Summer Bookman Internship Journals

Summer Bookman Internship Journal - Week 1
This short week started with me getting lost, a lot! It took me 3 days for me to get used to my area as the folks here kept suggesting shortcuts. My first day went pretty well as I was courageous enough to knock on my first door. Maybe it’s due to the training given. Though, I faced problems finding the right community as my area was too near to town, and I would’ve faced legal issues if I was in town. So the only place where I could work was the outskirts where each house was very far apart. Access to them was limited too as only dirt roads were the only way there. But as the days passed, I got to know the town better and found out how many people’s life was, and how they lived it. Many were poor, and came from various facets of life that made me realize how lucky I was. Because of the poverty at my area, I did not sell much. And because of the small community, I did not demonstrate much either. But I had long chats with a few of the folks which some were very interesting. At one point I woke up to a day feeling down and it drastically reduced my performance. I called a friend of mine at college and though he’s not a good advisor, at least I had someone listen to me. My performance picked up after that and never went down! I’m somewhat excited to see what next week will offer.

Thoughts & Autopsy for Week 1 Journal
Ahh… my first week. I remember it so well as if it was just yesterday. How weak I was; how terrified I was; how amateur I was in the book field; and how I managed to turn it into something fruitful! The town of Due West in South Carolina will always be embedded in my thoughts as the premier of what could be a lifetime adventure. “One small step for financial independence, a giant leap for a progressive future”. Looking back at my first week, I did what most people would have done; I could have done better.

Summer Bookman Internship Journal - Week 2
Sunday meeting was interesting as I had the most number of demonstrations even though my sales were not as impressive. I learned a few more skills of the trade. Monday was Memorial Day, and a good opportunity to get lots of sales. UNFORTUNATELY, I was ordered to follow my manager on her rounds for the day. I did pick up a lot of skills though, as her tactics were very different from what was taught in sales school. Wednesday was a depressing day as I had zero sales. I called a few people to get motivation even though it was just a bit. Felt better on Thursday when I finally had some sales and I found a community, but only heard bad things of that area as there were many criminal activities happening there recently. Kenny told me my target was $800 for the week. I was quite discouraged as I needed four sales to reach that target in one day! I pushed a lot on Saturday just to get my final sale. The satisfaction of reaching my target was quite rewarding. I was extremely worried on Friday when I found out that 1 box of Bibles were missing from my trunk. My torchlight was also missing. The managers told me not to worry though it was not easy to just forget about it. But I felt better when the day was over as I performed better that day.

Thoughts & Autopsy for Week 2 Journal
This was my first week in Calhoun Falls. A place where there are few dependable and trustworthy customers!

Talking is such a wonderful ability! When you’re down, you call someone up and there will be advice on the other end of the line or simply just an enclave to dump your frustrations. I know I should be saying friends are the wonderful possessions, but during that time, I just wanted to talk, and talking was my way out of darkness. The significance of friends and friendship will be depicted on later comments on later parts of the journals.

The case of the missing box of Bibles was really worrisome for me. It was hard for me to digest what consequences I would have to bear. At the end of the summer during checkout, Mr. Ramesh (the Big Boss of the company) actually was so kind to credit me for all the lost books and I was not charged. So the only loss is probably the loss of confidence when I first lost my stock that kept me worried throughout the whole summer.

Summer Bookman Internship Journal - Week 3
The week started with enthusiasm as I performed better than last week. On Monday, I sold $220 worth of books, which made me glad as I hit my daily target. Since this was just the 3rd week, I had set my target lower than what I would like to achieve the whole summer. I targeted another pool of prospects, as the current ones did not work for me. It worked pretty well though my customers were only available at night and I had nothing much to do in the mornings until the evening. But as my manager said, I performed pretty consistently even though at the time I just think I’m really lucky. This week’s better performance motivates me to do better next week, though my prospects are running low and I’ve covered most parts of my town. I also learned the culture and events in the town as there were many criminal activities in my town. I used it to my advantage to gain their trust and approach more people by stating my fears in the town, and they helped me feel secure by being hospitable. Overall, I think this week taught me a lot not just in the sales duty, but also how people lead their lives in a small, about-to-extinct town.

Thoughts & Autopsy for Week 3 Journal
$220 doesn’t sound much after one has been through the whole summer. But if it was consistent, then $220 is actually not bad. For me, since it was just the infant stage of summer, $220 was overwhelmingly joyous for me! Honestly speaking (and not trying to be racist), the other pool of customers I was referring to are actually the whites (Caucasians). I was previously targeting the Black community, but due to the security and financial ability of this town, I had to change my strategy.

