So I got a job at a vet clinic (I did some internship & shadowing stuff at vet clinics in high school, and was accepted to state originally as an animal sci major, but switched to philosophy, which surprisingly wasn’t very vocational) after graduating in the spring.

Other than reorganizing some parts of the filing system to make it more efficient and having learned the basic format of the job, since I’m a receptionist, I feel like I’m fairly expendable.

I’m thinking of going to the manager (whose age range wouldn’t make her stand out if she posted on this message board) with the idea of making and posting flyers around the UNC campus/franklin street.

Pic of the flyer:
http://www.campusblender.com/photos/fullsize/233560.jpg

Being new to the “real world” most of my marketing strategies come from being the public relations/publicity committee chair for my fraternity, & a few clubs who usually targeted students and the surrounding community.

I don’t know if this flyer idea would seem silly or small time, but I have noticed that most people who fill out the new client sheets seem to check the box saying they found out about us only by living nearby and seeing the building when shopping in that area.

Also the vet techs are organized with a hierarchy headed up by a senior vet tech, and they are considering organizing the receptionist in a similar way a few years down the road, so I’d like to make myself into an appealing candidate if they do this switch in a few years.

So should I take this idea to the manager? Are there any other ideas anyone here has that I could use to try to help the clinic and make myself bigger part of their work environment?

I’m sure NCSU has produced many people who work at vet clinics, and plenty of others who have atleast worked in office environments, so I’m hoping to hear from the voice of experience.

9/27/2006 2:21:33 PM

im not reading that

9/27/2006 2:22:16 PM

Okay, heres the short version. For anyone who has worked at entry level position in an office or vet clinic, I'd like to hear some advice on how to move up.

Also for the flyer I made (click on the link for the pic), should I take it to my manager and offer to post it around UNC's campus, or would that not be a good idea?

9/27/2006 3:20:48 PM

the way to advance is to keep your mouth shut, and never ever tell your boss how to do his job, or suggest how he can do his job better.

you will advance just fine if youre smart. your boss knows if youre smart. dont be annoying.

9/27/2006 3:29:50 PM

you should get a job in sales

9/27/2006 3:32:50 PM

i fucking hate people who have little ideas on how to save 5 cents here or improve this or that, but they cant even perform all the essential functions listed for their job title.

just worry about your own shit, no one is paying you to do your bosses job. and stop asking your boss if there is anything else that you could do because youre finished. stop kissing ass and stop making work for the poor bastard. 95% of the time you have something you know you can be doing, but you just wanna kiss ass and say omg im done with all my work boss [slurp slurp]

in case you havent noticed, promotions are given to those who deserve them, not to those who kiss ass.

9/27/2006 3:36:30 PM

It rarely hurts to step up and go above and beyond the call of duty. If it fails you look like a little bit of a douche. There are far worse things than that. If it succeeds (as indicated by feedback from the new client sheet) you'll almost definately receive some recognition and solidify your place in the hierarchy.

That flyer is not very attractive though. In a sea of flyers you have to stand out or nobody will pay any attention to it. I'd ditch the clipart in favor of a more cartoon looking sketch and use some creative fonts to make it more attractive before presenting it to anyone.

Make sure they update the new client sheet if you do this so that you can track how well it works.

And there's a big difference in doing something like this and brown nosing. Brown nosing is fake and easy to spot. People that generate revenue are not going to be looked down upon.

[Edited on September 27, 2006 at 3:44 PM. Reason : s]

9/27/2006 3:42:00 PM

Also, get rid of the words "makes the perfect dorm or apartment pet, but" in that one sentence. It's too long to effectively get your point across and that information is useless to the point your trying to make.

[Edited on September 27, 2006 at 4:10 PM. Reason : s]

9/27/2006 4:10:01 PM

I'm not looking to wow anyone with the flyer, just let some ppl know about the place who might be looking for a vet clinic. I just copied the clinics website's basic pic so it might be recognizable when someone who saw the flyer decided to check out the website.

I don’t really have anyway of creating better graphics, but if anyone wants to make one and offer it up, I’d maybe give it a try.

As far as brown nosing, I would be fine with doing this without my boss’s approval or knowledge, I mean if it helps them get even a few more clients, it still means they need a receptionist that much more. I just wonder if there would be any consequences for doing non-approved advertising?

9/27/2006 4:14:41 PM

^^thanks for the advice. As one would expect of someone with a philosophy degree, I can be long winded when it comes to getting the point across perfectly, rather than an efficient marketer.

[Edited on September 27, 2006 at 4:22 PM. Reason : .]

9/27/2006 4:16:49 PM

I definately wouldn't do any non-approved advertising. It would be quite awkward when your management sees or hears about flyers that they know nothing of. Just pitch it to them and see what they say. It'll take 2 minutes.


