How Clearlink Helped Me Succeed

Work matters to me. I’m from a small town in Mexico called Autlán de Navarro, Jalisco. I moved to California when I was about two or three; but my parents really wanted me to appreciate the things I had in America, so when I was nine, they sent me and my older brother back to Mexico to live with our grandparents.

It’s beautiful there, it’s very green because it rains a lot. It’s also close to the coast, so we would always go to the beach.

I had a lot of fun.

But I also learned the importance of hard work.

I got my first job selling watermelons door-to-door. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the lessons I learned — both from my grandparents and by hauling heavy fruit around the neighborhood — would have a tremendous impact on my life moving forward. I guess that was my first real sales job!

Since then, I’ve been a cook, I’ve washed cars, and I’ve taken numerous sales and customer service positions.

I work hard and I don’t take anything for granted.

Trying to be Someone

Between the ages of 19 and 23, I started thinking about the future, and I really put a lot of pressure on myself to “become someone” by a certain age. Not just for me, but for my family, too — I didn’t want to let them down. And even though I’d worked pretty my entire life, I still didn’t know what I wanted to do.

Should I further my education? Should I start a career?

At that stage, I didn’t even know what sort of career I wanted. I was kinda lost, and I ended up jumping between jobs frequently.

I was working in customer service when one of my coworkers, Gustavo, said he’d heard about a place called Clearlink down near the airport and people were making a lot of money there.

About a month later, Gustavo was killing it on the sales floor and sent me a message showing me the commissions he was making every week.

So I took a leap of faith, and I came to Clearlink.

When I found the job I loved I did whatever it took to keep it

In my second week of sales training at Clearlink, I was driving with my girlfriend and her little sister when someone rear-ended us at a red light. We all walked away unharmed, but the car was in really bad shape. Plus, I was worried because all the sales training is mandatory (you’re not supposed to miss a single day) and work was over 11 miles away — I needed the car to get there.

I called my trainer, explained the situation, and he was kind enough to give me the day off. That was huge. He cared about me.

That’s when I knew Clearlink was where I wanted to be.

So, I went to a yard sale and bought myself $20 bicycle to ride to work.

A year of cycling: 23 miles every day

After the accident, I knew this job was perfect for me, and I’d do whatever it took to keep it.

So I got that bike and I rode the 11.5 miles to — and from — work every day. My shift back then was from 6:00 am to 2:30 pm, so I was on the road by 4:30 in the morning.

During the winter, I would wear my snowboarding pants and jacket and carry my extra clothes in a backpack. I got a lot of flat tires and sometimes had to walk part of the way, but I always made it to work on time.

Some people have said to me that they never would have done that: ride so far to get to work every day, rain or shine; that they would have found a different job closer to where they lived. But I saw how much opportunity there was at Clearlink, and I was determined to stay.

The challenges that lie ahead

After eight months as a Sales Agent, I was promoted. This allowed me to get a better schedule and buy a cheap little car (which I still have).

And things kept getting better.

Last year, when I was working in quality about to move into a sales coach position, I won the 2015 Employee Impact Award. I wasn’t expecting it at all. I won a trip to Jamaica, but my girlfriend had finals that week and couldn’t get them changed. So HR organized for an earlier trip to Miami instead. I had the time of my life! I danced every night for four nights and spent my days in the sun.

Then I participated in the Preparing to Coach program, and it changed everything.

The program made me open my eyes and completely understand what I was diving into as a coach. It honestly made me ask if I was ready for it or not and made me excited about the challenges to come.

My experience was a bit different from everybody else’s, because when I was accepted into Preparing to Coach, I was already coaching a team. Everything I learned in the classes, I would go straight out and use with my team.

Sales is more than a numbers game

I used to think sales coaching was just a numbers game, but Preparing to Coach taught me it’s more about having a conversation with people, keeping your team in the right mindset throughout the day, even if they’re struggling, and helping them discover ways to bring themselves up. Then the numbers just change on their own.

As soon as I started the program, I went and read books on positivity and how to communicate effectively. I started finding little quotes or articles I could send to my team to give them a boost.

After the program, when one of my team members was having a hard time making sales, I knew exactly what to do to help them improve.

Becoming that ‘someone’

I love what I do for a living. I sign up for overtime whenever I can, and I’m the first to say I’ll be here for any weekend coverage. I love to hear people say they miss me when I’m not here. For me, this job is like home — it’s almost impossible to get me to leave.

I’ve learned so much throughout my life (selling watermelons, washing cars, and making sacrifices for what I love) and those lessons continue to drive me as I grow at Clearlink. I haven’t yet reached my full potential and I’m excited to keep pushing myself, to see how much more I can do. I don’t know what the future will bring, but I do know I want to stay at Clearlink as long as possible, and I know want to be a Sales Manager someday.

Full disclosure: This article was written with direct contributions from a professional writer.