The triplets.
There may have been others, but none were better. Aikman led the Cowboys to three Super Bowl wins. Irvin put up Jerry Rice-like numbers until an injury cut-short a Hall of Fame career. And Smith ran his way into the record books with 18,355 career rushing yards.
When the three amigos are inducted into the Ring of Honor, I have made it a point to fly back to Dallas for the game, a Monday Night Football game against the hated Washington Redskins in the home opener.
Growing up watching the triplets do there thing and do it well was one of the greatest experiences ever. As a kid in Dallas, nothing was bigger than the Dallas Cowboys, and on the Cowboys, no one was bigger than the triplets - not even Jerry.
They got to Dallas in consecutive years. Irvin was drafted in 1988 - and when he left the NFL, he was last player to play for Tom Landry to retire. Aikman entered the league in 1989, and Smith made his way to Dallas the next year as part of the Herschel Walker deal.
Until Irvin's untimely retirement, the triplets dominated football. The beginning of the end didn't come until Michael didn't get up from the solid turf of The Vet as half of Philadelphia cheered his injury (don't get me started!).
People talk now about Peyton Manning, Edgerine James and Marvin Harrison being the "new triplets." Until they do what the Cowboys' version of the triplets did, they will be nothing more than three good football players on the same team.
Any team can assemble three good football players, but until they can come together to dominate their positions at the same time while dominating the entire National Football League, they will not compare with the triplets.
HOW 'BOUT THEM COWBOYS!
HOW 'BOUT THEM TRIPLETS!
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Defending Vector (a response to more comments)
If you don't like the company, them you can probably live a life without Vector and Cutco. I'm not saying it's a job that EVERYONE can succeed at, because I believe it does take some special skills, but don't this idea that the company wants its reps to quit after selling to family and friends is legit either. Go to any Vector conference and you'll see.
Secondly, the job is NOT for everyone. That's why not everyone interviewed is hired, and that's why not everyone hired starts.
Also, as far as the comments on the sample kit deposit, I could turn my kit in tomorrow and get a FULL REFUND if that's what you want to call it. People do it every day.
When it comes to sales reps not getting paid, don't think people try to scam this company when they start out all the time. Reps will turn in full forms of 10 people they "went to see" but they will all be no-sales. Out of 10 people, no one bought anything.
Managers then have to call the names and numbers of those people to see if they really did the demos. If the people never heard of the kid or never saw the demo (which happens virtually every time someone hands in a 0-for-10 sheet), then that rep should not be paid and chances are will not be paid.
Forging paperwork won't earn you crap with this company and in life. Those who think they've done such a clever job of filling up a sheet with 10 names of strangers or fake people but then come back to Advanced Training with a full bag of rope and leather they were supposed to cut up on the presentation have no reason to be paid because they didn't do their job.
I'm not saying you have to love a company that you don't work for - that's not what I'm saying at all. I'm just saying that there are students who succeed at this job every day. About 60,000 college-age kids will work with Vector this summer, and those who don't will be missing out on something that can truly change lives.
I don't know who your are because you keep posting annonymously, but you seriously need to just drop it. This company isn't going away soon. I really think you should focus your attention elsewhere.
Instead of hating a company you don't work for, why not try finding a job with a company you won't hate? Who knows, you might actually enjoy working for that company, despite what others think about it, and then you'll know how I feel.
[READ THE RECENT POST BEING DISCUSSED AND ATTACHED COMMENTS]
[SEE THE POST THAT SPARKED THIS DISCUSSION AND ITS COMMENTS]
Secondly, the job is NOT for everyone. That's why not everyone interviewed is hired, and that's why not everyone hired starts.
Also, as far as the comments on the sample kit deposit, I could turn my kit in tomorrow and get a FULL REFUND if that's what you want to call it. People do it every day.
When it comes to sales reps not getting paid, don't think people try to scam this company when they start out all the time. Reps will turn in full forms of 10 people they "went to see" but they will all be no-sales. Out of 10 people, no one bought anything.
Managers then have to call the names and numbers of those people to see if they really did the demos. If the people never heard of the kid or never saw the demo (which happens virtually every time someone hands in a 0-for-10 sheet), then that rep should not be paid and chances are will not be paid.
