Monday meetings with “The New Company B” were interesting due to the inability to convey my fears about the direction that they want to bring this meeting in. They want to bring contract issues up in the meeting with the west coast client that will make it seem that I have not explained things. Example, the “Net Sales” they see that line in the contract as a direct reflection of taking money out of their hands due to “third party” issues. This is simply a web portal cost and nothing that comes out of our pocket, it is the same thing as our other distribution channels and if they want to remove this line then THAT will take money out of our pocket because it will not allow our client to sell through other means, i.e. third parties.
All in all “OAG” is still siding with them because after I explained how that all works she still mentioned the “Net Sales” being adjusted in 2 e-mails after I had explained all of this and also put it in my “Notes” for today’s meeting. She obviously does not care about what I say unless it is what she, or other HQ-Land people, wants to hear.
Yesterday was a travel day and I spent it with the two executives from “The New Company B” who I have just met. Conversation was light but at one point one of them asked me my thoughts on the future of our industry. I told him what has been in my mind, and slowly proving true, that companies like ours will be developing two kinds of product, one for customer purchase and one for marketing. Marketing products will garner a higher development cost and purchase products will be a lower development cost but with a return on revenue share. He looked at me and shook his head and said, “oh, well that will be bad for us.” How dickhead? He said this like I was telling him that we had to make marketing products. Ok so if you don’t want to make marketing products, don’t. It’s that simple. I was just telling him what my long term thoughts for this developing industry could potentially evolve into. I’ve seen the start of this process take place and I believe that a company with the capabilities of “The New Company B” would benefit by making money on both sides. By supplementing our income by taking advantage of the easy marketing money we would be able to leverage ourselves with the distribution channels.
They don’t want to hear it, yet another suggestion that will not even be considered because I’m just the silly fucking white guy. Yes, if you didn’t know, I am the lone white guy in this all HQ-Land organization. They hired me to help get them into the US based market but every time I make a suggestion like this or bring up an idea that is, dare I say, “Out-of-the-box”, I get shot down. Not even a little consideration is given, I am basically told at every turn to stick with the company line and not stray. Well, that kind of thinking has not worked for them thus far and is the reason I was hired in the first place. But I am now working for another company that will not learn from the mistakes of their predecessors and will again fail.
Well the flight here was ok. Lot’s of room due to no one on board, so I went to the back and stretched out on 3 seats while listening to the Sate of the Union address. Once we got to the hotel everyone wanted to eat, it was 1 in the morning, so like the useless little brother who’s always tagging along because mom told the older brother to take him I went. And once again I sat there listening to 3 old guys speak HQ-Land language to each other with no mention to me for at least an hour what they were talking about. This happens frequently and it’s beginning to annoy me. I am stuck in meetings, cabs, dinners, lunches, and so on where they speak their language and not even address me, this can go on for hours. I would be happy with just a quick mention of the topic, no details, just tell me what your discussing. I hear laughing, or I can tell by inflection of voices that it is serious, or angry, but I have no idea. I’m beginning to think about if the opposite were to happen, 3 Americans who are potentially doing business with the new HQ-Land guy, or just any foreigner, as politically correct, normally polite courteous Americans we would do all they could even with a language barrier to include this person into the discussion. So, I have been left to my own thoughts even though I’m in the company of 3 other people. I sit during meetings, or dinners, or in cabs while three men speak about who knows what and leave me hanging. Not a mention about what the conversation is even about, and I tend to get a little neurotic with my thoughts as they laugh, “They’re laughing about the stupid fat American” I tell my self, “How could we even allow this person into our business, what does he know about doing this?” These are some of the ideas of their conversation.
I am not so delusional that I let these things fester but can’t help but allow myself to wander in this direction of thought occasionally. I have been confined to small spaces with them at dinner, lunch, breakfast, in a waiting room before the client meeting, cabs, and board rooms for the last 48 hours. All the while listening to a conversation I can not understand so I would almost think it’s normal for my thoughts to ponder how many time’s I have been referred to during their conversations. Whatever, I got a free trip to the west coast and I’m soaking up the warm weather for as long as I can.
We got to the client offices about 30 minutes early. Passed the security check rather quickly and let into the office on the 10th floor without an escort. I then, with 3 HQ-Land speaking businessmen in tow, found our rep’s office but he was not there. We were shown into a waiting area where the head of the client group showed up and announced that we were early, to which I explained we didn’t know how traffic would be and did not want to show up late. I apologized to him for being to early and hoped that it was not an inconvenience. He had meetings until 11 and just made sure that we were fine with waiting. I told him that we were. To this, the 3 HQ-Land’ers left to smoke and walk around in the sun outside. I stayed there in the waiting area and began to document this account of my day, making it look as though I was sitting there preparing for our impending meeting. Our client Rep showed up 15 minutes later and introduced me to his assistant who I talk with frequently but have never met. We chatted for about 10 minutes when the HQ-Land’ers returned and soon thereafter we were all directed to the conference room. I had outlined my thoughts the night before on the plane about how I would direct the meeting and had a good idea of what I wanted to do; I had gone over the slides in my head so that I could refer to them by memory. Once the meeting started I skimmed the slides and then went right into it. I don’t consider myself a salesman by any means, quit frankly I don’t like the thought of having to sell anything; I want to just sit back and manage the project. But during this meeting I killed it. Everyone was very happy on both sides and I felt like a true snake oil salesman. I did this full well knowing that I have no intention of staying with this company, knowing that if I leave the company in the coming weeks this project will be scrapped by the client, knowing that I have no faith in the system of having “OAG” translate and dealing with the ”cultural” issues that go along with her and that “culture”. But I felt so confident and it must have been written all over my forehead because we walked out of there with a notion of getting the second project from the client starting in a few months. If they had no faith in us we’d be getting the old line, “Well, we’ll get in touch with you about that later” line.
After the meeting we met Mr. Director Of Operations two brother-in-laws for lunch in the city. Who knew he had relatives all the way out here? I got a great corn beef on sourdough sandwich….I know no one cares about my meal but I had to remind myself of how good it was. We left there, went back to the hotel to pick up the bags and the New CEO of the “New Company B” informs me about the stipulation in the buy out of the company contract with “Old Company B” and how, as long as this client meeting went well “The New Company B” would agree to the “Old Company B” purchase. He let me know that he was impressed with how I conducted myself during the meeting (to which I would think he had low expectations due to some previous prejudice) and that he’s also pleased with how the meeting went. He informs me that “OAG” and I are now part of the team. At least until I take the new job I ‘m interviewing at on. We left the hotel in a stretch Lincoln Town Car and now I’m at the airport waiting to get back to the wife.
The next day (Friday) “OAG” and I sit down with the VP of Operations from “New Company B” and go over contract points once again. He brings up the same exact points that we’ve discussed and tries to place stipulations into it that I know the client will have issues with! I again explain why this will be detrimental to our project with them but again, no one is taking my suggestions into consideration, and they refuse to learn from past mistakes. I NO LONGER CARE. I you thought I didn’t care last month, no I don’t give a shit and might push “OAG” to the point where she might want to fire me. I’ve had it.Labels: blogs, boss, bullshit, I quit, interviews, jobs, pay check, Stupid co-workers, travel, Work, work sucks, Your job sucks |
