Enjoying Life on the Hail Trail

What is it really like working away from home for long periods of time?  Exciting, interesting and sometimes grueling.  Every year around March we start to anticipate the first hail storms of the spring season.  Where will Mother Nature send us this time?  Once we have identified a storm, one person scouts the damage, verifies the viability, leases a building, arranges for lodging and calls out the team.  The entire company then drives to the new storm location.  In 1 to 3 days we are all together in the new location.  It is a fresh start with a clean slate, the power is now in your hands.

Ah, the drive to that new storm.  You will pack like you are going on an extended vacation.  Plug the destination into your gps and you are off on a new adventure.  There is something really special about driving the American highways.  It’s a feeling of accomplishment, it’s a break from the daily burdens, it’s a change of pace, it’s seeing the land of our country and it is therapeutic time to yourself or to share with a passenger.  It’s amazing to take this extended period of time to just be alone with your thoughts.  It’s often a time when reflection turns into future planning and setting goals which form the base of a deep seeded inner motivation to succeed.  Many people look forward to the peace and quiet, some listen to great music, books on tape or my personal favorite, podcasts.  Podcasts are free and abundantly available about any topic you can imagine, they are a source of great insight, knowledge and motivation.  The other thing you can look forward to during your road trip is calling and catching up with friends and family on the phone.  Next is the rest stop game.  It is fun to keep your eyes open for good rest stops.  Sometimes it is the state rest stops for a quick bathroom break and back on the road.  Sometimes it is the truck stops with their great gas prices and huge selection of food and snacks.  I often enjoy a spicy hotdog (weird thing is the more dogs you eat the worse they get) and a bag of nuts or trail mix.  When I start to get a little sleepy, that’s when I go for the huge coffee selections.  Some people just think it is fun to see how fast they can make the trip.

Another exciting part of the drive is the anticipation of thousands of freshly damaged cars with distressed owners needing help.  How many people will you be able to help and how much money are you about to make?  It’s a fresh opportunity to really dig in and scoop up a bunch of money!  The harder you work at the beginning of the storm the larger the wave of referrals you create and the larger your paychecks get.  These are times when your bank account will grow faster than it ever has before.  You will have thousands of dollars accumulating.  You can start paying off credit cards, student debt, and car loans.  You can work toward finally creating your first $10,000 dollar safety net.  You will start to experience a new abundance mindset as you follow the road map that has been laid out in front of you.

One more exciting thing to look forward to is exploring a whole new place for 3 to 5 months.  What will the neighborhoods be like?  What will the shop be like?  What will my lodging accommodation be like?  What are the people like?  Every storm has those really wonderful people that are just a pleasure to know, who will I meet this time?  What are the unique tourist attractions and fun things to do in this area?  And my personal favorite thing to discover….what are the best places to eat?  Every place in America has some amazing food establishments!

The newness of the area lasts for a couple of months.  You get a chance to know the area like a local.  You learn the traffic patterns, the nice areas and the special things that make that place appealing.  After the excitement of the newness fades, that is where your inner drive and motivation needs to kick in.  Being disciplined about your job will insure that you maintain a good flow of cars into the shop as the number of hail damaged cars dwindles.  This is the point that the disciplined relationship builders out shine the other sales people.  I have seen storms where certain sales people continue bringing in a steady flow of cars for up to a year after a storm, while many are making excuses why the job is getting harder after 2 months.  There are always procrastinating customers who will never get around to fixing their car until you take them by the hand and help them make it happen.

One of the things that keeps you motivated during the end of the hail storm, is you never know how long you will be there.  You must help these people as soon as possible, because eventually there will be another hail storm that hits and you will be given a deadline.  No more cars into the shop after a specific date.  A new hail storm will be identified and you will have a date when you will be packing up your vehicle and heading for your next adventure.

Another great thing that will grow during this time is friendships with your fellow likeminded motivated sales team.  You will be attending daily sales meetings designed to educate and motivate.  Our goal is to not only focus on selling skills, but life insights that will open the door to your personal success.  Your knowledge about selling, reading people and self-awareness will expand exponentially.  You will participate in company outings and ‘in the shop’ lunches.  We are all in a strange new place so we look out for one another and share experiences.  It really is some of the best memories you will ever have.

While the beginning of the season brings new hope and anticipation, the end of the season is also a wonderful time.  We usually end the season right before thanksgiving, sometimes before Christmas.  It’s a time when you can finally take a deep breath after working long hard hours for 8 months and bask in the comfort of a job well done and a financial cushion.  You will be making plans to visit friends and family over the holidays, take that extended travel adventure to exotic locations, find a fun winter job, work on personal projects, or just relax and do nothing.  At the end of the year you should have a fat bank account and be anticipating your end of season bonus up to $9000.  Some of our people travel in the off season, some vacation, some spend time on the ski slopes, some rent a fully furnished condo overlooking the beach in Florida, and some just chill.  We always wish you a happy holiday season and a great off season. We look forward to seeing you next spring on the hail trail.