Forging paperwork won't earn you crap with this company and in life. Those who think they've done such a clever job of filling up a sheet with 10 names of strangers or fake people but then come back to Advanced Training with a full bag of rope and leather they were supposed to cut up on the presentation have no reason to be paid because they didn't do their job.
I'm not saying you have to love a company that you don't work for - that's not what I'm saying at all. I'm just saying that there are students who succeed at this job every day. About 60,000 college-age kids will work with Vector this summer, and those who don't will be missing out on something that can truly change lives.
I don't know who your are because you keep posting annonymously, but you seriously need to just drop it. This company isn't going away soon. I really think you should focus your attention elsewhere.
Instead of hating a company you don't work for, why not try finding a job with a company you won't hate? Who knows, you might actually enjoy working for that company, despite what others think about it, and then you'll know how I feel.
[READ THE RECENT POST BEING DISCUSSED AND ATTACHED COMMENTS]
[SEE THE POST THAT SPARKED THIS DISCUSSION AND ITS COMMENTS]
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Air time
FYI - my internship helping to do news at 570 KLIF also includes helping to do news for 99.5 The Wolf because the two stations share the 16th floor at 3500 Maple here in Dallas.
This morning I was listening to The Wolf's broadcast as I was putting together my week's schedule for Vector, my internship and 4th of July weekend. I wasn't really paying attention until all of the sudden I heard a story about the Wilmer-Hutchins school district that sounded really familiar. I brought up the story I had just written - including the audio clip I wanted with the story - and noticed hey! that was the story I wrote with the sound clip I wanted. Who knows, maybe tomorrow I'll have a voicer on the air.
This morning I was listening to The Wolf's broadcast as I was putting together my week's schedule for Vector, my internship and 4th of July weekend. I wasn't really paying attention until all of the sudden I heard a story about the Wilmer-Hutchins school district that sounded really familiar. I brought up the story I had just written - including the audio clip I wanted with the story - and noticed hey! that was the story I wrote with the sound clip I wanted. Who knows, maybe tomorrow I'll have a voicer on the air.
We are the champions
For the past two weeks, the Lewisville office did not work out smartest and did not work our hardest. We had been in a push contest for those two weeks, and after the first week, we were losing. We were down.
We have the smallest team, but poud-for-proud, when it comes to productivity per rep, we are the best. We went into week two trailing Arlington and Dallas by at least $4,000. We had to get going. We had to pick up the pace. We had to come together.
We did.
At the conference, I won the individual sales rep push ($12,862) by about $4,000 as the Lewisville office, as the team, not a team, but THE team chanted and cheered for me. It was one of the greatest feelings ever, looking out at over 500 other sales reps and knowing I was the best. And that wasn't even the best part of the day.
Not a half-hour later, during the office push-countdown to see which was the top office, that "greatest feeling ever" was multiplied infinitely. As they counted up, and other managers stepped forward, we were in the final two. It came down to Arlington's office and us.
Arlington has an army. They have well over 100 reps who have worked with the company for more than three weeks. Our team is not only half the size, but we have a lot more inexperienced reps - and it didn't make a damn bit of a difference.
$95,000 - Dustin (the Arlington District Manager) and Brian (the Lewisville manager) stood still, waiting for the other to move first.
$96,000 - Our team was silent. We watched and hoped that the hard work we had put in over the last two weeks (but especially the past weeked) had paid off.
$97,000 - No one stepped forward and the tension grew.
$98,000 - There was a slight pause, then Dustin stepped forward. WE HAD WON! WE BEAT ARLINGTON! WE CAME BACK FROM NOWHERE TO BE THE TOP OFFICE!
$100,000 - We were the only office to top $100K for the push, finishing with $100,053 for the two-week push.
Brian, office staff members Shea, Mike, Steven, Jordy and I jumped up and down as we made our way to the front of the conference to accept the trophy with Brian. We looked out at the crowd. Every single person on our team stood tall on their chairs, cheering as hard as they could, knowing they gave it there all, and that it was worth it.
At last Thursday's team meeting, Brian said that if we were to come back and win this push, it would be one of the greatest stories the company has ever seen. We did not work our hardest. We did not bring our best for the full two weeks (or really even one week), but over the final two days, we came to play.
