Jyoti Gondek speaks to the media after being sworn-in as the new mayor of Calgary on Oct. 25, 2021.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek is smack-dab in the middle of her city’s famous Stampede, where she’s meeting endless citizens, shaking countless hands and making polite conversation with thousands upon thousands of patrons. How’d she get so good with the gift of the gab? From a summer job cold-selling knick-knacks to unconvinced customers.
My first job was at Foot Locker, which was amazing and set me on a lifetime of passion for fashion, but my most formative summer job was a few years later at a company called Bumper Stumpers. They were a little company selling strange little things like squishy balls or shoehorns customized with other companies’ logos. They’d managed to get a federal grant so they could afford to hire a summer student.
I was coming back from UBC for the summer, so about 21, and I found the job posted in the employment section of the local Brandon paper in Manitoba. It said: “If you’re good at sales and you enjoy meeting people, this is the job for you!” I thought, Okay! Maybe?
I sent my résumé, and did the interview, which I don’t remember very well except for my outfit, which I remember perfectly. I was wearing a blazer and a skirt and looking very professional. I remember playing up my retail skills from Foot Locker and really selling myself: I wasn’t afraid to cold call, I would go anywhere, I could talk to anybody. So I got the job.
The whole company was a tiny little crew of four people: The boss, the artist, a finance person and me – the sales team. My job was to go out into the community, up and down the streets in the commercial district, and sell Bumper Stumpers’ various products: Bumper stickers, customized licence plates, stamps, stress balls. You name it: If it was weird, I sold it. Or at least I tried.
This was the early nineties and long before Google, so my sales research involved knocking on companies’ door and asking, “May I speak to the manager?” Then I’d give my little speech: “We can help you promote your business further than you’re presently able to do through just Yellow Pages and your storefront. What if you had these great giveaways?” Then I’d open my briefcase, which was full of them.
But people were not receptive, let’s be clear. The job was difficult because people didn’t need random things. I’d say two of every 10 calls were successful – so, not great odds – though I still took it all very seriously. I think I was very good at the job but people didn’t know what to do with the product I had to offer.
The most challenging part of the job was when someone turned you right down, which happened a lot. You don’t want to get out there and go again, because you’ve got this unsuccessful try right in your head. I learned a lot about tenacity and perseverance, and that once I’d made a commitment to represent a person or company, I couldn’t give up. It was my job to not give up. So I’d say, “What about your employees? Do they have kids? Wouldn’t it be nice to give them a squishy toy?”
My biggest success was a financial institution where I’d sold the product so well that they ordered a hundred custom licence plates. I went back to the boss thinking I was a hero, and rich, too, because I got commission atop my base pay. A hundred plates were fantastic for me, but I didn’t know that the licence plates were actually hand-done and an order of 100 was a big, big problem. Why didn’t I ask about the manufacturing process? That was a good lesson about promises. I heard the artist left the company shortly afterward.
I lasted my eight weeks before I had to go back to school, which I think everyone was happy about. I’d been a bit overzealous in the selling department. Retail isn’t always glamorous, but it can serve you very well in that it teaches you to make connections with people. I learned to always focus on what that person needs, not what you have to offer. If I didn’t have what they seek, I would try to get it, and if I couldn’t get it, I’d know when to walk away. That’s important too.
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