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Do you believe in the things that you pimp?

Started by Bert, February 05, 2004, 11:45:01 AM

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Bert

Wathcing News 24 and hearing the presenter reminding us to use our red buttons, I found myself thinking, "Yeah, like you fucking do," which in turn got me thinking about the stuff I sell - true, there are certain products which I buy myself, and am therefore justified in advocating, but I also talk up products (particularly JML) which my experience tells me will almost certainly be returned within the week? Am I wrong for so doing?

The head honcho at Barclays has gone on record saying that you'd have to be a grade A fuckwit to borrow with his credit card.Is he wrong?

What do you sell (products, services, ideas), and do you believe in them, or is it just a job?

Purple Tentacle

In my temp job at the moment I'm doing market research involving focus groups discussing the benefits and features of a certain enormous Seattle-based software giant.

But it pays well, and it's not selling rapey-baby knives.

elderford

I work in FE, and I feel that we are disengenuous in selling qualifications as a stand alone thing.

The whole system seems to be geared up to offering keys to unlock the next door:
get GCSEs > Get FE > Go on to University

The FE courses they do here should be enough to give them the skills to get on, but the whole affair is, no you must go on to higher education and this piece of paper will open that door for you.

As well as one of our Obergruppenfuhrers blatantly stating that each student is worth £5,000 and under no circumstances are we allowed to let any of them leave their course.

In reality their fulltime courses are down to three and a half days a week, but the rest of the time is filled with spazzy keyskills and other mindless exercises to ensure they attend for five full days.

It all feels a bit like a wasted opportunity when they could really be given exposure to how to reach their potential.

Matthias

I sell an online reporting and analysis system and, yes, I do believe in it. I wrote it.

Years ago, I went for a job at KBA, who sell Kirby vacuum cleaners. I couldn't do it, as I don't believe that ANY vacuum cleaner is worth £2000!

I could never sell a bible.

Purple Tentacle

Quote from: "Matthias"Years ago, I went for a job at KBA, who sell Kirby vacuum cleaners. I couldn't do it, as I don't believe that ANY vacuum cleaner is worth £2000!

Hehe, I once had to spend 3 weeks of my life making a promtional film for the world press launch of a £300 steam iron, complete with whooshy graphics and over-the-top music.


I'd love to lie and say that I put loads of "hilarious" swearing and innuendo into it, but for 3 weeks of my life I really did "become the iron". I worked late, I spent hours re-shooting this bloody thing spinning on a turntable, I sampled god knows how much crappy royalty-free music to ascertain which one was suitably "iron", and apparently at the press launch (to which I wasn't invited) they absolutely loved it.

Then I emerged, tired but feeling triumphant, before the sickening reality of what my life had become hit me, and the fact that I was proud of making a promotional film about a sodding iron was the most sickening of all.


Unfortunately I'm a very dilligent worker whether it's editing the latest Martin Scorsese film* or punching in and checking what percentage of people put "Don't Know" when asked what they thought about web browsers. If I have a job to do I'd rather do it properly or not at all, no matter how tedious it is.

Not at all would be nice though.

* I have never, to my knowledge, ever edited anything Martin Scorsese. Strictly irons.

I work in TV.  A fairytale land of smoke and mirrors, but it's so hard not to believe...

smoker

i work for an IT company partenered with microsoft and ibm, selling to clients such as sky, fox kids, glaxosmithkline and shell. in my database i have esso, bae systems etc etc. it makes me feel shit thinking about it and i refuse to ever call any of these companies, just recording each contact as Left Company whenever i come across them

Gazeuse

I've written music for programmes I'd never want to watch, but because it's the music I'm passionate about, I do believe in what I produce. Even when it's about a fridge. I didn't get paid for that btw 'cos the company went bust.

Aargh!!!

I work in IT customising software for various clients needs, mainly in the pharmaceutical industry...

..and to be honest its boring as f**k, but hey, I get paid well.

I sit in meeting with clients and try, oh I try, to summon up enthusiam for our system, but I just can't.

The fact that most people seem to define themselves by their job astounds me when most people do the most inanne things for a living. ok premier league footballers, astronauts aside, most peoples jobs are dull dull dull. I have friends who are convinced that the world would fall apart if they didnt turn up to workl or their company went bust. Why can't they just admit that they do it for the money...  

Heres a question to throw out there... Would anyone turn up to work tomorrow if they knew they weren't being paid ?

smoker


Vermschneid Mehearties

I most help people to smoke, waste their money on the lottery, and read The Daily Mail. Not before making it as clear as possible that I think they are absolute fuckfaced cuntwited scum. Thankyoupleasecomeagain.

king mob

I sell lots of advertising for some decent quality organisations who try their best to contribute to their own sectors.
On the whole evryone i deal with are lovely, pleasant people & are a pleasure to speak to & the money is reasonable, especially now i'm in charge of hiring & fireing.
So obviously if i wasn't paid to do my job i'd fuck it right off & take one of the offers i've had to whore myself for vast sums of money at Emap or Future.

I'm not daft.;)

Sherringford Hovis

Quote from: "jimbobsyouruncle"
Would anyone turn up to work tomorrow if they knew they weren't being paid ?

I would - Mrs Hovis would make me: our life resembles what would've happened if Compo had actually shacked up with Nora Batty.

Evil Knevil


Sherringford Hovis

Quote from: "king mob"whore myself for vast sums of money at Emap or Future.

I'm not daft.;)

You are fucking daft if you think that working on consumer magazines for either of these outfits will lead you to anything other than earning significantly less than the national average wage and nothing more stimulating than just recycling press releases from product manufacturers; and writing fuckwitted tutorials about stuff that people with half a brain should be able to work out for themselves...

