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19/6/2017 4 Comments

The Musings of a merchandising sales girl... t-shirts, programmes, you know the kinda thing

Last week I spent two days at concerts. At one of those, I was a last minute guest, having scored a spare ticket from a friend. The other one, I worked at the event in a role that I had not done in about fifteen years. In the wake of the recent terror attacks, there was, for some, a sense of fear and concerns about safety. For me, I'd not felt safer with full credit going to venue security at both stadiums and the atmosphere immense showing the spirit of people carrying on.

The motivation for writing this is more a reflection on the gig that I worked at. I've always maintained that no matter what direction Portfolio People takes, I shall always maintain my own personal work portfolio. Let's be candid here, my main motivation for working this particular day was cash flow.

But what did I learn:
  • I got to spend the day with two of my best friends - neither of whom were there to work for the money. Both to some extent because the opportunity was there, they were asked to help out and frankly we all got to hang out together and got paid for it, how cool is that?!
  • It led to a conversation about future supplier relationships and ideas about another facet of my portfolio. Call it 'Del Boy' like, but once again an example of opportunities being everywhere.
  • My two friends are quite senior in their respective day jobs. I continue to believe that it is healthy to be put in different environments and respect other's positions. Many people may have a work persona and a home persona, but putting yourself in environments that force you to hold a mirror up to yourself can only develop your self-awareness.
  • There was something quite heart-warming spotting the kids that had developed some sort of financial responsibility like the ones who gave their parents a hug or a kiss for buying them something, or the ones who had clearly been given pocket money for the day and had to decide what they would and wouldn't buy with their given budgets or finally the ones that out and out said 'I'm not paying X for that!' - Made me chuckle
​
Perhaps the most important takeaway - and constant for me, is the 'raw' customer facing aspect. In fifteen years, some things have changed....like how we take payments. But the things that matter haven't; banter with customers (which we now excel at!), the odd complainer, or chancer and the importance of manners. In a world where customer experience is a buzz word, maybe it's time for all those involved to get back to basics.  

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4 Comments
Anna
30/6/2017 05:29:47 pm

Rupa, lovely written blog and so easy to read :)

Reply
Rupa
2/7/2017 10:54:19 am

Thank you Anna! I had a decent proof-reader too!

Reply
Mike Green
1/7/2017 08:18:14 am

I work in the Facilities Management industry, in which (in the bigger companies) succession planning is essential. This means it is quite possible to move up the ladder relatively quickly from hands on to some form of management. I have seen some individuals very quickly lose sight of how the "job" actually transpires in front of the operatives thy used to be. Pressure from above to hit targets etc and ambition to move up even further often contribute to this gradual blindness.
Some of the more forward looking companies are now having "back to the floor" days (as seen on TV) which help to keep some a little more grounded and remind them of what they did and what they are managing (and who).
You are spot on about dealing with the public, there are some good lessons to be learned from that raw interaction. If you want an easy opportunity to put some cash in your pocket and have a pretty interesting back to the floor experience, try doing a car boot sale, one of your biggest local ones! You get both barrels, traders and joe public, both are unique. One will remove your faith in human nature and within seconds you will retrieve with a little old lady giving you a hard time over 5p !!

Reply
Rupa
3/7/2017 08:14:13 am

Thanks for commenting Mike - agree what you mean about some people progressing too quickly in some industries. We can't generalise though - both of us know someone that has been 'off the tools' for 5 years but I believe that they are on track to be a great leader! Management is the middle of the sandwich - leadership and being 'on the floor' are both people facing roles and have surprisingly similar skills that are required.

Your car boot sale suggestion is definitely one to consider - not least because we all just get rid of stuff so, so easily these days.

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