Electrolux

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"The earning and growth potential
in this job is really enormous!"

_Saleem Rajwani hadgone through the usual new immigrant routine studying the employment section of the local dailies, sending out resumes and calling prospective employers.

When he walked into Aerus Electrolux (then Electrolux Canada), however, he immediately felt a sense of belonging.

"I knew I was here to stay," says the former businessman from Kenya. He has not only stayed with the organization for 13 years, he has grown with them, as well.

Rajwani started as a sales rep but moved into the service department soon after.

"I saw more opportunities there and the work suited me," says Rajwani who is today a Service Manager.

He learnt on the job. Through bulletins, seminars, job clinics, conferences, meetings with personnel from other branches and other departments...

"Think of it as getting paid to learn a new profession!"

Rajwani enjoys his work.

"Aerus Electrolux is a great company to work for. They give you a lot of freedom I feel like it's my own business."

As the Service Manager, he is not restricted to repairs and servicing.

"In fact, that forms just a small part of my job. The vacuum cleaners we make are so good that hardly any come in for repairs!" he says proudly.

Rajwani refers to himself as the interface. "My orientation is towards client servicing and customer relations and I get a lot of opportunities to interact with our clients."

When customers walk in, he's often the first person they see. He's also the first person they will probably speak with if they call the branch with questions about the product.

"We answer questions, share our expertise, sell bags and supplies, estimate the cost of a repair and provide options such as trade-ins or upgrades, etc. We are also responsible for taking stock, keeping inventory and that's a big responsibility. We're taking about two million dollars worth of merchandise in stock! Then there are mini audits..." In spite of this busy schedule, Rajwani finds the time to be involved in sales as well. And that obviously adds to the already generous pay cheque he takes home each month.

A newcomer could expect to make between $25,000 to $30,000 a year, but, as Raj-wani points out, that's just for starters.

"There are so many bonuses and incentives... you are given every opportunity to make a lot more.

"Many new immigrants are used to getting a fixed salary and are uncomfortable with a commission-based job. I say to them that here you are not limited, nor is your pay cheque. At Aerus Electrolux, the earning potential is enormous!"

To illustrate his point, he gives the example of someone who joined Aerus Electrolux less than three years ago.

"He has gone from being a salesman to regional manager to vice president, Western Canada, and looks after 35 branches now. He was making $30,000 to $40,000 a year. Well, guess what, he now takes home closer to $300,000.

"That's the kind of growth you can enjoy in this organization!"

Saleem's is one of the management profiles of Aerus Electrolux Managers in the GTA. The earnings and success stories speak for themselves! Your career opportunity with Aerus Electrolux is guaranteed, regardless of your past experience. Aerus Electrolux offers a unique Training Program, which will be customized for you, to build upon your strengths and develop new areas of expertise. Please call me at any time to discuss your future.

Parveen Agnihotri

"This is one job where you

don't stay up nights worrying

about being laid off!"

_Taufiq Valam will soon be celebrating his sixth Eid in Canada.

Born in Karachi, Pakistan, in "a respectable Memon family dealing in textiles", Valam is a commerce graduate from Karachi and he had his own import-export business of textiles. He came to Canada in 1996 after enjoying a successful stint as a businessman in the Middle East.

Soon after he settled in Toronto, a sales and marketing opportunity opened up in Aerus Electrolux and Valam joined as a sales rep.

While working as a sales representative, he had the opportunity to take service calls and found that he had a knack for customer service and technical support.

A commerce graduate in technical support?

"Sure, why not?" he asks. "I had some technical knowledge of textile machinery. I also received extensive training at the Aerus Electrolux head office. Wayne Parral, the then Regional Service Manager he is now National Service Manager trained me and showed me the way to becoming Service Manager within six months of joining the organization. Dona Iaboni was extremely supportive, too."

Valam was promoted to Regional Service Manager in July 2001.

It is obviously a job he loves doing. "I am in charge of five branches of Aerus Electrolux and look after all technical support and all inventory and stock. It is our job to ensure customer satisfaction. When we satisfy the needs of a customer, we feel proud of a job well done."

His wife and two children, aged 17 and 14, are happy, too. They are well-settled in Canada and enjoy the life-style his income brings.

This year, Valam hopes to take home over $65,000.

He puts in nine-hour days, working eight-to-five, Monday to Saturday, but points out that strictly speaking, in sales, there are no set hours. Just as there is no limit to earning potential.

"The more you work, the more you earn."

Valam sees himself growing in the Aerus Electrolux organization. "In, say, two years from now, I should be further up the ladder and making a lot more money!"

His dream? To one day have his own Aerus Electrolux franchise.

Aerus Electrolux offers the perfect opportunity for new immigrants, says Valam.