A little bit about Calhoun Falls; it is a small and dying town, almost literally! The one and only factory in the town is shutting down, and the state is planning on building a highway through it! The population is getting old and crime rates are increasing. As nice this town may seem, it is such a pity that these people strive so hard to live in this dying town. During my short stint here, there were 3 funerals already! My eyes were opened, and my heart is sympathetic. I pray that Calhoun Falls will flourish once again as depicted by the people that have seen the glorious days of this once industrious town.

Summer Bookman Internship Journal - Week 4
ONCE again I managed to improve my sales. However, I’m short of my target by $50 which was $2200. It was really frustrating to know that I was doing pretty well in Calhoun Falls, but once I changed towns to Abbeville, my situation got to the same level as one of my worst days. I guess whenever I run into a new town, I’ll have to start from square one, which means I’ve not learnt how to start with an impact. But I did see and learn more of American culture. Back to my performance, I guess I’ve learnt that persistence is key to doing well in this work. And I kind of agree to the statement, “The harder you work, the luckier you’ll get!” I was reading ‘Life is Tremendous’ by Charlie T. Jones, and he mentioned the first point to be successful is to have a sense of urgency and excitement in your work. I’m trying very hard to absorb that concept because my morale is pretty much determined by the numbers I generate, not to mention the weather as well. My goal for next week is to try not to worry about numbers and set my attitude towards the job straight. But I guess however much I change I’d like to pour my complaints on the phone on my way home from work everyday!

Thoughts & Autopsy for Week 4 Journal
The Sunday meeting for that week was a joint one with the organization at Virginia. There was a penalty for whichever organization that performs worse than the other. Having a bunch of elite rookies on the other team, my southern organization lost. And we had to pay the price. For the rookies, I wouldn’t want to comment on our punishment, too embarrassing! But the managers for our organization outperformed the other. The pictures say it all.


No, this is NOT the Full Monty!








Which would you like ma'am? The chicken scrub or the dustbin leg wash special?





Summer Bookman Internship Journal - Week 5
This week was a tough one. It started off with a zero sales day. On Wednesday, I got extremely lucky as I sold more than $600 to ONE customer. I struggled not just to improve my sales, but to prevent my morale from dropping. Finally, on Saturday, I managed to come out with my highest daily sales of $990. It wasn’t enough to beat my previous week’s record though, and by only $60! I was hoping no matter what the numbers say, I think I enjoyed working this week as I was working harder, better and met many nice people. For the first time since I came to the USA, I ate real soul food, which was very unique and delicious. I also had the opportunity to share with my customers the life I had back in Malaysia. Overall, I think this week was a good lesson to know that with faith, everything will be fine no matter how bad I will face in the beginning. Just keep working and everything should be fine.

Thoughts & Autopsy for Week 5 Journal
That ONE customer was my morale saver. The whole family got the whole set and more! I was ecstatic, keeping my cool while closing that big sale. As I drove off from their house, it was all screams and shouts of excitement to think that I closed more than $700 in one house (but 2 customers, Mom and daughter). There is another person I shall never forget, Mrs. Georgia East, as she was the first to serve me soul food. It was sinfully delicious! If I were to eat it everyday, I would be the world’s largest person, but it was soul food, too much lard and fried stuff. She even taught me how to cook fried corn. Above all, I NEVER demo-ed the books to her and she never bought it. But the company and hospitality was definitely worth more than, say, $290 worth of books? I worked hard this week, but I really did enjoy working as well. That’s why that week was one of my most enjoyable ones.

Abbeville Town Square. Julia Roberts acted in "Sleeping with the Enemy" shot in the town of Abbeville!

Summer Bookman Internship Journal - Week 6
When I said previously that I could not achieve higher sales than $2200 two weeks ago because my capabilities have saturated, I was totally WRONG! This week, I hit my highest sales of $3,600++ and hit President’s Club! I’m very glad to know that this job is full of wonderful surprises too, and it proves that as long as I find the right ingredients, I can cook-up something surprising. The main ingredients would probably be determination, patience and lots of faith. I never knew or understood the word faith, but I guess I do now. One powerful technique I used was to interact with the customer well as if you are already part of their family. So does the phrase ‘Reach into their hearts, and they’ll reach into their pockets’ apply here? I guess not! Many times I spent time being the jolly person that I am but many of them would ignore you. I meet so many people from all walks of life this week and I’m so glad that not only did I hit my goals, but also learnt some valuable experiences that are priceless.

