My second job was related to advertising. However, before describing it, I would like to present the context in which everything unfolded. At that time, I was interested in esotericism and communicated with many strange people. It was during those days that I met Vika (name changed).
Context
I met Vika at a forum meeting dedicated to indigo children. The participants of this forum were so unique that they deserved a separate article. In short, these people considered themselves special and had the illusion of superiority over the rest. Vika was like a kind of deity among the forum members. I will omit many details of our friendship (spoiler - it was a very toxic relationship), but for our current story it is important to note that over time I began to feel a certain social pressure and decided to get a job again. At a certain point, Vika herself also began to hint to me that it was worth thinking about getting a job.
I really wanted to impress Vika and show myself as a useful and well-adapted person in society. At that time, I was studying in the first year of the Art and Graphic Design faculty. Instead of focusing on my studies, I began paying attention to job searching. So, as it happened, I came across a company. I saw their job advertisement right in the university hall – they were looking for a promoter.
Office
The office of "Aqua Plus" company (that was its name) happened to be located not far from my university. I didn't think too long about their advertisement, copied the address, and went to visit them after classes. For some reason, at that time, I thought I should take the first job opportunity that came my way. I dismissed the idea of looking for other job options and decided right away that if I was approved for this position, I would definitely take it.
As it turned out, I had to walk a bit farther to their office than I initially thought. That cold November day, I was freezing as I made my way to the office. There, I was greeted by a man who resembled a Soviet intellectual with a penchant for drinking. We sat down in a separate semi-empty room, and he began to brief me on the job. My task was simple - to tell as many people as possible about the existence of this company and offer them a drinking water delivery service for water coolers.
Responsibilities
In fact, I was offered a job as a promoter. The target audience of "Aqua Plus" consisted exclusively of legal entities. So, as the man explained, I had to visit various business locations and convince them to order water for their coolers. The job was of a mobile nature, and there was no need to spend time in the office. The main thing was to put your name on the flyer so that interested customers could report that they learned about the company thanks to me. This would mean that I performed my duties correctly and would be rewarded for it. Unfortunately, I received this information about the signature much later, when almost all the flyers were distributed.
The man who hired me confidently spoke in clichéd phrases about how everything depended on me, and the more flyers I distributed, the more people I would attract. He promised high bonuses and rewards, as well as a guaranteed amount (5000 rubles) that I would receive at the end of the month, regardless of my successes.
At that time, I had never seen examples of contracts that are usually signed when hiring for a job. Therefore, I wasn't alarmed when he pulled out an A4 sheet that had been recently taken out of the printer. The sheet listed my responsibilities, had one signature, and that was it. No stamps, just one page and an unclear list. That was the contract. And I signed it.
The satisfied employer shook my hand and handed me a heavy box of flyers. He also suggested that I bring more students to their company who, like me, were looking for work. I promised that I would, not suspecting any trickery. Leaving the office, I noticed out of the corner of my eye a couple more rooms in which there were people. I wasn't even introduced to them. That's how I became a promoter.
Hard work
I had to distribute the flyers after classes. Fatigue from the university was intensified by the November weather and the early darkness. In essence, I didn't really understand what I should do. Where to go and what to say was unclear to me. I began to act completely randomly, visiting pharmacies, hair salons, and other small shops in my area.
I was genuinely scared. I entered not as a customer, but as a promoter, without any recognizable signs. What made it especially difficult was having to start a conversation with a stranger. I had to explain who I was and what I wanted to offer. All this caused me a strong feeling of stress and disorientation.
In all fairness, it's worth mentioning that Vika immediately stated that I wouldn't make any money from that job. Now I clearly see that one doesn't need to be a prophet to understand this.
Hardcore
I experienced numerous unpleasant incidents while handing out these flyers. Once, in a pharmacy, a young pharmacist in a white coat aggressively informed me that I was violating Russian legislation. According to him, my activity fell under the category of "spam". He forcefully expelled me out the door.
Another time, I wandered into an office located right by the subway. I encountered a very angry businesswoman. I tried to convince her that she needed water, but with each word I spoke, it was evident that the woman was becoming more tense. Her voice took on a metallic tone. In the end, she was ready to get up from her desk to throw me out, and I backed off.
After that, I decided to try my luck at a store specializing in photography and printing. I entered a semi-basement premises, where I met two employees - an elderly woman and a man talking on the phone. The woman listened to my presentation with pleasure, but suddenly the man interrupted our conversation. Without taking the phone away from his ear, he gestured for me to follow him with his finger and led me to a utility room. We walked for quite a while and finally ended up in a small room. The man, still talking on the phone, gestured towards a water purification filter installed on the faucet, making it clear that he didn't need my services. An awkward silence ensued. As I was leaving the photo studio, the woman sympathetically exclaimed and even expressed indignation at her colleague's behavior.
