From what I hear (though I’m still not entirely convinced), it used to be very feasible to work a part-time job throughout college that somehow allowed you to meet your basic human needs while simultaneously paying for tuition. Though I wasn’t able to avoid taking out crippling amounts of student loans, I did wait tables my first couple years at UNL. Now let me tell you something: waiting tables sucks. It’s hard work that a lot of people don’t even consider to be real work. Yeah, the money is good sometimes, but for me, it wasn’t worth the stress and aggravation. However, during my time as a waitress, I learned a lot of things beyond just carrying a huge tray on one shoulder. I learned about people; what they buy, how to communicate with them, and of course, how to persuade them into leaving me a hefty tip. See where I’m going with this? As someone who is studying advertising in school, waiting tables translated into marketing for me. Here’s what I learned:
People don’t care what you have to say. For the most part, a server is there to serve food, and that’s it. Even if you’re having a bad day or you have that exact same handbag at home, the guests at your table probably don’t care. They’re there to eat, not become your best friend. The same principle applies to marketing- no one wakes up in the morning thinking, “What brands can I pay attention to today?” As consumers, we’re inundated with messaging and advertisements every day, and frankly, we don’t care about the vast majority of them. This is why you have to make people care in order to sell your product. In marketing, this is done by formulating killer content and delivering it in a creative way that compels consumers to engage. For a waitress, this means having a fun attitude and being quick with a joke to encourage the table to tip you.
People trust other people. Ok, so maybe that first part is a little untrue. People don’t care what you have to say UNLESS you’re recommending your favorite dish. Why? A) they’re hungry, and B) people value the opinions of other people. Commitment is hard; relationships, jobs, and especially spending money. As humans, we want direction and reinforcement from those who have already experienced something before we make decisions. This is why reputation and word-of-mouth are so important in marketing. Today, social sites like Yelp, Facebook, Twitter, etc. make our opinions more easily heard and valued. Bottom line, people trust the experiences of other people, especially if the experience was bad. When I waited tables, I was shocked at the amount of people who would actually order whatever I decided to suggest to them (even if I didn’t even like the dish).
You have to form relationships with your co-workers to be successful. And no, I don’t mean you should date the people you work with (I’d strongly advise against this, actually). I mean that getting on the good side of the cooks and other servers will undoubtedly help you out in the end, and ultimately earn you more money. If you’ve established some kind of positive relationship with other servers, they won’t mind running your food to your tables or refilling their waters when you’re busy. And if the cooks like you, they’re probably going to pay more attention to the food you ring in, as opposed to another server’s that they’re not particularly fond of. In marketing, relationships are everything. Networking is everything. As a marketing professional, you have to build strong foundations and trust with clients, co-workers, and other media professionals. When a client trusts you to do your job, they’ll inevitably experience better results in their marketing. When you have a good relationship with the people at your local TV and radio stations, they might give you better airtime rates. In some senses, it really is about “who you know” rather than “what you know.”
Waiting tables taught me that sometimes, you find invaluable knowledge where you’re not looking for it. Would I ever go back to waiting tables? Hell no. But I value my experience and everything I gained from it. Marketing is about people, and people are everywhere. Becoming a successful marketing professional is more than just a college degree and experience at an agency, it’s looking for insights and inspiration in all aspects of life. To sum it up, be rational, be kind, be creative, and for the love of everything, realize that 10% is not a good tip.