"You walk in the door and find an extremely welcoming environment. They make you feel like one of the family, and supporting hands are there from top to bottom. Aerus Electro-lux is the only authorized floor service products provider since 1924 and it's a privilege working with a group of ethical people with good product knowledge.

"This is an organization where you are your own boss."

Asked whether he can think of anything that a new immigrant may find hard to adjust to, he replies confidently: "Koi mushkil nahin hai!" (Nothing is hard!) "The sooner you start, the sooner you'll get to your manzil (goal)."

"And think about it," he adds smiling, "this is one job where you don't stay up nights worrying about being laid off!"

Taufiq's is one of the management profiles of Aerus Electrolux Managers in the GTA. The earnings and success stories speak for themselves! Your career opportunity with Aerus Electrolux is guaranteed, regardless of your past experience. Aerus Electrolux offers a unique Training Program, which will be customized for you, to build upon your strengths and develop new areas of expertise. Please call me at any time to discuss your future.

Richard Chadwick

"If you stay home and sleep,

you can't make money. If you work at it, money will come to you!"

Fereydoon Rahmani is often asked what a PhD in Urban Sociology is doing, selling vacuum cleaners.

"What am I doing? I am enjoying every moment of making a new life for my family in Canada!'" says Rahmani, otherwise known as Fred.

Rahmani came to Canada a year and a half ago with formidable academic qualifications.

Originally from Iran, he spent 15 years in Vienna, studying and working.

After emigrating to Canada, while Rahmani was looking around for a job, his friend Mehrdad, the branch manager for the Aerus Electrolux branch in Brampton, told him about the opportunities within the organization. Rahmani approached Ali Shektavi, the branch manager at Downsview the Aerus Electrolux branch closest to him for a job.

He joined them as a Sales Rep and, within one month, was promoted to Assistant Manager. In four months, Rahmani rose to become Outlet Manager, and was Acting Manager for two months when Shektavi was away due to personal reasons.

His wife Parisa and their two boys aged eight and six, have adjusted well to the new country and the demands of his job.

"I work all seven days of the week that's what it takes to succeed in customer service but I set my own schedule. It depends on the appointments."

The best part of working with Aerus Electrolux, says Rahmani, is the opportunity it gives him to meet different kinds of people.

"I enjoy the direct, face-to-face contact with people from all walks of life. I meet people from all over the world and we talk not only about business but about us as people. People are interested in my culture, I am interested in theirs.

"This job is easy and full of fun. Perfect for someone like me with a background in social sciences who likes to talk! I train newcomers and at the same time, I'm upgrading my selling skills and learning about new marketing systems through journals and programmes specially developed for us."

He is responsible for training nine members, two of them newcomers. Two more are waiting to join the team.

Rahmani sees himself growing within Aerus Electrolux.

"I want to take on more responsibility and teach as much as I've learned."

He would recommend this job to all new immigrants.

"There is no experience required. You are trained on the job. The team and the managers are friendly and supportive. For instance, I will pick up new recruits who have yet to get a driving licence and take them to their appointments. Everyone needs a helping hand, I was given all the help when I was new and I would like to pass that on."

Rahmani takes home close to $9,000 a month.

"That's why I'm here! How much I make is directly related to how much effort I put in. If you stay home and sleep, you can't make money. If you work at it, money will come to you!"

Fred's is one of the management profiles of Aerus Electrolux Managers in the GTA. The earnings and success stories speak for themselves! Your career opportunity with Electrolux is guaranteed, regardless of your past experience. Electrolux offers a unique Training Program, which will be customized for you, to build upon your strengths and develop new areas of expertise. Please call me at any time to discuss your future.

Richard Chadwick

Rakesh Kaul:
“I’ll make my million this year!”

I’ll make my million this year, says Rakesh Kaul, branch manager at the North York location of Electrolux Canada. Then he sits back in his chair, flicks his hair back and launches into the story of his life...

Rakesh grew up in Srinagar. “In the valley, we were all true lotus eaters. We never felt the need to leave, to explore. After I completed my mechanical engineering, I set up a plant for manufacturing plants, etc. Life was good.”

Things didn’t stay that way though, and Rakesh moved to Delhi before the exodus from Kashmir displaced thousands of others.

He took up a job with an insurance company, married Neeru in 1987 and a semblance of normalcy returned to life. But he found it difficult to settle down and a neighbour who sensed his restlessness, suggested Canada.

“And I thought, why not, at least weather-wise it will be like Kashmir!”

So, leaving their kids Akshaam, 8, and Abhineet, 5, behind with his parents, Neeru and Rakesh landed in Quebec in late ’95.