Thoughts & Autopsy for Week 6 Journal
PRESIDENT’S CLUB (PC)!!! Woohoo! To top it all, Daphne and Sheau-Yun (both colleagues in the bookman field) went for PC too! The three of us were standing tall that week. Interestingly, both girls hit the same numbers, beating me by just $20!!! But it was fun and a pleasure to be at the same spot, all three of us after all the hard work, we finally made it in week 5.

I also argued about how I understood faith that week. Truth is I really didn’t. I said so merely because of my performance. I fell in performance in the other weeks to come, and that really affected my judgment on faith again. Put it simply, I wasn’t faithful, somewhat. I guess it was a perilous journey, and a topic I am most dire of. Perilous because it was a terrifying experience to question the almighty God. Dire because I am just too bad in religious stuff. I guess my passion was a dire peril? Now that’s too harsh isn’t it! But I made it through and made something out of this whole experience which I will comment on later journals.



PC Baby! Sheau-Yun, Daphne and me have finally entered this exclusive club!








Schmichael had to sniff my feet 3 times as penalty for performing worse than me that week











Nike shoes: $80, High Managerial position: 5 years, Seeing Kenny in a skirt because he got penalized for being defeated in sales: PRICELESS!





Summer Bookman Internship Journal - Week 7
Monday was 4th of July and everyone was either out or there were empty houses or full houses. At 6pm that day, I had no sales, and feeling very discouraged, I started driving home. Then I remembered that I had deliveries to make, but I could have just did it the next day. However, even if I had bad sales, I must give my best service to my customers. So I turned back towards my town again. As I delivered my books, I remembered again a few houses I was supposed to try meeting them. Since it was on my way, I knocked on their door. They opened, had a wonderful laugh on all sorts of subjects, and she bought 2 books from me. I learnt that the battle has not ended until the day has ended. Keep trying and do your best until it has all been over. This week had been tough for me as the pressure of maintaining my standard seemed to be higher, and getting motivated seemed harder. Lucky for friends and colleagues, the team is such a powerful one that we always support each other. I think I also learnt the true meaning of teamwork as depicted on the many phone calls of encouragement I get and give.

Thoughts & Autopsy for Week 7 Journal
The common phrases, “Never Give Up” and “United we Stand, Divided we Fall” is portrayed perfectly here. I had really given up that day. Customer service is of great importance in any field. I always believed that good customer service always pays off by itself, numerically or self-consciously. Here, my faith for the town has grown. In every attempt to reach the sunshine of aspirations, the essence of success is not about you reaching it or not, but how you look up, see its beauty, believe in it and follow the light where it leads.

Summer Bookman Internship Journal - Week 8
I barely survived another week, and I fear the weeks yet to come. This week has been emotional for me as I’m already tired. I don’t have the sense of urgency anymore because it only seems like it never ends. I performed pretty badly, not in terms of sales, but my work ethics. I totally lost motivation until Friday evening as I had no sales the last 2 days. But an amazing thing happened. On Friday evening itself, I made my first sale in my new town in Elberton after 2 unsuccessful days. Not only that, I hit my biggest daily sales, finally breeching the $1K mark. I was excited and that saved me from dropping further emotionally. The next day, I was excited with lots of motivation and strength. Maybe too much enthusiasm, that I had a bad day. I don’t know what’s wrong with me! I get so caught up so easily with excitement, yet drop and wallow the next second. The next will be a challenge as I want to change and rectify my bad habits. I’m not sure how, but as a start, I guess I shouldn’t worry about my sales numbers anymore because I hate this competition. It’s now a test of patience and hard work, not numbers!

Thoughts & Autopsy for Week 8 Journal
I was actually very excited to start anew in Elberton. However my excitement got the most out of me as I performed badly, naturally for someone in a new town. Elberton is located 50 miles from Greenwood! That’s a good 1 hour drive from the headquarters everyday in the morning. It is also located in the state of Georgia, so I had to cross the border from South Carolina.

That Friday when I breached my daily sales record, I was very fortunate as both customers were neighbors and introduced by Sheau-Fei, my headquarter manager. It is no doubt, she can really find the “Big Fishes”! However, one of those customers is giving me a splitting headache as they don’t have funds to pay up. Seriously, these people really don’t know how to budget their expenses as they live on a budget from paycheck-to-paycheck.

