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I was a coffee girl. You know, the kind that goes from business to business and offers to hook you up with a new brewer, a smiling delivery guy to visit you every 2 weeks, and the best tasting coffee in town. Sounds fun, doesn't it? I love people so with no previous experience in this kind of sales, I was happy when people responded and bought the coffee service and my personal attention to their account. The pay was great too, with potential to make even more than the managers above.

Here is a piece of advice for you, but especially for all young, single women. Don't ever accept a job where the boss is so very keen on you, that he is almost inappropriate in his praise. There is probably some hidden agenda. I had not done B2B sales before, so was amazed at how helpful he was... at first. After a series of my obvious rejections to his praise and "helpfulness", he began to get the drift. I would not be reciprocating his advances.

Now along came June. The month, that is. An especially well-liked-by-all delivery guy found me in an empty office and took great advantage of the situation. That is for another day's article. Without hesitation, I went immediately to the only person above me, my aforementioned manager. Shaking with tears, I told him what happened and made a formal complaint. Silence on the phone line. He finally asked why I had called and what I expected him to do. Now I was silent, and outraged. Soon, folks from corporate came in town and fired the well-liked-by-all delivery guy. My manager gave him a great severance package out of petty cash, and highly recommended him to our local competitor who he now works for.

Almost immediately, the office became like an ice box. Suddenly, my manager was no longer interested. He called me into his office soon after and explained that the company was "downsizing". He said even though I was the best salesperson on staff, he felt the other sales girl would be the best to keep on in the long run. He was releasing me as of this moment. No severance, no medical benefits till the end of the month, nothing. Since I wasn't fired, the HR department and corporate did not have to hold an exit interview with me. It was all conveniently swept under the rug. His wife will never have to know.

Today, I have been gone 5 months. I have taken about a $40,000 a year pay cut, and it's really not too bad. I am loving every minute of life. Happiness, freedom, and integrity are worth a whole lot more than my great salary ever was. Women like myself, are encouraged every day to use our "wiles" to sell ourselves into great jobs, or to sell our company's product to other businesses. It is not worth it. Life is too short, and beauty is too fleeting to be invested cheaply. Now I do Internet marketing and writing from home. I am involved in wonderful charities and church events, and am standing just fine on these two feet. I could sue, but where would that get me? I think I will just be thankful for getting out of an awful situation. Sometimes "downsizing" may be exactly the best thing that could happen!

Learn more about this author, Tennessee Grace.
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