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12/14/2004: "curiouser and Calgariouser"


"Let's get him hired." Paraphrased, that is what was said of me by my future boss in Calgary.

I'm still waiting on some answers to some important questions I asked about the company, but assuming that all those come back positive I will likely be heading out to Calgary to start a 3-month contract in the first work week of January 2005. This is just chock full of ramifications, not the least of which is that my 2-day-old auto sales job is coming to a quick end.

Day two of car sales was a bit slow. I drove a LOT. Today I drove a Sunfire (ugh), a Grand Prix, a Bonneville GXP (with a 275hp V8 - yow!), the new Allure (LaCrosse in the USA), an AWD Rendezvous, the new Montana SV6, an Envoy XUV, and a Canyon crew cab pickup. I've still got a lot more to drive, and even having driven as many models as I have, I've gained only a passing knowledge of everything. And I still haven't had training on the software used to work up deals, but that's OK, because I still don't have an office yet, so the point's kinda moot.

As I now know that my brief stint as a car salesman is coming to a close, I'm going to at least do something for the dealership. Training doesn't seem to be their strong point, so I'm going to bring in chocolate chip cookies tomorrow, give one to everyone that's helped thus far, and offer one to anyone that furthers my training. Then, with the training I get, I'm going to document it all, and give that to the dealership when I leave. That way, the next person will hopefully have a much quicker ramp-up time than anyone previous.

Sadly, it doesn't look like I'll be getting into a new Vibe or a Montana. Even at cost, the numbers just don't make sense to do anything. There isn't a heck of a lot of profit in a Vibe, and I'm guessing that there's not much more in a Montana. So unless we get a completely basic Vibe, and can easily (and profitably) get out of our current car, the bottom line just won't be there. Even if it was, we'd be giving up a slightly larger vehicle with leather and a moonroof for something smaller, without. Oh well.

So now I just have to get some things nailed down about this position in Calgary, and the panic planning will begin. Gotta get a Calgary cell phone, find a place to live, get a bike, and book some return flights home for visiting.

What about the bike? Well, mine is probably 11 years old at this point, has seen MANY winters, and not nearly enough high-quality paint, and way too much salt. It's served me well, and will be retired. However, I fully plan to be a bike commuter year-round if I do stay out in Calgary permanently. So I have to start looking, and I'm going to see if I can't perhaps rent a recumbent for 3 months, with the option to buy afterwards. I have a friend in the bike business, I'll ask him.

You think your Christmas is hectic? Hah! At least this whole career transition period is getting to be interesting, in a fun way.

Replies: 1 Comment

on Thursday, December 16th, xhead said

I have a good friend/family living in Calgary, I'd bet they would help you out, put you up for a few nights, help find a place, etc...
Email me...

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