The Sales Cycle: Point # 3 Probing

I was born in the Ghetto. Of course, it was not by choice. Let me tell you some of my story of how I went from the Ghetto to my MBA. I was born on the eastside of San Jose, California, USA. I hated people for most of my young life. I had a mother who was never home. My father left my mother when I was 6 months old, and I had no contact with him. Because of my sad circumstances, I joined a gang called the Blue Jackets. Later on, I became the president of the gang, staying in it until I was eighteen years old. I was involved in five gang wars by the time I was fourteen years old. In one of the gang fights, I lost my best friend, Hector Lopez. I will never forget his name because he took a knife that was supposed to go into my body. In another fight, I was hit on the head with a bottle that knocked me out cold. There was a lot of pain for me in those days. I was taken to Juvenile Hall for the first time at nine years of age, and I was in and out at least twenty times before I hit eighteen. At that time in my life, I started to realize that there was something wrong with my life. During this time, I met a girl by the name of Beverly, who was from the other side of the tracks. She helped me to realize that I needed a change in my life, so I decided to go into the U.S. Army. My enlistment really helped me grow up and see things in a different light. During this time, Beverly and I got married and we had a son and daughter. To this day, we have been happily married. When I was in the Army, I did get my GED. I have always been a hard and ambitious worker, so when I left the Army, I immediately got my first job delivering milk to homes. Yes, I was a milkman! As a milkman, I had the time to go back to school and then college. I worked my way up the ladder with a few companies, going from a sales person to the GM/CEO of First Choice Services, a consumer products company. In May 27 of 1996, I got my BBA and in May of 2000, I received my MBA. As a business consultant, I have had the privilege of working with some companies internationally, as I really enjoy working with people from other cultures. I have learned so much from friends that we have in Japan, Australia, the U.K., The Philippines, Korea, and Costa Rica, just to mention a few. Presently, I am a Business Consultant for One Cup International Consulting Group. My background in sales, sales management, and operations provide strong organizational credentials. I have over 20 years experience as an employee and consultant with such companies as: Langendorf Bread, Coffee Systems, Inc., Bobart Consulting, Inc., San Jose Chamber of Commerce, Turning Point Programs, Majordomo Services, Inc., First Choice Services (a division of Daiohs, Inc.), Associated Services, F. Gavina and Sons, Inc., Take a Break Service, Lindsey Coffee Company, and at the present time, One Cup International Consulting Group. My goal as a business consultant has always been to help companies build their sales, management, and marketing teams and/or reorganize their business, so they can make a profit or improve their bottom line. As a team player, I work with management and operations to get the best results. Finally, let me say that I am looking for a new career that will both reward me inwardly in my personal growth, and financially. I am a very active person. As a business consultant, I find that I have too much time on my hands. I want to be more actively involved, helping grow a sales staff or a business, by using my many skills. As you can see from my opening statements, I have endured much in my life, but out of lemons, I’ve decided to make lemonade. I am available for sales and management seminars. Also, I would be glad to do seminars for any organization, to reach young people, in order to help them get out of the ghetto and poverty. I require a small honorarium, plus traveling expenses.