If I were your boss and you pitched this idea to me I'd be impressed with your initiative and I'd probably give you the green light based on a "it can't hurt anything" philosophy. He might speak to the sales or marketing team about creating a more attractive flyer, but that's their job so don't let your feelings get hurt. Also, make sure you don't post them anywhere that is against city code. I don't think they'll be too pleased if they get a fine for it.

[Edited on September 27, 2006 at 4:21 PM. Reason : s]

9/27/2006 4:18:13 PM

How would I find out about city code?

Its chapel hill/carrboro so I was just thinking franklin street & on campus to start with.

I know for PR/Publicity committee stuff with groups & my fraternity during college we always posted on campus & on hillsborough street.

I figured it never hurt then, so then same pattern here probably wouldn't hurt. Being that its a college town, the same pattern here would reach a much higher % of the population than it did in Raleigh.

9/27/2006 4:25:28 PM

general campus area is good, but strategically positioning your flyers will save you a lot of work. think the dog park on eubanks rd, petsmart and the like. even better, fill the pooper scooper bag containers at the park with printed plastic bags with your logo on em. of cousres giving out free branded stuff at animal shows is good, but they probably already doing it. there are smarter ways to go about it, but i aint gettin paid to come up with them so pick up that guerilla marketing book for some ideas. that flyers is kind weak visually as someone already mentioned

9/27/2006 4:27:09 PM

Quote :

"How would I find out about city code?"

Contact the city or just go with "When in Rome, do as the Romans." You could search the city's website as well. It's probably not a problem since you don't live in Cary, but it's something to consider since your job could be at stake if you mess up.

[Edited on September 27, 2006 at 4:31 PM. Reason : s]

9/27/2006 4:31:46 PM

I'm not sure how petsmart type places would react to our flyers. I mean they are mostly selling pet products, and we are mostly health services, but there is enough overlap that they might not want to advertise the competition.

I was listening to a report on marketing the other day and how alot of it fails. The speaker said it doesn't have to be fancy, catchy, or funny to necessarily work. His example was "Yo quiero taco bell" was funny & cute, but lost the company alot of money on it, whereas a simple coke commercial around lunch time when ppl are thirsty could boost sells.

Along the same line, my idea was a simple student targeted flyer in a college town for a small business that doesn’t seem to do a lot of advertising.

I’m not really trying to highly impress people or persuade anyone to switch vet clinics, I’m just letting people know about an option if they are college students considering having their first on their own pet.

I’ll work on the flyer some before I have my boss give it a brief look, but I’m very open to anyone on tdub’s wording advice, or graphics if they can create a more snazzy one.

9/27/2006 4:35:54 PM

the flyer is too wordy

if i was just looking i wouldnt want to read all that

9/27/2006 4:37:17 PM

If you were looking for a vet clinic & saw the word vet clinic and the picture of a dog in the first 4 words, would stop to read the rest?

If not, which words would you cut, which sentences would you reword?

9/27/2006 4:38:58 PM

need a place to board your pet?

need house training advice?

need small animal treatment that other clinics wont treat?

need somewhere within 10 min of campus

call yaddya yaddya

be sure to put starts or something beside each question, it brings attention to them

make the Number and website bigger as well

9/27/2006 4:41:58 PM

Quote :

"I'm not sure how petsmart type places would react to our flyers"

theyd react by screaming at you, probably. they have banfield animal hospitals in them.

hahaha, no one ever listens to me, man.

9/27/2006 4:53:44 PM

I'm also thinking more internet advertisement wouldn't hurt for a college town. The vet clinic is a small business (pretty big as far as vet clinics go, but still a small business), so they don't alot of internet recognition. So I threw together a group for CPVC on these 2 sites since internet site groups are much more unofficial.

http://ncst.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2210686047

http://groups.myspace.com/cpvc

If you've got a sec, join them, so that if the boss ever does see these unofficial groups, atleast they will look like they've brought some attention to the clinic's existence.

Currently I'm just doing whatever I can on a $0 budget. Black & white flyers, especially if printed on the back of papers that were to be recycled, could be done cheaply at work. Or I could use a friend who can print free on campus to create these flyers once they are upgraded a bit & get the go ahead from the boss.

9/27/2006 4:59:26 PM

Does anyone know how ads with the technician work, & how much they'd cost?

I'd like to get a general idea of whether advertising in a college newspaper is affordable. If so, I would look into the specifics of getting something in the daily tarheel & take the numbers to my boss when I mention the flyer thing.

9/27/2006 5:02:39 PM

looks like there's a link to advertising on the daily tarheel's website -- check there

http://www.dailytarheel.com/rates/

9/27/2006 5:31:46 PM

you won't get the kind of results from the actions you are taking that you are expecting

listen to jackleg

9/27/2006 5:32:49 PM

haha im trying to tell you that all youre gonna accomplish is putting a big sign on your forehead that says I WILL WORK OFF THE CLOCK (STAY LATE/COME IN EARLY IF I AM SALARIED)

[Edited on September 27, 2006 at 5:34 PM. Reason : ^finally someone agrees. i am good at some things.]

