Freshers' week and the hard sell
Freshers’ Week in Malta is basically one big orientation party. There are meetings in the day for different faculties and administration groups as they concern students. There is also a giant tenting affair in the Quad where student organizations, banks, telecommunications businesses and other groups set up to garner student interest.
The biggest difference between this and the American version of Back-to-School week is the type of sale. Aside from the phone companies, every other organization uses a super soft sale technique to get students interested in their activities. They may have a contest or freebies, but they do not do anything more than publish a poster or advertise in the student newspaper about it. Most of the time, the people in the tents can be seen sitting in their tents, looking a little lonely, waiting for students to come and talk to them. (I feel bad for the Christians Persecution group because he always seems to be alone.)
The phone companies have decided to take a more American and beyond approach. They have hired several people to walk around the campus asking every person they see about the type of phone service the person has. Some are clever and open with a pitch that includes getting free stuff. Others are more to the point.
One lady stopped me and asked me what kind of rate I was getting for my phone service. I told her that I didn’t have a phone. She was taken aback for just a moment and then she said, “That means you’re free, and you don’t have any payments. Good for you.”
That may not be great salesmanship, but it is real close to the truth.
The biggest difference between this and the American version of Back-to-School week is the type of sale. Aside from the phone companies, every other organization uses a super soft sale technique to get students interested in their activities. They may have a contest or freebies, but they do not do anything more than publish a poster or advertise in the student newspaper about it. Most of the time, the people in the tents can be seen sitting in their tents, looking a little lonely, waiting for students to come and talk to them. (I feel bad for the Christians Persecution group because he always seems to be alone.)
The phone companies have decided to take a more American and beyond approach. They have hired several people to walk around the campus asking every person they see about the type of phone service the person has. Some are clever and open with a pitch that includes getting free stuff. Others are more to the point.
One lady stopped me and asked me what kind of rate I was getting for my phone service. I told her that I didn’t have a phone. She was taken aback for just a moment and then she said, “That means you’re free, and you don’t have any payments. Good for you.”
That may not be great salesmanship, but it is real close to the truth.