In January 2023, I started applying for my first engineering co-op. Four months and 700 applications later, I was still unemployed and losing hope. I ended up taking a job as a door-to-door salesman, selling pest control. The job was 100% commission-based, meaning that if I made no sales, I made no money. My parents were terrified for me and gave me two weeks to make a reasonable amount of money, or I’d have to find something else that paid by the hour (which was great advice).
Turns out, the sales gig worked out. I made two sales on my first day (earning $400), and then did the same thing again on my second day, and my third. I had a successful summer, closing around 140 accounts and making over $25k, doubling what I would’ve made in an engineering co-op position.
The key to my success was consistency. In the office, they literally called me “Mr. Consistent,” because while some reps could occasionally throw up 5 or 6 sales in a day, I had a much narrower distribution of about 2 per day and almost never came home empty-handed. I knocked in rain, shine, or forest-fire smoke. I kept a good attitude, which wasn’t hard, because the majority of people are just nice. Staying resilient and not caring if people decided to buy was crucial, because while I made 140 sales, I also faced around 9,000 rejections.
I always spoke to people about anything interesting of theirs that I could see (cars, pianos, etc.), not only to build rapport for the sale but also because I was genuinely interested. This led to some amazing experiences: a ride in someone’s Model 3 Performance, another guy’s Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing (dream car), a crash course on how one guy built his first Shelby Cobra kit car, and what he was doing differently on his second one (which was on a lift in his garage). I also got to play a lady’s Steinway grand piano in her living room, which was incredible, and gave me the revelation that I actually prefer Yamahas.
One of the most incredible parts of the summer was what happened after knocking was done. Myself and 80 other top sellers in the company were taken to an all-inclusive resort in Cuba. Being amongst such a huge group of the most socially outgoing and driven people you’ll ever meet, and being recognized as the guy who outsold everyone in his territory, including his manager, made for one of the coolest, most rewarding vacations I think I’ll ever have. The CEO of the company, Brendan, spoke to me in Cuba about whether I would come back to knock in the future. I told him that engineering was where I wanted to be, and he ended up hooking me up with a solar company he had recently become a co-owner of. Thanks to that connection, I didn’t need to submit a single application to get my next co-op, which was a wonderful change of pace from the previous term.
To anyone considering an opportunity like this: I do not recommend it to the majority of people. Of the 400 or so rookie sales reps that worked the same summer as me, roughly three quarters of them made less than minimum wage. Even though I did relatively well, it was the most stressful job I’ve ever worked, and I chose to not go back (although most who made above minimum wage did go back). If you are considering a job like this, you need to be very confident in your social skills.