Having been unemployed for some time, I was responding to various job opportunities on-line. One day, I received a call from Certified Payment Processing; a.K.A. Summit Merchant Solutions, regarding the submission of my application to one of their job postings. I was astounded; as the initial phone call was not just a response, it was an interview as well, which lasted a mere five minutes and was spotty at best. It would seem, anyone having a pulse, an automobile, and not a mass murder, would qualify for the position.in asking questions, regarding the commission structure, I was told it was too complex to explain, which it really is, and the $2,000 jump start bonus, which was listed in the job posting, was conditional, based on hitting certain performance pegs, as was being paid any reimbursement for gas allowance, cell phone expense, or even being able to qualify for health care benefits. All of these conditions, plus this being a commission only job, raised a red flag, but being unemployed for several months, with no other opportunities presenting itself, I gave it some thought, as I was told I would be called back in a half hour, as my information would need to be reviewed to be hired. Guess what? In thirty minutes, overall, from initial contact; I was the newest employee of this company, if I so desired. Yes, a red flag popped up for me, and I asked to talk to one of the current sales people of I could, to get their take on the job. I was directed instead to what is called a, Team Leader, who I spoke with for about an hour regarding the job. It was discussed, as was posted in the on-line job description, there were three to four pre-set appointments in the territory I was to work, each day, with possibly five, or more, if I could handle that many. These appointments are called, and then go through a confirmation process, by a second party, I was informed, to insure their legitimacy and then called the next morning, by a telephone recording, as a reminder someone will be stopping by that day. We discussed the earnings opportunities at hand, and it seemed with the explanation I received, this position may fill my requirements, if everything I was told was true. Needing the money, and having confidence in my twenty five years plus sales experience, I decided to take a chance and accepted the job. I was told training was the next morning; and all day session, which was on-line, in a Webinar. The next morning I logged in for the training session. The session lasted about eight hours, but to say anyone is equipped to professionally represent anything, after that period of time would be negligent at best. The trainer, though knowledgeable, ran at lightning speed pace, and I would call this training an overview and nothing more. Its a joke to think otherwise. At the end of the day, I was introduced to my team leader, who I was told would be my coach, to help guide me along the way to success in the field. The companys formula involves a sales rep to go to the appointment, talk to the merchant and then call the team leader, while at the merchants place of business, after gathering information, so a competitive Visa and Mastercard rate, any equipment needs, and other services, such as gift cards, plus other benefits may be presented. It was presented in training the team leader would be there to close the sale for you during your initial days with the company. Here is what I found upon entering the field. The so called, pre-set and confirmed appointments are a far cry from what I was lead to believe they were. On most occasions the business owner claimed they had no idea I was coming out, had point blank told whoever called, they did not want to see anyone, was a chain operation, with no decision maker at that location, which was explained, or the owner was not there. There were times that the appointment was legit, but ninety percent of the pre-set appointments were a waste of time, not to mention the gas money, as some could be an hours drive from my home. Also, you are not given more than one appointment at a time, so there is no way to plan your week, let alone your day. This, I was told was because there were instances where previous reps sold the appointments to other credit card processors. Lets get to an appointment itself. When at an appointment and the information is gathered, calling in is quite a chore. You are placed on hold, in a cue, with the all too familiar words, Wait a minute, heard every time you dial in. When you do get your team leader on the phone and give the info you have gathered, the Help, is instructions which are piece meal, Do this and call me back, as the team leader has multiple phone calls waiting in the wings from other reps, as it is a revolving door of a sales cycle. Having no real training and spotty instructions at best, one is felt like youre left hanging in the wind, with no real product knowledge, and just a warm bodied robot who says this to a merchant. When the merchant has a question, after you deliver the instructed info, you most often have no clue what to say, as the credit card business has many subtitles to it, so you need to call back to the team leader, be placed back on hold, for another four to five minutes, get another quick answer, with, Call me back and let me know what he says, where I thought the team leader was supposed to close these deals, and the merchant in many cases feels like the outfit and you yourself are very unprofessional. Considering all of the above, can you blame them? Speaking of unprofessional, lets talk about items which begin with the business cards you present the potential customer. You are e-mailed a template for a business card, where you can go to an office supply and then buy, at your own expense, blank business cards to run through your computer printer. If you want to take one and have it done at t print shop, feel free, but again, it is out of your own pocket. The company does not pay for your business cards. As far as any commission statements, you need to have your boss e-mail them to you and there are so many factors to how the commission is added up, forget trying to figure out if it is paid correctly, but I do trust that it is. You have to log onto a web site to print out your pay stub, as none is mailed to you. The industry itself is pretty beat up, I am finding out. It seems merchants have been hammered by multiple credit card companies, all vying for their business, offering claims of having the lowest rates. While Summit does have a way to counter this and does offer a very competitive rate and other services of value, it is extremely difficult to gain any trust, as this seems to be a dog eat dog kind of market, with merchants being under contract with current providers, facing cancellation fees if they break their current agreements. Summit claims they will pay cancellation fees, but that is only up to $250, and most cancellation fees merchants face are in excess of that amount. I have made some sales, but at the current rate, I would be facing a poverty level income at best, and an unemployment check would offer a better alternative than what I have made here. Considering the amount of money I have spent on gas and cell phone expense, I would say I have actually paid money in order to work for this employer. I am a seasoned sales professional, with over 25 years of sales experience, have multiple sales awards, have been at the top, or near the top of my office in any position I have held, with an income level in the upper fives. I would rate this job opportunity, overall, as a joke; unless you are trying to break into sales and want to gain some experience, or are semi-retired, wanting to do something with your spare time. Even then, I would accept no appointments, which are no further than 10 to 15 miles from my home, as many they try to send you on are an hours drive time, each way. This is definitely a case of, Let the buyer beware. There are catches to the bonuses, the mileage reimbursements and all the benefits they offer. To me, at least, these are not practices of a reputable employer, even if it is a commission only position. If you have a family to support, or even solid financial commitments to meet, I would definitely be looking elsewhere.
0 comments