Does everyone have this much trouble with new jobs? Here I am, three weeks in and I haven’t truly done anything I was hired to do. The closest was yesterday wherein I learned to use the super-fancy poster printer and produced and mounted 18 large posters for display at the Street of Dreams. The furthest from my purpose was when I spent two rather sweltering days in the warehouse last week. But as far as this “catalogue” goes… Well, I’m becoming of a mind that it will never really happen.
And all I want to be doing right now is reading Harry Potter and then playing videogames. These desires haunt my thoughts even as I pound this keyboard. Scooters, too, are much in mind as I have contacted a fellow selling a 1985 Honda Aero and we should meet this afternoon. I’ve learned not to get my hopes up, but I believe I beat others to the punch and if this man has any sense of loyalty, he will give me first priority and option to purchase. The scooter is more practical than charming, but I would never call it an eyesore. A few well-placed stickers and possible a basket or two and I dare say it would look rather fetching. Obviously, if anything happens, it will posted here promptly.
Last night was spent making merry with an old friend who has abandoned us for New York many years past. Seeing him reminded me of just what a good man he is – quite the life of the party with his wit and character. Even though he manages a video game store, I have no idea how he plays as many games and consumes as much anime as he does. Though I was slightly clued in by his demonstration that a PSP can play compressed video files. My interest in the machine is now piqued, but I’ve mostly forsworn portable game systems for the horrendous temptation they represent.
But presently, I am tempted by the promise of lunch.
Thank you for reading.
7.26.2005
7.10.2005
Down the drain
That's where my weekend went because it was all spent at the George Morlan Tent Sale. The last three days have been utterly insane. I wish I'd been keeping track of personal numbers the way they tracked all the sales figures. If I could do so, I would love to tell you things like how many miles I walked (all within a one block radius), how many hours I talked and how many names I forgot.
The world of sales is strange. Through one lens, "salesman" is another word for "vulture." I pounced on so many people this way with the "are you being helped" line, or "can I answer any questions for you." It's funny how these phrases are ingrained in my vocal memory from all the salesmen I have been irritated by in the past. Now I am one of them. But on the other hand, I learned that if you are willing to do what you can to help people and be sincere and considerate of their situation, you can sell even if you don't know fuck all about what you're selling. Of course, it involves a lot of frantic shoulder taps for help and I made a point to personally thank everyone I pestered during the weekend.
I don't know for sure, but I averaged 4-6 thousand dollars a day. For a novice, I'm pretty happy. The new girl who actually got the job I originally applied for went at it with a fucking conviction. I don't think I ever saw her without a customer. And after working the 13 hour days, she would go home and research the products Online so as to have more knowledge the next day. I am dumbstruck by her effort.
My trial was entirely intended to give me the crash course primer of the company. I have a sense of the culture and environment at the company. But most importantly, I know what the customer wants to know and what the salesman has to do to move the product. Now over the next few months I get to take all that and build a catalogue custom tailored for George Morlan, and I hope unlike any catalogue that exists. I've got lots of ideas I want to put to use somehow, though any one of them is going to take a lot of work.
What I've been most impressed by is the way this company supports its employees, who in turn support each other. As I said, the help people offered me was invaluable. I can't imagine what I looked like when in a panic, I realized I'd charged someone the wrong price or needed to find some antique replacement part or forgotten how to describe simple aparati like shower faucets. No joke. There came a time I was looking inside my head for words and just found a gaping whole where knowledge and communication used to be. Actually, that's kind of how I feel now. Time for some beers.
Thank you for reading.
The world of sales is strange. Through one lens, "salesman" is another word for "vulture." I pounced on so many people this way with the "are you being helped" line, or "can I answer any questions for you." It's funny how these phrases are ingrained in my vocal memory from all the salesmen I have been irritated by in the past. Now I am one of them. But on the other hand, I learned that if you are willing to do what you can to help people and be sincere and considerate of their situation, you can sell even if you don't know fuck all about what you're selling. Of course, it involves a lot of frantic shoulder taps for help and I made a point to personally thank everyone I pestered during the weekend.
I don't know for sure, but I averaged 4-6 thousand dollars a day. For a novice, I'm pretty happy. The new girl who actually got the job I originally applied for went at it with a fucking conviction. I don't think I ever saw her without a customer. And after working the 13 hour days, she would go home and research the products Online so as to have more knowledge the next day. I am dumbstruck by her effort.
My trial was entirely intended to give me the crash course primer of the company. I have a sense of the culture and environment at the company. But most importantly, I know what the customer wants to know and what the salesman has to do to move the product. Now over the next few months I get to take all that and build a catalogue custom tailored for George Morlan, and I hope unlike any catalogue that exists. I've got lots of ideas I want to put to use somehow, though any one of them is going to take a lot of work.
What I've been most impressed by is the way this company supports its employees, who in turn support each other. As I said, the help people offered me was invaluable. I can't imagine what I looked like when in a panic, I realized I'd charged someone the wrong price or needed to find some antique replacement part or forgotten how to describe simple aparati like shower faucets. No joke. There came a time I was looking inside my head for words and just found a gaping whole where knowledge and communication used to be. Actually, that's kind of how I feel now. Time for some beers.
Thank you for reading.
7.01.2005
God made me a job
Well, actually it was Rick Kramien - President of George Morlan Plumbing - who made me the job. I'll warn you now if it's not too late, there is a HIDEOUS audio clip that plays when you click that link. I'm putting it on my list of things to shake up once I'm comfortable.
You may wonder what the hell I'm doing working for a plumbing company. After looking at the plumbing knowledge test I have to take, I'm kinda wondering the same thing. But appearances aside, this is an incredible opportunity. Basically, I went in to interview for an Admin Asst position with the small hope that I would gradually learn some skills in marketing. Well, when Rick saw my resume, he got all excited about my communication skills and basically created a position for me to spearhead all content production for a catalogue spanning their entire product inventory. To make a metaphor, it would be like asking Santa for a vest and him getting you a 3-piece tailored suit. Sure, the job won't be all glitz and glamour, but it's putting my communication skills to work exactly like I wanted to. AND I still get to walk to work!
Thank you for reading
You may wonder what the hell I'm doing working for a plumbing company. After looking at the plumbing knowledge test I have to take, I'm kinda wondering the same thing. But appearances aside, this is an incredible opportunity. Basically, I went in to interview for an Admin Asst position with the small hope that I would gradually learn some skills in marketing. Well, when Rick saw my resume, he got all excited about my communication skills and basically created a position for me to spearhead all content production for a catalogue spanning their entire product inventory. To make a metaphor, it would be like asking Santa for a vest and him getting you a 3-piece tailored suit. Sure, the job won't be all glitz and glamour, but it's putting my communication skills to work exactly like I wanted to. AND I still get to walk to work!
Thank you for reading
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