"Coffee is for closers" & other sales phrases I miss.

The company I work for has a sales calendar that runs 1 month off from ACTUAL calendar. Actually, it runs 13 months off … so for instance, at the end of this month, we'll be wrapping up Q2 Fiscal Year 2008. I'm sure that when the company began more than 20 years ago, it made sense but it's always fun to try to explain this system to new employees.

This will be the first quarter close that I haven't been a part of the sales team, that I haven't had to call various teammates to see how they were doing and ask if they needed help, that I haven't had to arrange last-minute conferences or visits and … OH HOW I MISS IT. I miss the pressure, I miss the chaos, I miss the craziness, I miss the victories and the defeats, I miss staying in the office until 9pm on the last day of the quarter … ok, no, that's not true. But the rest is. I even love the phrasing that comes with it. I mean – I used to make sure to call each and every one of "my boys" to ask them how their bags felt. (Every time I would say that, a troll in our HR group would jump to his death. So I made sure to use the phrase as much as I could.)

Now I'm on the other side of the money. I'm helping the company figure out how to support neighborhoods, communities, organizations, not-for-profit programs, etc. Rather than selling manufacturing companies on the benefits of 3D software that will virtually show them how their engines and gears will fit, or demonstrating to a city planning board how their skyline will be changed if they allow that new high rise to be constructed, or dragging a draftsperson (kicking and screaming) into the 21st century by showing them the wonder that is computer-created plans vs. print outs, I'm reminding OUR company that by that manufacturer NOT casting several thousand molds of that engine, by that city planning board meeting virtually, and by that draftsperson NOT printing out page after page of plans, we really ARE making a difference to the environment, but we can do so much more.

I was reminded of how far we've come yesterday morning, as I accepted an award on behalf of my company for being named in a group of the most generous companies in my local area. It was a pretty great group of companies, truth be told. I won't name them here, but I can tell you that you can feel GOOD about that Triple Venti Latte you get everyday because the company behind it is VERY generous. I can tell you that the World-Wide Phone/Cable Conglomerate whose initials are NOT "BU&U" is INCREDIBLY giving, too. And that bank with the horses and the Western theme? Well, if you bank there, good on you for partnering with them. They're good folk.

Anyway, I have no cute, clever way to wrap this up. Except to say that in this non-sales job, I actually report structurally INTO the HR group … but if you think that's gonna stop me from calling "my boys" to ask them if their bags are light or heavy, well hell - then you just don't know me at all.