Day one
So first day of work, and 31 cm of snow swallows the city. Makes me glad to be four subway stops away!
Flashback: My HEC graduation was held at Salle Wilfrid Pelletier of Place Des Arts, full with family and friends. As each graduation was called to the stage by diploma category – Marketing, Finance… – a long procession of students would make it up the ramp to receive their scroll. When my time came, however, they called up the sole representative of the “Individual Option” program. The whole room laughed. I walked up bravely.
Felt the same way here: Of 35 sales rep in the room, I’m the lone guy going to government sales, everyone else going to SMB, Small/Medium Business.
While the training is interesting, since A) few reps have an IT business background and B) as stated above, the framework in which I will operate will be quite different from retail sales, I’d say at best 15% of what was shown was new to me or actually applied to my situation.
Think positive: Since training retention is about 20% of the information presented. I’m 5% ahead of the game!
Many forms to fill. PC mall has us sign as received and read pretty much anything and everything. Few loopholes either, and no way to get out of signing a pretty stringent non-compete agreement. I hate those things on principle, though I do understand the necessity.
One form was for mandatory, binding arbitration of any dispute. This one I didn’t mind all that much, since the scope of term applications is rather limited in Quebec by prior legal decision, all the way to the Supreme Court.
Minor points. Again it’s a matter of expectations: It’s a call center, and looks like a call center. If you expect it to look like a lounge, you’re set for a heartbreak. As well, it’s pretty strictly regimented, and task order for your days are pre-ordained. But they have a method that works, and working that method can make you a whole lot of money, so hey!
It’s a trade off – glamour for hard cash. As my friend Sam, who has more major awards than mantelpiece square footage, says, all that fame and recognition doesn’t put butter on your table. Absolutely right.
Of course the trainers will only tell you about the success stories, since part of the job is to motivate you. But even factoring that, it’s hard not to get enthusiastic about the potential of achieving a 100K/year salary in 3 years…
And if it can be done, I’ll sure try to do it. If I got to wake up in the morning, brave a snowstorm, and work a long hard day, I’ll make sure I make it worth my while. Otherwise – what the heck am I doing there?