Like most Asians, he thought there’d be a market for all things Oriental and brought some artifacts with him, hoping to set up a business. Though the artifacts were appreciated, the orders he got weren’t enough for a business. They’d learnt French but found that unless one is absolutely fluent in spoken french, it is difficult to manage in Quebec.

“I sent out resume after resume with no luck. When we got here, we thought, wow, this is the Land of Opportunity, and were a bit reckless with our money. Soon we found ourselves running out of funds. My sister and neeru’s cousin were instrumental in getting us to move to Toronto.

“We moved into a basement apartment, and with a month’s rent paid, I gave Neeru our last $100 when she left for India. I joined Electrolux Canada as a sales dealer in December 1995 and thought to myself, I just have to make it here.”

Rakesh’s job involved “meeting customers, creating the need for using our cleaning equipment and building their value.”

In the beginning, there were setback. The first time he knocked on the door of a prospective customer, the gentleman threatened to call the police!

The hours are long. “I started out with zero sales experience. I had never sold a thing in my life. And I didn’t even have a car. Imagine, without a car in a sales job!

“I’ve sat in the office until past 9 pm, calling prospective clients. For months, I never took even a Sunday off. Oh yes, it was tough, but it was rewarding, too.”

“There were days when the boys never saw their father,” recalls Neeru of their two sons who joined them in June 1997.

“But that’s the price you pay when you are pursuing your on definition of success ad happiness. Electrolux is a great organization and I’m happy with the ay things have worked out for us.”

Rakesh’s rise in Electrolux has been meteoric. “I started as a sales dealer in December, became a field trainer the following February, assistant manager in April and branch manager in June.”

He attributes his success to Electrolux’s corporate culture. “The company rewards results. The environment stimulates personal growth. I like that. I felt I belonged. My work was respected. My division manager Richard Chadwick supported me all the way. I was determined to make it and did not want to return to Delhi without having made my mark in Toronto. It was an izzat ka sawal. Koshish to karni thi.”

Today, Rakesh is often cited as an example to newcomers who join Electrolux Canada.

“This is one sales job where you don’t have to lie to the customer. It’s a superb product. And I’m lucky to have a superb team. Everyone is personally involved.”

This year, Rakesh is determined to take his North York branch in to the elite club of Electrolux branches in Canada that have a million dollars in sales.

“We feel secure financially. We love the place and are happy here.”

Sometimes, says Rakesh, you wish you had the time to stop and take stock.

But on his recent trip to India, he realized that for them, Canada is the reality.

“This is where I want to be. This is where I’ll make my million.

- From the March 1997 issue of Desi News

Opportunity knocks!

Over the last few years, the population has doubled in the GTA.

With this growth, comes the opportunity for expansion for organizations. Electrolux Canada has been a leading appliance manufacturer in North America for over 75 years.

With over eight stores in the GTA serving its huge customer base, Electrolux also services all other makes and is the only company to offer free service to the customer’s home. This excellent service, along with quality products and a growing customer rep base has led to steady sales increase, year after year.

This year, some stores have shown a 50 per cent plus in sales. The store in Mississauga, managed by Steve Sidhu, is currently ahead of last year’s sales by 102 per cent. There are approximately 200 full time and part time customer service reps working in the GTA with the full timers averaging upwards of $35,000 a year.

This is an opportunity for new people to join the Electrolux family. Many of the current managers began their careers with little or no sales marketing background. A consistent hands-on training programme with an “I care” attitude has helped many new people forge a successful career with Electrolux.

The Electrolux Home Care Cleaning Systems are becoming a necessity in many homes.

As the population increases, the in-home pollution also rises. Electrolux has a True Hepa Filtration Cleaning System on the market which effectively handles this indoor pollution.

- From the August 1999 issue of Desi News

Parveen Agnihotri:
“I made $11,000 last month”

“When people talk of the immigrant reality, I want to share my story with them,” says Parveen Agnihotri.

The 35-year-old former medical sales representative from New Delhi took home a whopping $11,000 last month.

He came to Canada in March 1997 and began looking for a job. Relatives he was staying wit, brought home a copy of Desi News and he saw the opportunity advertisement of Electrolux Canada.

“I called the nearest branch, just like they to do in their ad and fixed an appointment to meet the branch manager.”

That meeting led to a job offer.

“I saw it nit as a job but as a great opportunity. An opportunity to quickly see a lot of money. It’s not a nine-to-five job. One can select one’s own hours. Yes, it’s a lot of hard work but I’m having fun doing it and the pay cheque is good. It’s what we all came here for, isn’t it?

“Electrolux products are unbeatable. Once you show them, they more or less sell themselves. You follow a set pattern – the organization trains you – and the product never lets you down.”

