{"id":21,"date":"2025-09-09T21:44:45","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T21:44:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/madyjosh.com\/?p=21"},"modified":"2025-09-10T02:00:45","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T02:00:45","slug":"life-in-sales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madyjosh.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/09\/life-in-sales\/","title":{"rendered":"Life in Sales"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hey Madysen and Joshua,<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n


I want to tell you a story. Part family story, part lesson about life and work, and maybe a little advice too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Ask most people if they always wanted to be in sales and they\u2019ll laugh and say no. Most people think of that 70s stereotype: fast talking used car salesman with a big smile. That was what I thought salespeople were like. And honestly, that image came from someone I knew well, my dad, your grandfather Joe.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You didn\u2019t really know him. He passed in 2006. But people loved him. He was blunt, honest, sometimes rough around the edges, but loyal, hardworking, and deeply respected. Some people had a love hate relationship with him, but that was him. When I was a kid, I knew for sure I was nothing like him. I could never be a salesperson. I wasn\u2019t bold in that way, I didn\u2019t have that kind of confidence, and I definitely didn\u2019t talk like him. I\u2019m probably more like my mom or maybe my grandpa. But even so, pieces of my dad rubbed off on me without me realizing it.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My grandfather taught me other lessons that mattered too. He worked hard his whole life. Both sides of our family were migrant workers, traveling north to pick cotton, potatoes, corn, or whatever needed harvesting. I grew up in Edcouch, Texas, a small town where many families still lived that way. When I was little, my grandparents were retired and took care of me while my parents worked.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every morning, my grandpa and I ran errands. Our first stop was the post office. He\u2019d pull his mail from the little metal box, open each envelope carefully, and people would start talking to him. He didn\u2019t talk much, but he listened. He nodded, asked a question here or there, and kept the conversation going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


If there was a check in the mail from the government, we went to the bank. No drive through. We would wait, and when it was his turn, he would ask the banker about their family before handling his own business. On the way home, we would stop at the bakery. He didn\u2019t just grab pastries from the display case. He pointed out what he liked, and the baker would make it fresh. While we waited, he listened. To the baker, to other customers, anyone walking by. He made people feel important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People loved him for that.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After he passed away, strangers would come up to me and tell me how much they enjoyed talking to him. Not because he had the best stories or strongest opinions, but because he made them feel heard. And without realizing it, I had been learning something important. Sales isn\u2019t about knowing all the answers. It\u2019s not about being the loudest person in the room. It\u2019s about listening. Making people feel seen. That\u2019s what my grandfather was really good at.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t expect to end up in sales, but life has a funny way of guiding you. I graduated from the University of Texas in 1995 with a degree in Advertising. I had completed an internship at GSD&M Advertising Agency and thought I was ready to start my career. I sent out my resume, interviewed, and got an offer, or at least I thought I did. Then the call came. The position I expected had been given to someone with more \u201cresearch experience.\u201d I was crushed. Research experience? I had done research in school, but apparently that wasn\u2019t enough.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few weeks later, I found Harris Publishing at a job fair. They were hiring for a \u201cResearch Associate\u201d position. It sounded perfect. I needed research experience! I went in for the interview and the first thing the interviewer said was, \u201cSell me this pen.\u201d I froze. I fumbled. I did it, but I did a bad job. And that\u2019s when I realized the position was a sales job.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I got the job, and I stayed. I learned fast. And I discovered something I didn\u2019t expect: I was actually good at it. I learned how to structure conversations, how to ask questions, and most importantly, how to listen. Listening, connecting, caring, everything I had watched my grandfather do, I started doing too.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stayed at Harris Publishing for a while. I was making more money than some friends starting out at Advertising Agencies around town. Over time, I realized that the lessons I learned from my grandfather and from watching my dad had all come together. I could connect with people, understand their needs, and help them. And that\u2019s what sales really is.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you all decide to get into Sales, it’s up to you. Joshua, with your ambition and business mind, sales could be a place where you really thrive. You\u2019ll need patience, discipline, and the ability to listen more than you talk. Madysen, you have the personality for it, but it will test your patience and energy, and you\u2019ll need to protect both. Sales isn\u2019t always glamorous. It\u2019s stressful, full of rejection, and unpredictable. But if you approach it like my grandfather approached life, with care, respect, and attention, it can be incredibly rewarding. You\u2019ll learn, help people, make connections, and control your own success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Sometimes I think about what life would have been like if I had kept chasing a job at an advertising agency. Maybe I would have ended up as an Account Executive, still a salesperson, just a different title. Life works in funny ways. I even named you, Madysen, after Madison Avenue, because of that path I almost took.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Sales is like my grandfather\u2019s errands. It\u2019s not flashy or loud. It\u2019s showing up, paying attention, listening, and making people feel valued. That\u2019s a lesson that will serve you no matter what you do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Love,
Dad<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hey Madysen and Joshua, I want to tell you a story. Part family story, part lesson about life and work, and maybe a little advice too. Ask most people if they always wanted to be in sales and they\u2019ll laugh and say no. Most people think of that 70s stereotype: fast talking used car salesman […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/madyjosh.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/madyjosh.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/madyjosh.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madyjosh.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madyjosh.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/madyjosh.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40,"href":"https:\/\/madyjosh.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21\/revisions\/40"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/madyjosh.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madyjosh.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madyjosh.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}