Keith Urban is an international superstar now, but before his career took off, the “Wild Hearts” singer worked “a lot of crappy jobs.” Urban couldn’t help but laugh as he remembered a telemarketing gig, admitting that, although he was “actually pretty good at it,” he “hated” the role.
Urban remembered that his boss at the time was “really upset” that the now superstar artist opted to quit, though he was “brutally honest.” Urban even remembered a story from the job, admitting to a woman over the phone that she didn’t need the product he was selling and insisting that she hang up the phone.
“I was working for a company that at the time sold Franking Machines, which was a thing where — back then — you would put postal impressions on an envelope and send them out, instead of buying a whole stack of stamps,” Urban explained of his old telemarketing job, in a statement shared by his record label. “So, you had this thing called a Franking Machine and you’d pre-load it with a whole bunch of pre-paid for stamps…So, if you’re putting out a whole bunch of mail from a business, it’s much better to get a Franking Machine, then have someone go to the post office all the time.
“I would have this whole long pitch about, ‘Hi, I’m Keith, blah, blah, blah, what volume of mail would you say you do every week?’ I was talking to this lady from a florist, and she was so sweet, and she goes, ‘Oh, I’d say I send out about three letters a week, love.’ And then I’m supposed to say, ‘Well, then you need a Franking Machine…’ ‘Cause it’s on the script, you know? I’m going, ‘I’m so sorry, you don’t need what we’re selling. I’m sorry to bother you.’ And she goes, ‘No, no, tell me about this. What are you selling?’ She was the perfect customer, and I went, ‘I promise you. You don’t need this thing. It costs a fortune. You don’t need it. You don’t need it.’ She goes, ‘No, but tell me about it.’ I said, ‘Honestly, I’m not even going to waste your time. You’re so lovely, but thank you so much. Have a great day,’ and I hung up. My boss was standing behind me, and he goes, ‘They all need Franking Machines. They all need…’ I was like, ‘She didn’t. I hate this job. I quit.’ And that was it. I wasn’t cut out to sell things.”
Urban isn’t the only country artist who ditched a sales job. Eric Church also recalled a previous role, deeming himself the “worst salesman in history” because he convinced potential customers not to buy his products. Luckily, both artists ended up building successful careers in the music industry. Urban is currently on his headlining tour with Tyler Hubbard and Ingrid Andress. Find Urban’s music on iHeartRadio here.