We all have an idea of how our lives are *supposed* to go. Whether that idea has actually come from ourselves, our parents, or the culture around us is up for debate. A lot of us we’re handed the usual playbook:
Finish high school, go to college, land an entry level job, and work your way up.
Nothing wrong with that path, but sometimes life surprises us.
For Alicia Anderer, it all started by becoming a young mom. At 17, she was pregnant in high school and by 20, she had two kids. In between came juggling three jobs, cars getting repossessed, and an eviction. She had planned to play soccer at Penn State, but instead she was figuring out how to keep a roof over her family’s head.
Then she found Cutco.
Today she’s one of the top-performing reps on the East Coast. She works major events, like the Skimmer Festival on the Sea Isle City boardwalk, and she leads and mentors a team of younger reps.
By her own description, she’s now living a life where she can thrive instead of simply survive.
Even better than the paycheck, Alicia found control over her time, confidence she didn’t know she had, and the ability to build something for the people she loves.
We followed Alicia through a day on the boardwalk to talk about where she started, and how far she’s come.
➡️ Watch the full episode here.
Keep reading for five lessons from Alicia’s journey.
Future-ready skills that open doors
Develop real-world expertise at Vector (and get paid)
1. Freedom is everything (but it cuts both ways)
Being able to choose when, where, and how much you work is one of the things many sales reps enjoy about working with Vector. At the same time, all of that freedom can be a challenge for some. Yes, there’s incredible flexibility, but you also don’t have a boss making sure you clock in and telling you what to do. Succeeding in sales requires taking personal accountability and embracing autonomy—crazy useful skills to build as a young person and ones that will definitely stretch you.
A typical job would have meant Alicia working an assigned schedule, rolling with whatever shifts she could get. When you’re a young parent, that means hours away from your kids, not to mention all the logistics.
For Alicia, the biggest perk Cutco offered wasn’t the product or even the pay. It was control.
Look at what she lists: her own schedule, her own paycheck, the chance to be herself, and mentors worth learning from. Those are the things that make a job something you can build a long-term career around.
Flexibility doesn’t mean it was easy. Alicia is the first to say it was tough. But having a say in how she spent her time let her push forward without giving up the thing that mattered most: being there for her kids.
2. “No” isn’t personal, so don’t treat it that way
Anyone who has spent even a day in sales knows rejection comes with the territory. At a busy event, you might hear “no” dozens of times before lunch.
Alicia sells in the Northeast, where, in her words, people are “very direct.” Many don’t want small talk. They want the price and the bottom line fast. She calls herself a Jersey girl, “strong-willed, very direct,” so she meets them right where they are.
The key, she says, is not letting the nos get to her.
That mindset has a payoff. At the end of the Skimmer Festival, while her team was already breaking down, Alicia noticed one person lingering, someone who had never heard of Cutco.
What I love about events in general is it keeps you on your toes. You know, you have to be on point with each person, because if you’re not, they can just walk away. … After [we] started breaking down, I saw a customer lingering. Never heard of Cutco. Had the best pitch of the day and just sold a [Signature] set 30 minutes after the show was over. So, I’ll take it. I feel great.
If she’d let the day’s earlier nos wear her down, she might have missed that sale entirely. A “no” is information, not a verdict on you. When you learn to hear it that way, you stay open to the next yes.
3. You’ve gotta tap into your confidence
Alicia doesn’t fit the image most people have of a top salesperson. She describes herself as introverted and “a very emotional person.” Being firm and direct with strangers didn’t come naturally. She had to build it.
The most useful part of that line is the end: it’s actually just a confidence, and you have to turn it on.
That’s good news for anyone who has ever thought, “I’m not the salesperson type.” Confidence isn’t a fixed trait you either have or don’t. It’s something you practice, and the more you do, the easier it is to channel for the next conversation or presentation.
Alicia also believes her so-called “soft” traits are part of what makes her good at this.
Direct when she needs to be, empathetic and a good listener the rest of the time. Tuning into the customer by practicing active listening and interpersonal skills built her confidence over time.
4. You must protect your energy
Event selling is demanding. Alicia’s team regularly works 12- to 15-hour days on their feet, pitching to crowds. When she speaks to her team before a big show, she skips product tips and pitch scripts. She talks about something more foundational:
So what I want to talk to you guys about is something that really does make or break our experience…and it’s not about product. It’s not about the pitch. It’s not about how busy the show is or how to handle customers. It’s not about any of that. It literally is just your energy. Because the reality is, you know, we work 12 to 15-hour days. And no matter how good we are, you’re going to have moments that you’re just not feeling it … I’m a very emotional person. I feel all my feelings. But you have to make sure that your mind is more powerful. You can’t always succumb to your feelings.
The mindset we bring to real challenges is a skill that carries well beyond sales, into school, parenting, leadership, and any job where people depend on you to be consistent on the hard days too.
5. Growth multiplies when you pass it on
People who have fought for everything they have don’t always share their wealth of experience and expertise by paying it forward.
But Alicia gives back, and her impact is clear when you hear from her team members:
“Always putting so many other people first” is the same quality that got her through her hardest years. Now it’s shaping a new generation of reps.
It all adds up
Ask Alicia what she sacrificed, and she’ll tell you honestly that she was disappointed to pass up being the high school soccer captain and playing soccer at Penn State, but she has no regrets.
And her sacrifice and love isn’t lost on her kids. They feel incredibly thankful she was there every step of the way.
Today, after years of pushing forward, Alicia has reached a chapter that’s finally hers.
Yeah, my life now is just phenomenal, instead of, like, survival mode that was for most of my life. I feel like I’m finally at a place that I can thrive, and now I can focus on me. So, I’m at a really special chapter in my life right now.
Sales is a skill set that follows you wherever you go
Alicia’s story is about what happens when someone with every reason to give up finds an opportunity that rewards effort, and then keeps showing up.
Sales gave her a flexible schedule when her kids needed her, the confidence to handle rejection, and mentors who showed her what was possible. Now she’s that mentor for her own team.
Wherever you’re starting from, sales skills will stretch you (in the best way) and travel with you wherever you go—your next job, your own business, or your family’s future.
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Interested in learning sales? Request an interview at Vector Marketing.
