I realized when I wrote the XBOX post that I hadn't posted about my upcoming summer with the Southwestern Company. I am tempted at times to say that it is a job with them, but it is not. I am working as an independent contractor operating my own business. This is interesting considering that this is also labeled an internship by the company, the University of Florida, and sure... me too.
Here's what is involved in this nebulous thing that I am doing this summer...
I leave Saturday May 1st, 2004 for Nashville, TN at 7AM. When I arrive I am staying in a hotel (probably motel actually, but I am relaying information right now) in Murphreesboro, TN, which is over a half hour from my actual destination. The next morning I wake up and drive to 'Sales School,' which is in Nashville. I register that Sunday and begin learning right away. Sales School lasts a week. When it is finished I drive with my group to our 'Sales Locality.'
Once I get to the Sales Locality I get another hotel (read motel here again) for up to five days. During those first five days I travel about the town, talk to area pastors and ask them if they know of any families in their congreagation that would like to house three guys for the summer. We'd be willing to pay up to $100/month for rent per person. We will find a family that agrees to this and takes us in, and we will do it in a matter of one or two days, but we have five days just in case.
After we establish a temporary residence in our sales locality, we all each go out and try to sell our products. I do this by using the things I learned in sales school and by going door to door with information about families that I have gotten myself by doing 'pre-approach.' I spend 12 hours a day doing this, and in the process I visit well over 30 homes, do 30 or more demonstrations of my lead product, and sell an unknown amount of product to about three families that day.
I do all of this every day for six days a week. On the seventh day I rest. I visit friends that I have made in Sales School, I take care of my personal stuff, etc. I repeat this process for 13 weeks.
The final week I deliver all the product that has been ordered. Then I go back to Nashville, TN and 'check out.' This is where I get the balance of my money. Essentially, this is where I get paid, and this is also where I am lauded with rewards for my great summer. I will have made $11,500 in profit, but spent nearly $3,000 in expenses such as food, laundry services, gas, and rent. Also, at the end of the summer, in Nashville, I am given a letter of recommendation from my district sales manager stressing my newly demonstated skills and strengths such as independence, hard work, work endurance, communication ability, and first-hand experience in sales and marketing. If I did reasonably well, I am invited to be a manager and repeat all of this again next summer.
Finally, I come home and write an essay about my experience. (I feel like I have a decent template going already.) I hand this in to the honors office at the University of Florida. I receive three credits for my internship and I am signed up for commencement. Then I graduate from UF with a Bachelors of Arts in Business Administration specializing in Linguistics with a minor in Linguistics.
They say that after I get that particular diploma my life really begins. I'm not so sure about what they say.
Posted by David at April 28, 2004 05:16 AMWe are of like minds. you wrote this entry at five in the morning, I at three. Thought your sarcasm, while a little heavy, was refreshing. You may be less charming in person, however. Anyway, I'm a student at Texas A&M, and selling books for the second time. I was in central Florida last year. If you can believe it, I lived in zepherhills, fl. Despite this location I made around 14,000 in eleven weeks of selling. I don't leave for "sales school" until the 15th, and as i write this entry, I imagine you are finishing up with it. You're probably itching to sale. You're tired of striking that half cocked hokey pose, "heyyyy, are you the mom?" and listening to people talk about "positive attitudes" and "executive exercises." You've gotten quite enough it. Let it be known that you will make more than 11,000 dollars if you work your ass off, because it works if you work. I was a freshman when I did it. I take it you are a graduating senior. hope it goes well for you. If there is any advice i can give you, it is to simply never make a single excuse, work the hours, smile, and never think about how much money you are making. let it be a surprise at the end of each week. If not calculating the money proves impossible, deemphasize it in some other way, because the more you think about it the worse and worse you will do. That's a promise. All the best! Ohh, and don’t pay $100 per week when you can live for free.
Posted by: Tim ibbotson at May 6, 2004 04:05 AMI attend the University of Wisconsin Whitewater and this will be my first summer selling books and I leave on May 15th. Can't wait for the summer to begin. Going off to LA and gonna make a hell of a lot money. Have a great summer guys.
Posted by: Josh at May 10, 2004 12:24 AMHey, don't be too suprised if you don't actually end up going to L.A.. I was told originally that I would be going to Nebraska, and now I am sitting in Scottsboro, AL.
Good Luck!
Tim
I'll take your advice. It sounds like pretty good advice. I don't really have the option of living for free anymore though, so that's out the window.
BTW -- I am probably equally charming in person as I am in writing, but perhaps more so. Guess I should ask a friend and an impartial party.