9/27/2006 5:34:08 PM

atleast while i'm considered the new guy, and the skill set for the job isn't hugely complicated, i'm not sure my boss seeing that sign on my head would be bad for my job security.

9/27/2006 5:36:34 PM

sounds like youre just talking about keeping your current job, not advancing

if youre in a position that is somewhat easily replaced, you really don't have anything to worry about as long as you are competent and you don't cause your boss any headaches. because even if you can be replaced, no one likes hiring and training new people. and no one likes trading a definitely smart employee for a maybe shitty employee.

and as far as advancing goes, i think that intelligence shows much more potential than ass kissing. at any rate, think about the next level at your work, and think about if your extra-curricular activites are gonna be a part of the next level. are you proving that you can handle a promotion, or are you proving that you can do busy work and kiss ass?

im really not trying to be mean, but i think i see this on a real level every single day. and i think i know what bosses usually want. don't get me wrong, i don't think youre necessarily hurting yourself -- but i do think you're wasting your time, and possibly setting yourself up to be someones bitch in the future.

9/27/2006 5:41:59 PM

Thanks for the link roberta.

^How do I go about showing intelligence? The intelligence shown in an average days work doesn't seem its something that would ever reach the attention of the boss. It also will only maintain the clinic rather than improving it.

9/27/2006 5:49:05 PM

maybe you'd be showing intelligence by doing something else that requires more skill - since you claim to be more capable why not try something harder

9/27/2006 5:49:56 PM

it sounds like your job isnt to improve the clinic, and thats whats gonna end up getting you abused in the long run. not to say you'll never get promoted... but you dont have to do your bosses work for him just to get a promotion someday years down the road.

and as crazy as it sounds-- i think that no matter how trivial your job is, its very easy for people to tell how smart you are. and its usually not shown by how well you do, but by how much your peers fuck up. i think that supervisors notice when they have an employee that they dont have to babysit.

maybe its different where you work though, man, who knows. but i wouldnt be doing someone elses job for them. id focus on making sure i did the best at MY JOB. its good to show initiative and all that shit, but if you answer phones and take messages, i wouldnt try to branch out into marketing. sounds like you already did something good with the filing system... and thats much closer to your job description than promoting your clinic's services to the public.

do you see what im trying to say at all? im sure other people will tell you otherwise, but thats how jackleg feels. and jackleg is a businessman. and jackleg always gets that promotion

9/27/2006 5:53:41 PM

I think my plan of action will be running this idea by the boss and use the reaction as a way to judge whether or not I should do more work outside of my official job description. I'll watch for the signs of being stepped on vs gaining recognition in the workplace.

Also, I thought this tidbit from the Carrboro city meeting minutes was interesting.

9/27/2006 6:12:49 PM

right on. i don't think anyone will fault you for being business-minded and bringing new ideas to the table...

what i do know, is when your boss doesnt have to constantly worry about how you are doing, he has more time to take care of all the other crap he needs to do besides babysit. so as simple as it sounds... in a position like yours, i think the best thing to do is your own job, to the best of your ability. i know i would appreciate that a lot more than someone trying to tell me how to do my job, no matter how well-meaning they are

i'm sure theres lots of stuff that can be improved a lot closer to your desk, that will help you (and the people youre ranked with) on a daily basis. just keep your mind closer to what you are paid to do, and if you're intelligent and efficient, im sure you can come up with stuff to run by your bosses that they arent already thinking about.

9/27/2006 8:25:58 PM

I used to work at a vet clinic. I don't know how the one is run where you work at, but if you are just only doing receptionist type stuff, maybe when there is down time you can ask to do other stuff at the place, like clean out cages, walk the dogs in the kennel, assist the vets during the office visits (hold down the dog or cat when they are getting their shots, etc). At the one I worked at, the vet techs didn't do that stuff, and I don't know how many other assistants are there, but sometimes the place I worked at was really busy and always needed more help with those little things.

9/27/2006 9:06:57 PM

think more 'word-of-mouth' advertising than flyers if you want to improve their marketing.

Philosophy at UNC?? You wouldnt happen to know a Rory Haggard would you?

9/27/2006 10:07:55 PM

So I took it to my boss, and apparently one of the generic staff meetings (which includes receptionists) next month the manager (my boss) & owner had decided would be for brainstorming marketing ideas. So now I look forward thinking, rather than reactionary. I'm sure they will do some modifications to my flyer & with the meeting come up with more ideas than the few I had, so I think our marketing will end up going well.

On a side note, my insurance with this place wont kick in any time soon, and I’ve been told by a doctor that if I don’t treat my toe sooner than that, then the next step might be amputation. (I don’t want to derail the thread, b/c it’s a long & off topic story, but I mention it b/c its work related, & its bleeding a lot right now)

^What happened to rory?

9/28/2006 8:09:25 PM