sales and marketing manager

receptionist/administrative assistant

STM International

I loved and hated working under STM International. I think they provide a positive working environment and really push you to do good. The Managing Director is great and does an amazing job at keeping the whole office motivated and has life tips which are very handy. However, through the progression of my time in the company I realised that the leader of the campaign I was working on had crazy expectations for me. "Independently Contracted (IC)" was what we were classified as, this is really just a loophole the company has in place so they can keep us without them having to pay a wage. Being an IC had no meaning under the  team leader I had. If I told them the days I wanted off for the week they would ask me why and it seemed like he wanted me to work to get more sales for the campaign which ultimately benefited them. Although you "work for yourself" I was still expected to be at the office at 7:30am sharp everyday. I understand this may be a requirement for most jobs however given the IC role you would think you would be able to arrive whenever you want as long as you can get to site on time. On the topic of sites, no travel costs were covered and some sites were outrageous. Anytime you would make a complaint about standing up all day in the heat they would make you seem like you're in the wrong for it and just make you carry on with it. 

The job/work life balance is extremely poor. My week would look like this.

6am wake up
6:30am bus
7:30-8:30 am at office
Travel to site and arrive (with heavily damaged table bags) at 9:00-10:00am
10:00am-6pm (sometimes even later) work on site
7pm Drop table off at office (sometimes there might not even be anyone in the office)
7:45pm arrive home

As you can see there's extremely little time to spend time with friends and family. Consider you also have to sleep early to wake up for the next day. I was expected to work at least 5-7 days a week as well.

I know what I've said isn't exactly positive but to end it on a positive note I think if you're given the opportunity to work here you SHOULD try it out. The skills you learn are extremely valuable and will not be taught in most jobs you will have in your lifetime. If you don't like at first just work there for a week. You will learn A LOT and it's great on your CV/Resumé.

Your work consists of being a salesperson - be it at a mall/shopping centre, petrol station, door-to-door, or dodgy setups outside random shops and stores on the side of the road

There is no base pay - uncapped commissions also means that ALL of your income is COMMISSION BASED.

You're signed on as an independent contractor, meaning you technically "dictate your own hours" but there's heaps of pressure and office politics coercing you to work 6-7 Days a Week, starting at 7am or earlier and ending 7-9pm  so you can stand around and hit your sales goals.

Company promotes entrepreneurial platitudes and values e.g. this business model means you dictate your own income, work for yourself, your results will come from your effort and your dedication, here you'll be running your own business because jobs are for suckers - actually just a tactic to avoid paying you a wage and to sell you on their business model. 

To succeed at all in this role means to step out of your comfort zone - you will undoubtedly grow your confidence and customer service skills. The people in the office come off extremely friendly, bubbly and happy but remember this:

This entire business and industry is built upon using anything within one's power (words, words, words, body language, personality) to manipulate others for personal gain.

Happy Hunting.

A typical day was arriving crack of dawn at office packing and transporting product to be traveled via public transport to different shopping centers all over Sydney.

At office in morning - Hype session, weird psychological games 

During the day, pitching to shoppers inferior product with a brand name very similar to famous brand. When asked if product was the same as famous brand we were not allowed to correct prospective buyers on the pronunciation or spelling or show the difference in the brand names honestly.  

No base rate at the time I was there. Entire income based on commission. 

Met people who had been there for 2+ years who had not advanced from basic entry level. Alternating vibes of hysterical positivity, sleep deprivation, exhaustion and depression.

The hardest part was being encouraged to lie in sideways terms.

The only enjoyable part was pay day and seeing a dog in the office.

Everything else was passive aggressive and cultish.

STM International was a unique and rewarding experience. I garnered invaluable experience and knowledge of what is required to thrive in a fast paced sales environment. It was also an excellent opportunity to hone my communication and interpersonal skills far beyond what I thought was possible. This was in addition to receiving excellent training and working with incredibly supportive co-workers. Easily the most challenging part of the job was keeping one's motivation up  over the course of a working day. However, the most enjoyable part was experiencing a highly successful day of sale and feeling like the work had an excellent payoff.

Always opportunites to network, providing heaps of time for that as well. I learned a great deal of customer service, sales techniques, networking, greater sales technology knowledge such as the EFTPOS. The management at the company was great. Workers starting out were assigned leaders and my leader was a great inspiration to myself and the company. What i enjoyed most was the time spent with co-workers, it was always fun and refreshing throughout work. I would say the most challenging part of this job was that it was purely commission-based.

This company will create the best of who you are! 
Networking developing business communication skills it all starts there. 

If you've had fear of speaking to people like I had they will help concur your fears and let u grow and develop into a successful business owner. 

It's not always about business as well have fun with the amazing STM crew everyday

They will teach you everything you need to learn to do sales. After a week you are able to independently work. 
The hardest part of the job is waking up very early to go to the office to take new stock but there's a morning meeting to help keep positive.
They have team nights every now and then to which are fun.

Customer service, sales, team management, recruitment, team training, are some of the many skills learnt at my time at STM International. 

Exciting workplace with support every step of the way from the leaders.

Definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone as it was 100% commission. Honestly loved every minute of it, it really taught me the skills needed to progress in the workplace, but also in my personal life. 

Brilliant place

turn up at the office, with IC's talking to their mentors and helping them increase their sales to hit targets. Fun workplace with a random table tennis in the middle which is pretty fun.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Sales and marketing manager 1 salary reported	$45,000 per year
Receptionist/administrative assistant 1 salary reported	$52,509 per year

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