Chapter 12: Brian

One brow flitted up at the emphasis that she put on his name. "Yes. And you're Hayden." His hands moved anxiously over the papers on his desk, meticulously straightening them as he spoke. "Have you ever done telemarketing before this?"

"No." She could have said that she was familiar with it because of her ex, but she didn't want to go there.

His brow flitted up again. "Well you have a very good voice for sales."

Her face warmed. She had never liked compliments… if that's what this was. "I do customer service at my first job. So I talk on the phone a lot."

He nodded. "Well the key to telemarketing is to convince the perspective buyer that they have a need and that you have what can satisfy that need. You don't say 'hey do you want to advertise on our phonebook cover?' You say, 'I see that you have a small business on the corner of something and other. If you can increase your reach to more people in your community, then it would obviously increase your sales.'"

Hayden nodded in agreement.

"It becomes a no-brainer situation that only a dimwit would turn down, or at least that is what you will make them think."

Hayden watched him intently, remembering that MyKell used to always tell her how he made his customers basically admit that they were dumbasses for turning down what he was selling.

"The company distributes anywhere from twenty to forty thousand phonebook covers within the target city. Remember to say that; as well as ten complimentary covers going to the owner. Then you tell them the price."

Hayden wondered if he had been listening to her sales technique, and the idea of it slightly embarrassed her. She had strongly underestimated Telemarketers. There was a lot more to it than just reading a script.

Brian told her about trade-outs; deadbeats, and the bottom line price; what it cost to actually make the ad, including all over-head so that if she ever hit the bottom line price there would be no commission going to her. Then he explained when it would be in her favor to make a sale with no commission; for instance when there was bonus money for whoever closed their set first, or when there was a deadline that needed to be met because the cover couldn't go to the printers until every ad was sold. He emphasized that she was never ever to go below the bottom line price. Then he explained that once she made a sale it was always hers to call back each year as a re-run.

Hayden listened raptly to the information that Brian shared. "But if I have to wait for everyone else to call the re-runs I won't be left with anything-"

He shook his head. "Not many people work here long enough to collect years of reruns. There are only five on this set and we split the rest. Unfortunately, you grabbed the wrong one." He pointed to the clipboard with its mock up telephone cover. "Behind the cover is a list of who sold what in the prior year. You will see that the 5x9 is owned by Abdullah."

Hayden shook her head, feeling pretty low for not knowing something as simple as that.

"Hayden." She looked at him again. "It's not so bad. You sold that ad for more then Abdullah did last year. You made him full commission…" he leaned in and whispered, "something he obviously couldn't do, right?"

She smiled, liking Brian. It was cool of him to take the time to really teach her the important aspects of their job.

She gave him a curious look. "Why doesn't Mr. Fox let you train the new hires?" He obviously took more pride in it than Pam did.

He looked down at his desk and then just shook his head slightly. "I guess that's all," he finally said.

"Oh… Okay, thank you." She hoped that she hadn't said anything wrong.

With a brief nod, he stood and then left the room. Hayden watched him walk tiredly into the canteen, curious about why he'd taken the time to help her when he obviously hadn't been directed to do so by Mr. Fox. Also, why wasn't his knowledge being put to use by Mr. Fox?

She gathered her things and then went to the board to see which spaces were free for her to call. She scowled when she saw that Abdullah had scribbled out her initials and replaced them with his own. B.F. were the only other initials listed. Hayden was even more determined than ever to add her sale to the board before Pam's child-like drawing of a heart, which took the place of her initials. It was Hayden's goal in life to now out-do Pam in every way.

Hayden fell into bed in near exhaustion. Clean cotton sheets enveloped her freshly showered body and a smile was frozen on her face even hours after she had drifted off to sleep. She had made her second sale and had done it before Pam had made even one. As far as she was concerned, all was right with the world.

The next morning Hayden stared at the calendar as the oatmeal that she cooked and refrigerated in small batches each weekend heated in the microwave. The night before, Hayden had written the newest affirmation on the monthly notes section of her calendar. Her writing had been almost like cat scratch in her fatigue, but at the time, it seemed very important to have it written so that she could read it this morning.

The way I treat people who I seek and expect nothing from is the same way I treat those I hope to gain and learn from.

Hayden stared at the words, repeating them, feeling them and then finally trying to accept them. She wouldn't mind being friends with Brian, but there was no way that she would reach out in a friendly way to Pam… or even to Abdullah. She retrieved her oatmeal in deep thought and then sat down to eat it.