The Truth Behind Sales: Ryan Alfson

I joined the IT Outlet initially out of necessity. While living in Kansas, I had just recently graduated with my Master's Degree and my wife and I were moving back to Sioux Falls to be closer to our family after having our first daughter the year before. As much as I had tried, I couldn't find a job in my field and essentially took the only one that was offered. I've had sales positions in the past, so I figured it would at least be something I could do until I could find something that fit my degree.

The position afforded me the ability to move my family to Sioux Falls, help them get established/settled, and at the same time, the flexibility to take care of things that came up with having a one and a half year old. I could stay home when she was sick or when the daycare was closed. I had the flexibility to leave for an hour or two to take her to the doctor or whatever else I had going on. IT Outlet had my back.

It was about 4 months in when rumors started at the IT Outlet of new owners taking over, sales managers leaving, the whole nine yards. I had been through companies being bought out before, and it was not something I wanted to necessarily go through again, especially as I was barely getting my feet wet in the position anyways. I had a conversation with the sales managers at the time to discuss my concerns, and found out that they were the ones having talks about purchasing the company. Knowing that they were the ones who had hired me, trained me, trusted me, and put their faith in me to succeed at this position, I chose to stick around.

Since then, they've continued to allow me to grow while also growing the business. They've continued to trust and put their faith in me to do the work required to do what's best for our clients, the company itself, and my family. That includes being able to take a mental health day, so I don't burn out, leaving early for my daughter's dance class, or taking extra time off and working from home after the birth of our second child.

They've afforded me a general quality of life that I could never have with a traditional 8-5 corporate job, retail job, or any other job for that matter. And since I started, I have continued to do the work and grow a book of business that allows me to live a lifestyle I could've barely dreamt of having before. I can't imagine ever finding another company or job that has provided for my family the way IT Outlet has. It's still hard work, not necessarily in the physical sense like a construction job, but from a mental standpoint. But if you do the work, you REALLY do the work and push through the ups and downs that come with working in sales, the sky is the limit from what you can take from this position.