Except for my magazine, of course... My mag is ace. Buy it at the shops.

king mob

Quote from: "Sherringford Hovis"
Quote from: "king mob"whore myself for vast sums of money at Emap or Future.

I'm not daft.;)

You are fucking daft if you think that working on consumer magazines pertains to either earning sugnificantly less than the national average wage or anything more stimulating than just recycling press releases from product manufacturers and writing fuckwitted tutorials about stuff that people with half a brain should be able to work out for themselves...

Except for my magazine, of course... My mag is ace. buy it at the shops.

Its not consumer magazines, my clients are far too important to deal with the general public.

Ambient Sheep

Yes.  I've always been fortunate that I've believed in the quality and excellence of the products for which I've written software.  Not always believed in the quality and excellence of the companies involved though.


Pinball

People are nothing more than job rental units. We're all whores in the truest sense of the word, renting ourselves out to survive. Any other perception is merely an illusion, and I claim my £5 ;-)

Timmay

I sell/support horrendously expensive software that enables the paperless office. And it fucking rocks! Except when it goes wrong. Which is a lot. Then I have to fix it.

Purple Tentacle

Quote from: "Pinball"People are nothing more than job rental units. We're all whores in the truest sense of the word, renting ourselves out to survive. Any other perception is merely an illusion, and I claim my £5 ;-)

What's your solution then, Mr I live off the land, filthy tramp living in a field in Hampshire throwing his shit in a hedge?

Blimey, it really looks like I've been having a pop at you lately, I hope you don't take offence. I'd be interested to know if you really DO live off the land though...

MonkeyDrummer

No, I work in IT and for a toy company. (normal toys not vibes) so my life is pretty soulless in that sense. I do think that's what's wrong with me the fact that my work means nothing to me and at the end of the day means very little to anyone.  Does it matter if you believe in what you do? Or should you just go and do it come home and forget about it? Does wanking at work really help?  In the last couple of months I've met people who are doing or striving to do what they want. I don't do what I want, i do what i can and I'm jealous of those who have chosen a path and followed ratther than staggered from one thing to another suddenly realising that your 28, staring at a life in IT and extremely unhappy....

....I think i'm going to go and feed the homeless from a small van. There's nothing else for it.

Geej

No.

I sell information, supposedly about how a retailers sales will go up or down, if they do something we say, in 5 or 10 years.

Except for most of the time, a stab in the dark with a felt tip pen will be just as rational.

Personally my actual little part is very righteous and valid.  It's just that it matters so little, and nobody will ever be a better person or feel more enlightened because of anything I have ever done here.

I'm just too lazy to get another job.

steevbishop

Quote from: "Ronson"I believe in a thing called love
Thanks for coming.


Knowing I'm not the only one here working in a creative business, I won't be the only one that has to face up to the fact that, sometimes, the work I do isn't some overly complex and well thought-out concept devised to blow the socks off all who see it. There are times that I do something because it looks right and, perhaps, time is also tight.
Then, perhaps having a creeping feeling that the client is one of those I-know-what-I-like-when-I-see-it-otherwise-it's-shite types, I have to give what I've done the hard sell in order to persuade them to like what I've done enough that I don't have to bust my balls to re-artwork only to face the hounds again.

I guess it's the reality that not every job you handle will be challenging, of interest and will give you the opportunity to explore and exorcise your creativity, but rather jumping through the right hoops and engineering something everyone will be happy with.

In short: the art of compromise.

Sorry to go off on a tangent but something occured to me...

QuoteI work in IT and for a toy company. (normal toys not vibes)
Isn't that peculiar? I mean that one has to bracket an explanation like that after the sentence. I do that alot, especially here. I suppose it reflects the kind of humour that pervades the boards.

And while I'm on it, it also seems peculiar to me that I often express an opinion and somehow feel compelled to give a second 'balancing' statement to people just so they don't think I'm sexist/elitist/whatever, even though by right my sole original statement should stand valid on it's own. Anyone else recognise this trait?

weekender

Quote from: "Garfield And Friends"some stuff

Yes, some people feel the need to clarify what they meant by a particular point they made, in case it was misinterpreted.  That's probably why smilies were so popular.  Personally, I've never really cared what other people think though.

gazzyk1ns

Yeah it's also to do with the fact that a lot of people on here have terrible biases and double standards without realising it - mention you bought FHM once and they'll assume you're a beer-swilling footy hooligan who rapes people... but then they'll mention that they've got a collection of six hundred different obscure comics and if you think it's geeky you're an ignorant twat.

Ironically, two disclaimers:

1. I don't think people who collect comics are geeks

2. The FHM comment was unrelated to the recent thread about those weekly lad mags, I find them ridiculous too.

Dr David V

Quote from: "Vermschneid Mehearties"I most help people to smoke, waste their money on the lottery, and read The Daily Mail. Not before making it as clear as possible that I think they are absolute fuckfaced cuntwited scum. Thankyoupleasecomeagain.
Er... ditto. Except they buy The Scum too.

TraceyQ

I beleive in holidays. I go on them, I like them. Yes.

Incredible Monkey Doctor

Can one 'believe' in being a sort of super statistician-cum*-database admin/code monkey for a Shipping Insurer?

Probably not.

However one consultant I worked with rationalised it thus:

"It doesn't really matter what you do, as long as you feel good doing it, and manage to achieve something, even if it is only completing your task."

Ultimately job satisfaction et al. are completely relative, and any satisfaction is achieved to your own criteria. So if you're bored, lower your standards. It works for people in McDonalds and Call centres, otherwise why else would they be there...? ;)

* not in the rude sense, children.