I’m Grateful for the lessons Vector Marketing has taught me!
While I attempt to practice gratitude on a daily basis, it’s always great to celebrate
Thanksgiving, because gratitude is brought right to the forefront.
Just a couple short years ago, Gallup issued a survey that showed that 71% of workers are “not engaged” or “actively disengaged” from their work. Wow-it is no surprise that so many companies struggle with poor customer service, their employees don’t care! I’m thankful to work for Vector Marketing Canada, a company that isn’t perfect, but sure gets a lot of things right. I’ve learned a number of lessons that I’m grateful for since starting with Vector Marketing Canada in 1996, and these are the 3 that resonate with me the strongest.
1. Life is too short not to love what you do! After working with Vector Marketing Canada as a university student for a couple of years, I was offered a position, after graduation, with another company. I decided that I should see if the grass was greener on the other side of the fence. I soon realized the saying is true, “the grass is greener where you water it”. I didn’t enjoy the atmosphere, there was a lack of training and development, the culture was toxic and I didn’t find any gratification in what I was doing. I had become one of the 71%...when I was already looking at my watch at 8:25am to see how much time was left of my workday, I knew I had to make a switch. I came back to Vector Marketing Canada. I felt like here I was part of a team that had a vision, I was encouraged to grow and stretch and I was recognized for a job well done.
2. Selling isn’t bad! Selling has always had a stigma surrounding it, and due to that perception, many often don’t even give it a chance. I’ve learned over the years, selling isn’t only not a bad thing; it’s something we all do practically every day whether we realize it, or care to admit it. I started as a timid, shy student with absolutely no sales experience, and I didn’t excel in sales because after a successful exchange with a potential client, I “won” and the customer “lost”; I excelled because I listened and I was able to solve a problem for a client and answer a need. I learned that selling is helping, and it’s a skill that is necessary if you want succeed in life. We sell ideas to our teams, regardless of what industry we’re in; we sell ourselves in job interviews; we sell ourselves to our future spouses; we sell our children on why they should do their math homework. Selling isn’t something to avoid, it’s something you should get good at, sooner than later.
3. Hard work trumps talent or skills, almost all of the time. I’ve achieved some things I’m quite proud of during my time with Vector, and most of it had little to do with talent. I was consistent and I worked hard. I wasn’t a sales record-breaker, but I experienced success because I knew I could outwork most people, I over-delivered. Will Smith, in a great quote says, “The only thing that I see that is distinctly different about me is I'm not afraid to die on a treadmill. I will not be out-worked, period. You might have more talent than me, you might be smarter than me, you might be sexier than me, you might be all of those things you got it on me in nine categories. But if we get on the treadmill together, there's two things: You're getting off first, or I'm going to die. It's really that simple, right?”
What is something about Vector that you’re grateful for? Let us know in the comments below!
Just a couple short years ago, Gallup issued a survey that showed that 71% of workers are “not engaged” or “actively disengaged” from their work. Wow-it is no surprise that so many companies struggle with poor customer service, their employees don’t care! I’m thankful to work for Vector Marketing Canada, a company that isn’t perfect, but sure gets a lot of things right. I’ve learned a number of lessons that I’m grateful for since starting with Vector Marketing Canada in 1996, and these are the 3 that resonate with me the strongest.
1. Life is too short not to love what you do! After working with Vector Marketing Canada as a university student for a couple of years, I was offered a position, after graduation, with another company. I decided that I should see if the grass was greener on the other side of the fence. I soon realized the saying is true, “the grass is greener where you water it”. I didn’t enjoy the atmosphere, there was a lack of training and development, the culture was toxic and I didn’t find any gratification in what I was doing. I had become one of the 71%...when I was already looking at my watch at 8:25am to see how much time was left of my workday, I knew I had to make a switch. I came back to Vector Marketing Canada. I felt like here I was part of a team that had a vision, I was encouraged to grow and stretch and I was recognized for a job well done.
2. Selling isn’t bad! Selling has always had a stigma surrounding it, and due to that perception, many often don’t even give it a chance. I’ve learned over the years, selling isn’t only not a bad thing; it’s something we all do practically every day whether we realize it, or care to admit it. I started as a timid, shy student with absolutely no sales experience, and I didn’t excel in sales because after a successful exchange with a potential client, I “won” and the customer “lost”; I excelled because I listened and I was able to solve a problem for a client and answer a need. I learned that selling is helping, and it’s a skill that is necessary if you want succeed in life. We sell ideas to our teams, regardless of what industry we’re in; we sell ourselves in job interviews; we sell ourselves to our future spouses; we sell our children on why they should do their math homework. Selling isn’t something to avoid, it’s something you should get good at, sooner than later.
3. Hard work trumps talent or skills, almost all of the time. I’ve achieved some things I’m quite proud of during my time with Vector, and most of it had little to do with talent. I was consistent and I worked hard. I wasn’t a sales record-breaker, but I experienced success because I knew I could outwork most people, I over-delivered. Will Smith, in a great quote says, “The only thing that I see that is distinctly different about me is I'm not afraid to die on a treadmill. I will not be out-worked, period. You might have more talent than me, you might be smarter than me, you might be sexier than me, you might be all of those things you got it on me in nine categories. But if we get on the treadmill together, there's two things: You're getting off first, or I'm going to die. It's really that simple, right?”
What is something about Vector that you’re grateful for? Let us know in the comments below!
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