Starting Out In The Working World - W/E 304

I'd say that my first real job was a game-changer. After my National Diploma, I landed a one-year industrial training at a telecom company, Rainbownet Nigeria Limited, a private fixed wireless telephone operator in Enugu. They had opened a new branch in my city, Aba, and needed canvassers to market their products – table top telephones, handheld (mobile) phones, and internet services.

It was commission-based, but with transport and call card allowances. Without a second thought, I gladly accepted the job. It was a chance to get hands-on training in my field of study, marketing, and I wasn’t going to pass that up.

After a week of intensive training, I went for the very first outing andwas a market activation at Eziukwu market, popularly known as Cemetery Market. With my team of fellow canvassers plus some staff, we went from store-to-store, showcasing our gadgets.

People welcomed us warmly, and they were intrigued by our tabletop phones. Unlike the usual rotary dial (landline) telephones that were movable only within the range of their wired connection, ours were wireless — you could carry them around, anywhere. Shoppers were surprised to see such a phone and were eager to buy.

It was fun, and I was thrilled to make some sales – two table top phones and one handheld phone, plus several orders from prospects that I followed up on later. After that, I knew I’d made the right call.

Thereafter, Monday to Friday, I visited offices, markets, schools, even houses, prospecting and convincing people to buy their products. I squashed my targets, and earned commissions.

Despite the known challenges with this kind of job, I loved it because it gave me real, hands-on experience in product marketing and sales, not just classroom theory.

Though the company eventually shut down due to external regulatory challenges, I'm grateful for the experience and the lessons learned.

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