Summer Bookman Internship Journal - Week 9
“The Granite Capital of the World” as what Elberton is also known seems to be a progressive and industrious town. One would expect t it to be a decent and rich town, and it is! However, sales in this town this week are weak. ‘The richer you are, the more stingy one is’; that is what I observed of Elberton this week. I had to change my strategy. I mentioned last week that I wouldn’t bother about sales numbers but to work right and do it right. There were improvements, but much more to be rectified. One main skill I learnt this week was to pre-approach properly. “Working smart!” I tried to follow this concept by overhauling my pre-approach pad. It did help improve the sense of rush, though it back-fired because as much as I wanted to work and demo, no one was at home or even allowed me to demo. I just broke-down! I guess as much preparation did, I wasn’t ready emotionally. But I guess there’s something to learn from every week. Learnt that I have to be more service minded, enjoy talking to my customers, and I guess it’s not wrong to see someone smile and make their day a joyous one and be happy myself. It is the people skill, not the selling skill that matters most. I’m inspired that we are not weak beings but strong characters in adapting to our environment.

The people I meet and the hospitality I get overshadows the harsh realities of this job

Thoughts & Autopsy for Week 9 Journal
This week’s journal was inspired by my mentor Victor Su. He was the top rookie that previous week, and his journal was published in the weekly ‘Vision’ newsletter, a newsletter that updates all bookmen about sales for each person. Top bookmen from different categories will be mentioned and commended by Ramesh, our big boss.

If you follow the link to his blog where he published his own journals like me, look for week 6 and you’ll see what I mean. He also taught me the pre-approach strategy, and even though it didn’t work as well for me, it kept me thinking how I approached this job in such lackadaisical manner. Buck-up! And buck-up I did, slowly, but eventually. I thought I was doing it correctly, I was egoistic. In the end, I did it MY way; make myself happy just by talking and observing culture. I realized that it takes a wise man to learn from others, and is a fool on his own. That is why I try, because even thought it is hard to face failure, it is worse to have never tried to succeed.

Summer Bookman Internship Journal - Week 10
It saddens me to hear a dear friend of mine passed away this week. I heard this news on Tuesday, and it might have impacted my performance for the week. Nevertheless, this is one more new obstacle I face this summer. A very motivating experience with a customer helped me face this week a little better. He was the most intelligent and motivated person I’ve ever seen. He inspired me to really look into my life plans and be successful. It was called a ‘master plan’. It makes me realize that even if you fall a million times, you stand up a million times; break a million times, build a million times; and each time you fall, you stand up taller, and when you break, you build-up stronger. I’ve always known this fact, but I never REALIZED it! This summer has made me realize all the facts I’ve already known, but never understood it personally. However, it is the 9^th week, and the flesh is weak and the mind is tired. Can the spirit really strengthen the body and mind? I believe so, but I guess I need some soul searching or an extremely strong purpose. I am excited to end the summer with a “BIG BANG”! But I’m satisfied this summer with the experience acquired and the bonds made, that I don’t mind if it ends with a “BIG SPLAT”!

"Fall a million times, you stand up a million times; break a million times, build a million times; and each time you fall, you stand up taller, and when you break, you build-up stronger"

Mr. Youngblood introduced me the 'masterplan', a lifeterm strategy that can only be achieved thru knowledge.

Thoughts & Autopsy for Week 10 Journal
The theme for this journal is ‘Realize’. In fact I didn’t notice what I’ve been learning was something I knew or faced all these while. You see, we are surrounded by activities we see and hear everyday that keeps getting repeated. And if you think that you’ve not done enough in your life, it’s because you did not realize and did not improve. Look out, realize, and act accordingly. I’m honestly still at the stage of realizing. Implementing or taking action is another thing I’m working on. I’ve been told that I’ve been a procrastinator, by my late father, mom, Juan (my brother), and close friends. I’ve heard enough. But it is procrastination itself that is keeping me away from taking that crucial action. I’m waiting for a chapter in my life, where I won’t by succumbed to the devils temptations, but by the help of God, that He will heal me. That day might be the day I find a true purpose in life. It could be a very simple answer, but I need it to blow my mind. Soul searching, many have done it. Have you? So that last statement in my journal, did I end it with a BANG? Or a SPLAT!? Definitely with a BANG!