The most unpleasant incident occurred when I decided to offer "Aqua Plus" services within the walls of my university. I deliberately went to the top floor of the building, where my faculty was not located. There, I confidently walked into the dean's office and started to distract a woman who was filling out some paperwork. I began advertising water, and the woman looked at me with an astonished expression, as if she had frozen. At one point, another younger employee, possibly a graduate student or junior assistant, entered the dean's office. She unceremoniously grabbed me by the collar and threw me out the door. I was stunned by such audacity, but I couldn't oppose them. The action took place, I remind you, in a pedagogical university.
Denouement
One day, the man who hired me contacted me. He was speaking in a strange way, and I couldn't understand anything he was saying. In the end, I managed to figure out that I wasn't working well enough, and apparently, clients weren't coming. The strangest part was that he suggested we meet and carry out part of the work together, during which he promised to teach me how to sell. Let me remind you that this happened after a month of my work.
We actually visited almost all the trading points near the metro station close to the office. He did his best to present the water. It came out very artistically and with a spark. At the beginning of each conversation , he asked: "Do you drink water?" He even handed out flyers to those who had little use for them. At the end of the presentation on how to work properly, we were leaving a flower shop. It had already snowed, and when I tried to open the door to go outside, a considerable amount of snow fell on my head. "That's a sign of money coming!" he sarcastically remarked.
After a while, my motivation increased, and I was handing out those flyers as if I was cursed. However, by the end of the month, there was an unusual silence from my employer. I decided to call the office myself to clarify the issue with my salary. Surprisingly, a woman I didn't know answered the phone. She informed me that the man who was working with promoters had mismanaged his work and had been fired. She hinted that I wouldn't receive any money. This shocked me, and I decided to go to the office to sort things out.
I felt that I had been treated unfairly. After all, we agreed that each employee would receive 5,000 rubles guaranteed. I also found out that the student I brought to the office was also deceived. I felt responsible for him and offered to go to the office together to sort it out. And so we went to get this money. We were greeted without cordiality in the office. The Soviet intellectual was no longer in sight, but previously unfamiliar characters came out of the rooms.
The same woman I talked to on the phone turned to us. At first, she communicated with us intensely. Then she said that I would receive the money only in two weeks. I was not satisfied with this, and the woman just switched to screaming. I was not at a loss and said that I would report their fraud to the tax service. This only caused even more anger on the part of the scammers, and she just drove us out of the office, calling some grown men to help.
Results
I turned to Vika for advice. She first staged a scene "I told you so", and then, in fairness, I note, she began to think constructively and gave a couple of good tips. She noted that I did the right thing by threatening them with the supervisory authorities. Moreover, she decided to come with me to the office on the day appointed for me. Two weeks later we were back in the office.
Two weeks passed, and Vika and I, walking through the white snow, entered that damned office again. I don't know how the situation would have unfolded if I had come alone, but in the end, they asked me to wait in the room where I had signed the fake document called a contract. After 10 minutes, a burly man bursts into the room, takes a 5000-ruble banknote from his waist bag, and puts it in front of me. He accompanies this gesture with the words: "After all, there were some clients from you, so here you go." I thanked him. In the end, the man said that further cooperation might be possible. Out of politeness, I thanked him again and left the office with Vika.
And so, a whole month of time was lost. I killed a lot of energy to do work after school. My ego was hurt by the antics of ill-mannered personalities. I was even physically abused. And for that, I was supposed to get nothing. Moreover, I framed a student who was never paid his salary. The only thing that pleases me is the fact that I literally managed to snatch my money from the clutches of scammers. But were these 5,000 rubles worth all of the above? I'm not sure, but now I know that out of the blue - it's always about money.
Skills Developed
- Communication skills: Communicating with different people, both potential clients and colleagues, helped me become more confident in my communications and improve my ability to adapt to different situations.
- Sales skills: Working as a promoter requires the ability to convince people to buy a product or service. I learned how to present a product and use various sales methods.
- Stress tolerance: Meetings with unpleasant and aggressive people have taught me to cope with stress and stay calm in difficult situations.
- Determination and perseverance: In order to get my salary, I did not give up and achieved justice, even threatening to contact the tax service.
- Teamwork: Interaction with my friend Vika showed me that joint efforts can lead to a successful solution to a problem.