CARY, N.C. -

Robin Hill has worn, and wears, a number of hats.

Hill, who was an honoree in Auto Remarketing’s inaugural Women in Retail program in 2019, is an ordained minister, motivational speaker and is a client advisor at Hendrick Lexus Charlotte.

She’s also an author, with one book, titled “Urban Joy,” published in 2013 and another, titled “The Making of a Beast,” on the way shortly.

In talking with Hill about the books in mid-January, a theme of positive-thinking connects the two works — though the first leans more to the inspirational and spiritual, and the second incorporates that into the role of a salesperson, based on her descriptions of the books.

So, what inspired this automotive salesperson to get into writing books?

“In all honesty, I hated English (growing up), and so this part of my life did not come until I got much older and much wiser. Experience and just some of the outcomes of the experiences really inspired me to not be selfish and to share,” Hill said in the January phone interview.

“And the reason why i wanted to share and not be selfish is because I know what it feels like not knowing and not having anyone there to hold my hand and to help me through a lot of what I experienced,” she said.

Sharing her own experiences — and those of others — along with scriptures, is the essence of her first book, Hill explains. The title is a metaphor for one’s soul being a city, she said.

“And there dwells your mind, your will and your emotions,” she said.

Through looking at her experiences and others’ lives, Hill said she has found that “joy was always the better choice.” 

“And not too many people really focus on joy. Everybody took their life as it came. It's almost like a rollercoaster. Some days you're up; some days you're down. It all depends on the circumstance, “she said.

What’s often so sorely needed is positivity amid the challenges.

“We have to have that heightened level of joy to be able to go through it in a very wholesome and successful way,” Hill said. “And so, I tackled a number of things in 'Urban Joy' as far as sickness, death, bad relationships, catastrophic events — different things that I personally have experienced” as well as stories from others, she said.

“It's inspirational… it's more on a Biblical, spiritual level. And I have a lot of scriptures in there to help people who are looking for something, another source outside of Robin and her experiences,” she said.

Hill also examines “the misconceptions of what people think joy is,” be it material things or depending on others for happiness.

“You are responsible for your emotional state. Not anybody else. I put a lot of heavy (emphasis) on that, so that (readers) will understand that they don't need or have to depend on so many things outside of themselves,” Hill said. “And that's also part of the metaphor of it being ‘Urban’ — that inner city of yourself.”

With “The Making of a Beast,” Hill continues that theme of positivity, but weaves it into sales, she said.

“I call myself the ‘joy specialist.’ And because I focus a lot of joy, I focus a lot on positivity, ‘The Making of a Beast’ has a lot to do with being positive,” Hill said. “Because in the world of sales in the automotive business … there's so many things — things and people — that will or have potential to discourage you. There are people who would have done great in sales, but because they just kept getting hit from one end to the other, they would just quit — quit before they really know that true potential of them (being) a beast in sales.”

All too often, salespeople don’t get enough holistic training and are thrown onto the sales floor with the mantra of “sell, sell, sell!” Hill said.

Given the stress and workload, being a successful salesperson requires a solid foundation first, she said.

"And so ‘The Making of a Beast’ definitely assists in (helping to form) the whole person. Their mind, their will, their emotions — how are they mentally? how are they physically? How are they socially, emotionally, financially, spiritually?” Hill said.

“That's never really covered in the sales world. They give all these different (training sessions), but if you're giving the training on a person who is not mentally sound, you need to discover whether this is true,” she said.

“I mean, so many mistakes have been made on customers because of the lack of this type of training or discovery.”

And for the salesperson, it can lead to burnout or worse, she said. With “The Making of a Beast,” Hill aims to help folks avoid the “spiraling down” in health, finances or socially.

And what about aspiring authors? What advice would she have for those looking to write a book of their own?

“Don't just write just to write. Have passion about what you're writing. And then also, whatever you do, even when it comes to writing, it all should have something to do with care and well-being of others,” Hill said. “It just shouldn't be that you want your name in lights … or because somebody else did it. Or (that) it will give you more recognition. To me, that type of stuff doesn't really go far.”

More information on “Urban Joy” can be found here; more info on “The Making of a Beast” can be found here.