$100,053! Summer Conference I champs!
Lewisville Summer 2004 - the legend was born
Lewisville Summer 2005 - the dynasty continues
We have the smallest team, but poud-for-proud, when it comes to productivity per rep, we are the best. We went into week two trailing Arlington and Dallas by at least $4,000. We had to get going. We had to pick up the pace. We had to come together.
We did.
At the conference, I won the individual sales rep push ($12,862) by about $4,000 as the Lewisville office, as the team, not a team, but THE team chanted and cheered for me. It was one of the greatest feelings ever, looking out at over 500 other sales reps and knowing I was the best. And that wasn't even the best part of the day.
Not a half-hour later, during the office push-countdown to see which was the top office, that "greatest feeling ever" was multiplied infinitely. As they counted up, and other managers stepped forward, we were in the final two. It came down to Arlington's office and us.
Arlington has an army. They have well over 100 reps who have worked with the company for more than three weeks. Our team is not only half the size, but we have a lot more inexperienced reps - and it didn't make a damn bit of a difference.
$95,000 - Dustin (the Arlington District Manager) and Brian (the Lewisville manager) stood still, waiting for the other to move first.
$96,000 - Our team was silent. We watched and hoped that the hard work we had put in over the last two weeks (but especially the past weeked) had paid off.
$97,000 - No one stepped forward and the tension grew.
$98,000 - There was a slight pause, then Dustin stepped forward. WE HAD WON! WE BEAT ARLINGTON! WE CAME BACK FROM NOWHERE TO BE THE TOP OFFICE!
$100,000 - We were the only office to top $100K for the push, finishing with $100,053 for the two-week push.
Brian, office staff members Shea, Mike, Steven, Jordy and I jumped up and down as we made our way to the front of the conference to accept the trophy with Brian. We looked out at the crowd. Every single person on our team stood tall on their chairs, cheering as hard as they could, knowing they gave it there all, and that it was worth it.
At last Thursday's team meeting, Brian said that if we were to come back and win this push, it would be one of the greatest stories the company has ever seen. We did not work our hardest. We did not bring our best for the full two weeks (or really even one week), but over the final two days, we came to play.
$100,053! Summer Conference I champs!
Lewisville Summer 2004 - the legend was born
Lewisville Summer 2005 - the dynasty continues
APPLY TO BECOME A PART OF THE LEWISVILLE TEAM! (even if you live somewhere else in the D/FW metroplex, this is the office - the team - to be a part of)(LEARN MORE ABOUT WORKING WITH VECTOR)
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Remember to watch...
Look out for Brad on the soon-to-debute show:
Primieres Wednesday, July 6
10:30pm, after South Park
on Comedy Central
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Response to recent comments...
To the person who left the links to articles about the "scam" that is Vector Marketing, I have the following response:
The articles you left links to say that students were mislead about the job. As a student who has worked with the company for over a year now, I have seen first-hand how district offices are run, and I can honestly say that these articles do not come close to the truth.
One article says that when students call in about the position that they are given no details, when in fact they are told verbatim that they will be working at an "entry level customer service position...working with Cutco products."
Also, the article says that anyone who decides to work with Vector to sell Cutco is "required to buy sets of cutlery products for $145 to use" on demos. The fact of the matter is that students are putting a deposit (and a heavily discounted one at that) on the products that they can get back if they return the sample kit when they leave the job.
If someone starting with Vector doesn't want to get the sample kit, they don't have to pay $145, but they can still work with the company. Granted, you will be able to have more success if you have the product to show the customer.
Also, one of the articles cites one young man's story where he would work "five to six hours per day, and his weekly paycheck was about $100." Maybe that's the case, maybe not. But he was only making $100 a week while putting in 25-30 hours a week (or 35-42 hours if he worked weekends like some sales reps), then he was not doing the job the way he was taught to do it in training.
The company is set up to allow students to succeed, not to fail. For the company to set up its sales reps for failure would not make any sense. As far as this kids paycheck is concerned, if he ran his business (and it was his business because all Vector reps are independent contractors) the way he was instructed by his managers, he would have succeeded. I have seen firsthand for more than a year dozens of kids succeed just by doing what they are told, and their paychecks have a few more digits in them to show for it.