Hey guys. I go to Angelo State in San Angelo, TX. I just did a search on Southwestern, and this came up. This is my first summer selling. I am leaving for sales school tommorow, June 2. My parents basically disowned me because I was leaving for alot of other reasons. But I feel this is the right decision for me. I only hope this is a good decision and my team leader is behind me one hundred percent. Good luck guys and remember ABC. (Always be closing)
Posted by: isaac at June 1, 2004 01:31 AMFirst summer selling this year and I begin Sales School on June 20th.
Have no clue where my sales locality will be but I don't suppose it matters given there'll be no time to look around!
Wishing you all an AWESOME summer!
Posted by: Dave at June 2, 2004 06:44 PMMy first summer was in 1976 and it was the hardest thing I ever did. I worked the hours and never quit and made what the average student made back then. The biggest thing that got me through those first weeks was that if the guys from my school(and thousands of others since the civil war) could do this then so could I. The Southwestern Company did everything promised and the positive impact on my life after 7 summers of selling books is still visible even decades later. I hope you all have successful summers
selling books.
my girlfriend is now at the sales school...god i miss her :'-( still she will probably learn a lot from it so i hope she does well :-)
Posted by: hobo at June 8, 2004 02:12 PMhi guys i'll be first year student this year, any good tips about it???
Posted by: yazan at June 15, 2004 05:48 PMListen to everything they tell you in Sales school -- most importantly the emotional preparation parts.
Find ways to rain-proof everything that you'll have with you on the bookfield. If you have a car that you'll be taking with you then get seat covers for it. If not then be ready to buy a bike and a basket for it when you get to your sales locality.
I recommend a very rugged digital camera with tons of memory if you can pull it off. There is a ton of picture worthy stuff in the book field. I'm recharging mine right now.
Figure out something that you'll like to eat every day that is inexpensive (under $1/meal), mostly non-perishable, nourishing, and that will fit in your bag (think 4" x 4" x 2" container) if you are walking.
Memorize everything as well as possible and as soon as possible.
"Have a back-up for everything you have including your back-ups."
"Something always goes wrong!" -- Seriously, this is true. Expect it. In fact, have fun with it... look forward to the suprise of it all and be happy when you find out what it is that went wrong for the day.
"You need a plan B, a plan C, and a plan D."
Those quotes are Marcus's (my roommate) contributions.
thanx david, for sure by now you are starting to feel how its like to be the manager of your own job ahh??since now you have the experience i want to ask you a couple of questions :)
is the hotel -that you stayed in- expensive?? is it far from the sales school?? do we also sleep in groups or individually?? i dont have a car thats why im asking you this.
i didny understans the part with the camera. why to use it??
thanx david, for sure by now you are starting to feel how its like to be the manager of your own job ahh??since now you have the experience i want to ask you a couple of questions :)
is the hotel -that you stayed in- expensive?? is it far from the sales school?? do we also sleep in groups or individually?? i dont have a car thats why im asking you this.
i didny understans the part with the camera. why to use it??
i also want to know if anyone knows other sites that i can benefit from. ( about southwestern of course)
Posted by: yazan at June 20, 2004 04:28 PMI live in the UK and I undertook the Southwestern Program last summer. I have to say that I am glad I did it because although it is part of the company's spiel, I did learn alot and I have grown as a person. However, I have a hell of a lot of reservations about the way the company is run. Im an SM but I sure don't wanna go back for a second summer. However, I know that when I tell my Sales Manager and the guy who recruited me they are going to attempt to bully me into submission. And so Im dreading that.
Working a summer with SW is a great thing for your CV and the money aint too bad! However, I havent started to refer to SW as the 'Evil Empire' for no reason. The way you are recruited is exceptionally underhanded when you think about it and they make you sign an Experienced DA whilst you are still doing ur first summer and as it seems whilst you are on a roll with ur sales. Have the company not heard that duress negates a contract?
There is so much dogma and propaganda levelled at you by the company about how wonderful it is and how much better u r then ur friends but in truth it is a jumped up door - to - door job masquerading as a life changing experience.
People thinking about doing SW for the first time Im not saying 'don't do Southwestern' but be aware of what u r gettin in for.
Posted by: daniel williamson at January 31, 2005 07:23 PMHey Guys I did the southwestern job for one summer and made 9,000 after rent and stuff. In all I say it was a mixed experience. I would not do it again because the money you make is not worth the effort you put in. For eighty hours a week it comes to about 7-8 dollars an hr and the work you do is not worth that.
Posted by: Jeff at May 20, 2005 01:35 PMJust don't do it! I still remember the blisters. Sweeping streets is a better job.
Posted by: Stefano at May 25, 2005 07:48 AM