Summer Bookman Internship Journal - Week 11
5 MORE DAYS! This was the only motivation that kept me going through last week. Excitement was brimming in me, even the long drive to my county didn’t bother me. It’s either the countdown, or the notion that this is my last full week to do it right. I’m proud to say that I did it, and did it right! As I make some calls only to find out some of my friends have hit their targets (President’s Club), I feel so proud of them. Though I did not perform well numerically, I’m excited that I have put an investment to better myself in every possible way, and that kept me WORKING! Being service minded was my pleasure to all my customers. From fixing computers and teaching them math to sharing my experiences in a foreign country, it is satisfying to know that I have reached into the homes and lives of so many people. Being in the result oriented world, I realized that I can’t let my guard down. Having said that, 2 techniques I learnt: (1) Enjoy the work, (2) Work smart and incorporate everything into ONE.
I knew these things, I just didn’t realize. Now I understood.

Thoughts & Autopsy for Week 11 Journal
It is true that week 11 was a week of pure service of the highest standards. With high service standards, you will only reap benefits. I was pressured to maintain my numbers in previous weeks that I was stressed out and performed based on closing the sale. However, when you tell yourself, “Fuck it, I don’t care about sales anymore. Let me do how I want it to be done!” things will work out better and you feel better too. Enjoy your work, no matter how bad it is. I enjoyed the interaction with my customers, especially those kind and hospitable ones. It tells me that this world is not so bad and cruel after all. We live in a service oriented world, people are requesting more than just a product, they want to feel good after making their decision. How did I suck-up? Well, first of all I wouldn’t say suck-up because I enjoyed fixing my customer’s computer, helping them with the dishes after a meal, helping out in their garden, carry some heavy stuff they are not able to, and giving advice for their kids education. It truly has been a wonderful working environment, especially when you’re thinking there’s a holiday reward coming up the following week!

Summer Bookman Internship Journal - Week 12
They say all good things must come to an end. But this summer, it doesn’t end here. In fact it’s just the beginning as I finally broke from the shell I thought I was most comfortable and face the real and relentlessly challenging world. My mind was set on one goal, “Finish it SEAN! And finish it PROUD!” I did finish it but I’m not sure if I can say that I finished it proud. Winston Churchill once said, “It’s no use saying, “We are doing our best.” You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary”. I guess the one great objective of this summer for me is finding an objective itself. What am I doing here? Many people had strong beliefs in themselves, the system and even God. I don’t deny them. It was these strong purposes and beliefs that brought them much success. But I’m still building up on my basics, A STRONG PURPOSE. One that will unleash so much potential and skill it will be unbelievable. This summer has helped me solve a bit of this complex puzzle. A process that takes time, but as in a puzzle, it becomes more interesting as you solve it. I look at a day when I’m completely satisfied after solving this puzzle. That day is not when I’ve solved the puzzle and lounge around, but when I’ve had done everything to solve it, and SOLVED it!

Thoughts & Autopsy for Week 12 Journal
Sounds like a suggestion by a typical Electrical Engineer or should I say, an Enginerd? But the main point was I realized that I needed a purpose. I’ve not found one yet; the answer could be lying right under my nose. But I need to really see it so that my mind can be blown away!

That was the end of knocking doors for summer 2005. The following week was delivery week and that will be on another post. I’m sorry if you had to read through all 12 journals in this post, but I really hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. It was a task that took 1 month to complete and I hope it doesn’t go to waste. Do send me a comment if you would like to share what you think or question about what I think is one of my most significant experiences in my life.

Colleagues and managers I now consider good friends and a blessing that I used to work with them. Taken during our last Sunday meeting at Lynches Park in Florence, South Carolina.

Summer Chronicles - Intro

Summer 2005 is over. What an adventure. You will be feasted on the highs and lows and the molding of a person. This flashback is based upon Journals written weekly throughout the summer as a report on sales and experiences during my stint as a 'Bookman', an attempt as a professional salesman selling Biblical material, Black History books and Educational sets. As you read through the journals, I will also comment and give my 5 cent view of what happened and could've happen. It's an autopsy.

Getting there was a challenge. It is what you learned that shapes you. An experience of realizing the impossibles, or rather hidden traits you already had but never discovered. Have you ever thought of the little issues that matter most? Matters that doesn't deserve to be brushed off your shoulders. I did it once, and still doing it again. But a nurturing power will always be there, to raise your keen senses. A power not to be revealed, but to be discovered. THESE are my discoveries. THIS is my story...

The next posts will be Journals from my summer internship. I was posted at my base in Greenwood, South Carolina. But I travelled everyday to my work-town; first in Due West, Calhoun Falls, Abeville, and Elberton. The trials and tribulations, simmered with joy and happiness as the finale truly was a wonderful but daunting experience. Read all about it.