Parveen was recently promoted to branch manager. “In this job, you have to make time when the customer has time, so my hours can be a bit erratic but my family is used to it. And when I can afford a good home, send my children to the best schools, buy them anything, I feel good...I made it in my new country!”

- From the September 1999 issue of Desi News

The dirt road to success

Immigrants who come to Canada, come with great dreams and hopes.

Few leave the shores of apna desh with the intention of driving cabs in Vancouver or Toronto.

The desi hopes to start his Canadian life at 50K a year or more. Reality couldn’t be further from this illusion.

Richard Chadwick knows this very well.. He heads the Lionhead Division at Electrolux in the GTA.

Electrolux manufactures cleaning and purifying equipment of various kinds, but its flagship product is the Electrolux vacuum cleaner which comes with a five-year warranty. Along with corporate advertising, Electrolux relies largely on direct marketing. Door-to-door sales.

Desis from big cities back home must remember the omnipresent Eureka Forbes vacuum cleaner salesman. Most of Electrolux’s 250-strong sales force is desi. Richard says he realizes how Canada can be a rude eye-opener for immigrants. He is well aware that who you know is more important than what you know. Those with professional backgrounds, end up doing more humble jobs.

Going door to door selling vacuum cleaners might sound like a humble job but wait until you hear the earning potential. Richard beams that some of his desi managers – brand new immigrants – are making upwards of 100K a year.

He finds them well educated with a good command of English. He also finds that desis tend to be goal-oriented which is a big asset in commission-based sales. No wonder, eight of Richard’s nine branch managers in Toronto are desis, seven of whom have been in Canada for is than three years.

A hopeful who goes to Electrolux can start of as a manager trainee. Of course, Richard interviews him thoroughly, first. Depending upon where the candidate lives, whether or not he has a driving licence and a car, he is assigned an area. The trainee then follows an assistant manager or manager to learn the tricks of the trade. Meeting the stipulated conditions, the rookie can hope to take home between $400 and $800 a week. Ten there are performance-based bonuses and competitions. Prizes include dream trips to locations like Paris or the Bahamas.

Based on the trainee’s ability to learn the ropes, he could become an assistant manager in as little as six weeks. In this capacity, the individual the not only selling the product but also training others. Once the assistant manager takes on the duties of a manager, he plays a more supervisory role. His income depends upon the performance of his team.

Richard talks about Rakesh kaul, branch manager at Scarborough. Rakesh came to Canada four years ago and became an Electrolux branch manager within a year. This year, Richard says Rakesh’s take-home income is in excess of $100,000.

Electrolux does not necessarily look for people with a marketing background. They have a comprehensive training programme so people from all backgrounds can take it up. All they need is the drive.

Richard points out that with Southern Ontario’s booming economy, new housing complexes are springing up every day.

Every new house is a potential customer and Richard needs people to tap the potential. He says the market is growing so fast, he simply doesn’t have the manpower to service it.

That is, of course, a happy problem to have! It also means job opportunities for the desis whom Richard so earnestly swears by.

- From the December 2000 issue of Desi News

An opportunity waiting to happen

• Sanjay Verma: "I love my job!"

How does someone straight out of India feel on landing in Canada?

Right at home!

"I’ve fitted right in from my very first day here," says Sanjay Verma.

The 31-year-old mechanical engineer from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, says he felt he was ready for a change when he put in his papers to come to Canada.

"I was doing well and enjoyed my work and all that, but I was getting restless. You know, there comes a time when you want to explore new horizons?"

He says friends and relatives were a bit apprehensive about his plans to move half way across the world.

"They said it was too far, too cold, too different...but that’s what I was looking for, a change from what had become routine!"

Verma came here early this year and found the Canadian weather invigorating.

"I loved it! I used to bundle up and go out for a coffee, just to get a feel of the place."

He responded to a recruitment ad for Aerus Electrolux and was hired in February.

Verma loved his new job. "It was a great opportunity for someone straight off the plane. I had no local or Canadian experience but they hired me, trained me and left me free to make what I would of this opportunity. What an organi-zation! What a country!"

Verma’s enthusiasm for his new country and his new job paid off in a big way. Within six short months he was promoted first to assistant manager, and then branch manager, Kingston.

He expects to earn over $75,000 in his very first year in Canada.

"I work my own hours and am not tied down to a nine-to-five schedule. There are bonuses at every level and I make good money."

Verma, who had heard of problems some new immigrants face, is grateful he walked into Aerus Electrolux.

"I faced no cultural barrier here. There was no racism. There are many desis here and all of us are doing well.

"Honest, hard work pays well. It really is as simple as that!"

-From the September 2002 issue of Desi News.

I would like to be the next Electrolux success story
Here's my resume send to rchadwick@elux.com
"Electrolux Success Stories"