Summer jobs catching on with youth
Young concern
By Peeyush Agnihotri

A VULPINE market, where the brain has a scuffle with the heart to woo the wallet, has foxed even the most deft marketing strategists. Add to it inadequate sales infrastructure and complex retail marketing. The end product is shaky consumer goods’ sales.

Caught in the vortex of an uncertain market, most companies are nowadays relying on the raw brashness of youth to notch up the sails to steady the rocking yacht of the company sales. With a lot of teenagers queueing up for summer jobs, door-to-door selling is catching up and companies, big or small, are capitalising on the gains. The generation-next loves to add flab to its pocket besides adding some years in the experience column of its resume. They keep their doors open so that opportunity does not have to take pains to knock on it.

Some companies also want to circumvent the usual distribution channels and curtail wastage of time in delivery of products, besides collecting instant cash. A symbiotic relationship is thus struck for mutual benefit. Move on K.L. Saigals — Baba Sehgals are here to sell. Like the fizz of Coke, they may appear suddenly at your gate. They can do half-Monty to sell shirts, brandish knives to sell cutlery or even drench you with a deodorant to convince how it seduces the olfactory lobe. And before you blink they are at the next door for a ‘repeat telecast.’

Staid salespersons, who would wait to catch your attention and then stammer out a much hackneyed "maal malkon ka ..." are passé. In contrast, these peppy jean-clad youngsters can catch you unawares with "Excuse me, I would like to come on the other side of the gate," and without even bothering to know your interest would try and convince you about the veracity of the product, using superlatives.

"I like to convince people and would like to gain some experience in marketing," says Himanshu, who is pursuing a diploma in sales. He adds that the money he gets by selling shaving-kits is spent on buying top-of-the-line apparel for himself. "I can hang around at a popular eating joint and can spend a lot on myself," he says.

"Door-to-door selling is catching up because the agent is directly in touch with the consumer. The company, through their agents, can also get detailed information about the perception and behaviour of their clients and can place their products accordingly. They can personally convince the probable client. This way sales turnover can be increased," R.P Gupta, Chairman, Department of Business Management says.

Consumer behaviour is the guiding principle for the companies. "Our experience shows that sale of small items like socks and handkerchiefs is likely to be more near government offices than in residential localities," says Akshay, who has completed Class XII and has taken up a job in sales for financial reasons.

"Most of the jobs available are those of door-to-door-sales agents. Companies prefer youngsters because they are more aggressive in selling and are willing to settle for a smaller pay package. Incentive and commission makes them self- driven and they try to achieve their target," says a Sector 22-based placement agent.

"These guys know how to force their way in. They keep on pestering you and you have to rudely shoo them away, sometimes. Moveover they ring the doorbell at odd hours," says Madhu, a housewife.

Most of the young sales agents, who were contacted, bragged about their ability to "sell a glacier to an Eskimo." They preferred marketing to any other summer job because they said the job profile provided independent work environment and had bright future prospects as well. Some of them didn’t mind being paid less primarily because "it is a temporary assignment," as they put it.

Less incentive and more work are signs that all is not well with the company. "Most of the companies which resort to such method of selling are not in a good state financially, since they are not usually well-established. So the cash reward for the agent is peanuts. A good brand neither needs introduction nor forceful selling," says a dealer of a popular brand of jeans.

"Only 5 per cent of youngsters take up selling as a summer job or for sheer thrill. For the rest of them it is a necessity, perhaps due to poor economic conditions at home. Exploitation is rampant," avers Colonel (retd) C.S. Sohal, a SAS Nagar-based consultant.

"We are treated like beggars at some places. People send us away even without listening to us. Purchase is entirely their personal decision but they can at least be polite while refusing, " says a salesgirl, selling a herbal brand of shampoo. In the light of some recent incidents people cannot help being wary of salespersons. Incidents have come to light where persons masquerading as salesmen committed burglaries, thereby bringing a bad name to the profession. A few months ago, city salespersons had demonstrated against the "hostile" attitude of the police. "Since women are usually alone at home during daytime, they should verify antecedents of a stranger before letting him or her in," advises a police officer.

Despite such problems sales as a summer job is catching up. And youngsters are contributing their mite willingly. They do not mind what the lady on the other side of gate thinks of them so long as they earn some money. It is good for companies too. Thanks to these livewires, their sales graphs are rising and market growth is looking more promising.