What's in a name

 I like companies with obvious names. "Joe's Pizza Shack" and "Smithfield Accounting" tell me what I need, no obfuscation. They come complete with locations and signs, phone numbers and websites. Not everyone takes this approach.

I remember going to a job interview in a dank lower level of a downtown building. I'd answered an ad to interview for this sales job with no idea what they sold. No sign advertising the company name or product or service was available. Thinking this was a bad omen and a maybe a bit dodgy, under my breath I managed “Well, I’ve come this far”. I filled out a short form and handed it to the woman in a dim office behind a stack of boxes. The interviewer finally called me in. He asked me how I spent free time and what-kind-of-person-are-you questions. “Um…well…you know I like running, writing, watching baseball. I grew up in Illinois, moved here for school, bought a house.” He asked a few life-work balance type questions, can you work long hours.  

I’m normally a ‘get to the point’ kind of guy but people looking for work can’t be picky. I kept my answers short, awkward as they were, but he was clearly dawdling. 

  

He wanted to know how much I wanted salary wise, ideally. Keep in mind, I’m still not sure what we do or how many hours we work. I put down a high-ish number and he glanced at it and said “Why so low?” Right then I decided I didn’t want the job. If I had less tact I would have tossed my hands up and said “I’m outta here!” I have a low tolerance for bullshit and the room was beginning to smell.

I stayed for a few more questions hoping for a graceful exit. Turns out the job was selling subscriptions for AT&T, but not through AT&T. I wouldn’t have gone to the interview if I’d known that. Nothing against that kind of work but it isn’t for me. The company name (which I can’t remember) revealed nothing about the type of work.

Opaque names like “Global Services Inc.” or “Web Industry Professionals” should be a red light to job seekers. I’ve learned this the hard way of course. To my mind there are few reasons for doing this.

With companies like AT&T they either farm their door to door stuff out to third parties because it’s cheaper or less messy. It might be both. Home owners hate door to door salesman. They knock on the door when you’re eating dinner and refuse to leave after a “thanks but I’m not interested”. When the salesman with the clipboard and eager pitch has a lanyard with the company logo around their neck it leaves a bad impression.

Corporations, always careful about appearances avoid the door to door label afraid of the blowback from angry customers who associate that brand with mid-dinner sales pitches. But straight commission jobs make the numbers easier for companies, no insurance or healthcare or taxes to pay up front.

A third reason is the lack of any responsibility connected with the sellers. I signed up for a service a few years after I moved into this neighborhood. Yes I know, I know, even after complaining about the tactics I took a quick look at the deal and thought “Oh, really? For how long, 6 months? Not bad. Sign me up!” I was lucky. My bill matched what the girl sold me. I only used it for the 6 month offering. The price shot up 30 percent after that. No surprise of course but I hoped to get an extension on the low rate. No dice. I sent the equipment back and bought an antenna. I don’t watch that much TV.

I looked at an AT&T forum to find out how others fared. Nearly all of them complain about being lied to. They turn around and complain to AT&T, who in turn treats the package seller like a mobster in witness protection “Who? What? No I don’t know him”. Customers often get told to call the person who sold the package and straighten it out. But they never answer the phone. It’s not like they have a corporate phone line anyway. The only number the customer has is from the salesman who sold the package. 

This is the real benefit for both parent company and seller. A franchisee that sells internet and TV packages isn’t really accountable to a larger corporate parent. I’m not implying that the business itself is underhanded. But I’d seen enough of their tactics to know I didn’t want any part of it.

First principles insists, quality companies won’t hide.

Now if a non-descript company posts an ad I Goggle it. If Goggle can’t find the company than the search is over.