I’M DOUG – The Sales Career I Never Planned

At one point in my life, I rejected the idea of sales completely. I believed success in sales meant manipulation — stretching or bending the truth just to close a deal. That never sat well with me.

I’m an annoyingly honest person. Some people say I have no filter. Believe it or not, what comes out of my mouth is the filtered version. Over the years I’ve learned that honesty has been my greatest advocate in sales within the building industry.

This industry suits me. I belong here with the blue-collar, hard-working clients and coworkers who value straight answers and follow-through. I love the smell of fresh-cut wood in a shop. I love the humour that lives in woodworking shops: slightly dark, full of puns, and powered by an endless supply of dad jokes.

My favourite example is the legendary “Nine Finger Club,” an unofficial badge of honour in many shops. Membership requires only one small lapse in attention around a machine and earns you a lifetime pass with no annual fees.

CLASSIC WOOD INDUSTRY HUMOUR.

My introduction to this world came unexpectedly.

At the time I was working for a recruiting company in Peterborough, Ontario, searching for clients to service. One of those companies was Robert Bury, a woodworking supply distributor whose Peterborough branch happened to be looking for a female salesperson comfortable working in a male-dominated industry.

I visited the branch to understand the role so I could find the right candidate.

The place immediately caught my attention — the dated interior, the relaxed culture, and the sassy chatter coming from the inside sales team. I told myself I would find them the perfect sales candidate.

After multiple interviews and a lot of searching, I realized something.

The person I was looking for… was me.

So I booked another meeting with the branch manager, walked in with one resume, placed it on his desk and said, “I found your girl.”

There was a pause.

“It’s me.”

I will always be grateful to Mike Vanderpost and Mike Graham for giving me the opportunity to enter such an incredible industry. From that moment on, I never looked back.

LEARNING THE CRAFT

One of my professors at Trent University once said something that stayed with me: “Don’t choose a job because you know someone or understand the work already. Choose the culture that fits you. You can learn everything else.”

He was right.

Woodworkers and builders value straight talk. They don’t need a speech. They need someone who gets the materials they need and follows up with answers.

Yes or no doesn’t matter.

Tell them when and if so they can keep doing their job.

There is always something new to learn in this industry. Canadians tend to prefer TFL cabinet boxes, while many American shops lean toward plywood. Some woodworkers swear by 5/8-inch material, while others won’t touch anything but .-inch. Hettich hardware uses a 52 mm pattern, while Blum uses 45 mm.

Over the years I sold everything from Helmitin adhesives to Tafisa, Uniboard, Baltic birch plywood, Formica, and Garnica, working with customers on a local, regional, and national scale.

Today my role has shifted. Instead of selling materials, I sell software to the building industry—tools designed to help shops get organized and prepare for the AI-driven changes already reshaping manufacturing.

Woodworkers love to talk about wood. Software is a harder conversation, even though it is becoming essential for survival.

Sometimes it feels a bit like giving medicine to a reluctant patient.

THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE WORK

One of my long-time clients, Peter Scott of Mill Line Woodworking, tells a story about the first time we met.

He and his team were outside the shop early one morning supervising the loading of a job for delivery when a van pulled up. A woman stepped out and walked over.

Peter assumed I was a potential client.

Instead, I introduced myself as the new sales representative for his main supplier of wood and sheet goods.

Peter looked a little confused.

“My sales rep is Doug,” he said.

Without missing a beat I replied, “I’m Doug.”

I was not Doug in many ways.

But Peter later told me that what mattered was simple: if I didn’t have the answer, I found it. If they didn’t have the product, I figured out why or worked out how to get it.

A CAREER WORTH BUILDING

What I’ve come to appreciate most over the years is that the wood industry is an incredible place to build a lifetime career.

Whether you’re a man or a woman, what matters is that you care. Show up. Follow up. Take responsibility for helping your clients succeed.

If you do those things, this industry will welcome you.

You get to work with skilled craftspeople, problem solvers, and entrepreneurs who build things that last.

And if you stay long enough, you’ll collect a lifetime of stories, great friendships, and maybe even a few members of the Nine Finger Club willing to share a cautionary tale or two.

Some days in this industry can feel intense, but at the end of the day no one is dying.

They’re just not getting their kitchen by Christmas.

Looking back, it’s funny to think that I once believed sales wasn’t for me.

As it turns out, I simply hadn’t discovered the wood industry yet.

Freya Hannah is Head of Business Development and Partnerships for the Cieblink platform at Cienapps. With experience across distribution, materials supply, and software platforms serving the woodworking and building sectors, she has worked with manufacturers, distributors, and millwork companies throughout Canada and the United States.