A Major work decision to make

[lumberjim]

nothing is official yet. but it looks to be headed in that direction.

[Clodfobble]

So now that you've been at it for awhile, how's the commute treating you? Overall, are you happy you made the switch?

[lumberjim]

hate the ride, like the job, love the $$...i'll try to get into more detail later.

[LabRat]

my commute is 35 miles one way to work (ave 50 min). i listen to books on cd--check them out from the library or bum them off of friends. this is how i 'read' all of the harry potter series. since i don't really have time for leisure reading anymore, this is a great way to stay halfway current with what's out there. library has pretty slim pickens somtimes tho.

[lumberjim]

my commute is 59 miles one way. on the way home it takes me about 1hr&10 minutes. on monday, tuesday and wednesday mornings, I have to drive in rush hour traffic, and it has taken as long as 2hrs+ two or three times so far. Usually, that's about 1.5 hrs. so, it sucks a little, but I listen to the traffic report/howard stern/WIP sportsradio, and let my mind wander. They've been very understanding when I've been late.

As far as the job goes.....I typed this once, but lost it......Salesmanager is more diverse than finance manager, and I interact with more people each day....when it's busy, it's a lot like a party, and I wander about chit chatting with customers while their salesperson is doing one thing or another for them. It helps when I go in later and negotiate if we have already met under less pressured terms. We give all the ladies a boquet of flowers just for coming in...great ice breaker......I like to pretend that thier husband had them sent for her.....( this is an effective means of determining whether or not a manager has greeted that customer...like a tag ...sorta.)

The down side of it is being responsible for my team of salesmen, and accountable for their missteps, or lack of productivity. Nothing I can;t handle, but it is a much different dynamic than just being in charge of me or myself and an assistant. I have two counterparts that are a bit zany. They're both strong closers, but can come off a bit....carsalesmanish..... The GSM tends to send me in to talk to customers that are 'just shopping' which makes my odds of closing them a bit lower, so I take a bit of ribbing for not being able to close customers......I can push when it is called for, but would say that the other two guys are stronger closers....sometimes, if I can't get them, I'll send one of the other two in, or the used car manager, and 3/4 of the time, they're able to close the deal. whatever it takes.

Ed likes to 'spin' people. Spinning someone goes like this: A customer that didn't, won't or can't buy, a delivery guy, a vendor, bank rep, etc.. walks by, and starts to go out the door, and Ed yells, "wait a minute!" and then looks away, or pretends to be concentrating on imaginary paperwork, and the person spins around, wondering if he was talking to them. stupid, but it gets funnier every time he does it. some times it's "did you drop this?!" or simply, "Maaaaaaam?" Most of the employees are hip to it, but if he gets you, that just makes it funnier. Once, I was closing a customer, and the used car manager went into the adjacent cubicle and starting banging into the partition really hard, and pretending that he was moving furniture on the other side....just to throw the guy off balance.....he bought. actually, he did it to me twice with 2 different customers, and they both bought....hmmmm.

So going into finance will be, comparitively, a bit boring, and I'll be in a cave of an office with no window, ...but......I'ts another large pay raise, and that is where the bulk of my expertise lies. I got the schedule worked out to where jinx is happy ( well....not pissed off, anyway) and the guy I will be partnering with is a blue chip, so it should work out really well. And most importantly, Wolf can't call me a car salesman anymore.

[dar512]

Originally Posted by lumberjim

And most importantly, Wolf can't call me a car salesman anymore.

Oh. I don't know. I'd say there's still plenty of guilt by association.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by lumberjim

and I'll be in a cave of an office with no window

And does this cave of an office have a computer with internet access?

[Clodfobble]

And does this cave of an office have a computer with internet access?

Took the words right out of my mouth!

[lumberjim]

yup. but give me a few weeks to get my legs under me here.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Welcome back to humanity, Jim.

[busterb]

Ask me again why I don't trade my pickup for a newer one.

[xoxoxoBruce]

OK, why don't you trade your pickup for a newer one, Buster?

[wolf]

Originally Posted by lumberjim

And most importantly, Wolf can't call me a car salesman anymore.

I'm not actually a female canine, but people still call me a bitch, LJ.

So, are you allowed to tell us which of the big dealerships was lucky enough to lure you into their evil clutches??

[lumberjim]

Cherry Hill Nissan. Your friendly Nissan Giant.

"HEY, Jimmy!......Why is our showroom full of snow?!"

annoying, but very effective. (i'm one of 4 Jim's that work there.)

My picture was in South Jersey Magazine last month (I'm crammed in the back with the other tall fuckers)

I had a pretty good day today. I bashed in like 3 skulls or something.....argh.
I have time to peek now, but not much time to post. sucks for you. or not.

party on, cellar.

[lumberjim]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

"Now," said the professor, " I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things-your God, family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions-things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else-the small stuff.

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal."

Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

Watch your priorities Jim, it's easy to fuck up. Believe me.

6 years here as of yesterday. I've made a bunch of money, but I've dropped a couple of my most important golf balls.