The articles also claim that reps were or are required to go to meetings for which they are not compensated and that they must pay to go to conferences. First off, those conferences are now free, so that is no longer a problem. Secondly, as far as these meetings, they are instructional and informative to help sales rep build their business and be successful.
I spent Thursday nights last summer at the Vector office I work for in Lewisville, TX learning how to be a better rep. No, I did not get paid for being at that meeting, but the things I would take away from that meeting would help me have more success in the following days. Basically, going to the meetings and learning to do a better job is worth it. You learn something new or how to do something better, apply it during a presentation, making a bigger sale and make more commission.
The fact remains that this company - despite what critics and unhappy students who couldn't cut it may say - does not mislead or scam its reps or its customers. The product is good. The work opportunity is better. The potential is virtually unlimited. The self-inflicted failures of a few students do not represent the company as a whole.
So please, whoever you are that left me the links to these stories, do keep in mind that this company, this "scam" as you call it, is probably the best work opportunity for students across the country.
Last summer, I made more than $10,000 as a 19-year-old college student. Every cent I earned, I was paid. Not one penny missing. I earned that through hard work of making phone calls, attending meetings, and listening to my office's management staff. Perhaps if others who work with the company did the same, I wouldn't have to respond to stupid "scam" allegations like this.
The articles you left links to say that students were mislead about the job. As a student who has worked with the company for over a year now, I have seen first-hand how district offices are run, and I can honestly say that these articles do not come close to the truth.
One article says that when students call in about the position that they are given no details, when in fact they are told verbatim that they will be working at an "entry level customer service position...working with Cutco products."
Also, the article says that anyone who decides to work with Vector to sell Cutco is "required to buy sets of cutlery products for $145 to use" on demos. The fact of the matter is that students are putting a deposit (and a heavily discounted one at that) on the products that they can get back if they return the sample kit when they leave the job.
If someone starting with Vector doesn't want to get the sample kit, they don't have to pay $145, but they can still work with the company. Granted, you will be able to have more success if you have the product to show the customer.
Also, one of the articles cites one young man's story where he would work "five to six hours per day, and his weekly paycheck was about $100." Maybe that's the case, maybe not. But he was only making $100 a week while putting in 25-30 hours a week (or 35-42 hours if he worked weekends like some sales reps), then he was not doing the job the way he was taught to do it in training.
The company is set up to allow students to succeed, not to fail. For the company to set up its sales reps for failure would not make any sense. As far as this kids paycheck is concerned, if he ran his business (and it was his business because all Vector reps are independent contractors) the way he was instructed by his managers, he would have succeeded. I have seen firsthand for more than a year dozens of kids succeed just by doing what they are told, and their paychecks have a few more digits in them to show for it.
The articles also claim that reps were or are required to go to meetings for which they are not compensated and that they must pay to go to conferences. First off, those conferences are now free, so that is no longer a problem. Secondly, as far as these meetings, they are instructional and informative to help sales rep build their business and be successful.
I spent Thursday nights last summer at the Vector office I work for in Lewisville, TX learning how to be a better rep. No, I did not get paid for being at that meeting, but the things I would take away from that meeting would help me have more success in the following days. Basically, going to the meetings and learning to do a better job is worth it. You learn something new or how to do something better, apply it during a presentation, making a bigger sale and make more commission.
The fact remains that this company - despite what critics and unhappy students who couldn't cut it may say - does not mislead or scam its reps or its customers. The product is good. The work opportunity is better. The potential is virtually unlimited. The self-inflicted failures of a few students do not represent the company as a whole.
So please, whoever you are that left me the links to these stories, do keep in mind that this company, this "scam" as you call it, is probably the best work opportunity for students across the country.
Last summer, I made more than $10,000 as a 19-year-old college student. Every cent I earned, I was paid. Not one penny missing. I earned that through hard work of making phone calls, attending meetings, and listening to my office's management staff. Perhaps if others who work with the company did the same, I wouldn't have to respond to stupid "scam" allegations like this.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Top dog
Over the last seven days, I recorded my personal best in weekly sales for Vector: $7,049 worth of Cutco. For the first time this summer (and maybe for the first time since I was promoted to Field Sales Manager), I made the company Top 10 list for Field Sales Leader/Field Sales Manager of the Week.
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