Like the accounts given under Cydcor/Malloy International, I was lured into The Marketing Firm in Chicago by an ad on CareerBuilder promising management training. "Promotion based on results..." stuff like that. The interview was like a cattle call for a movie audition - about 10 other 20-somethings like myself clad in suits, waiting to be called in to meet with Sean Vernon, the Owner/Manager of the business. But it was two at a time. The most bizarre interview I've ever been on.
I accepted an offer of employment after receiving a callback, which ended up being a day of shadowing a sales rep in the field, peddling Quill Office Supplies. I just wanted out of my other job so badly that I was willing to take any job that came my way.
I lasted a week working for The Marketing Firm. Sean (and all of the related company websites, it seems, check out www.cydcor.com and compare it to www.marketchicago.com) boasted a portfolio of Fortune 500 companies as clients, waiting for the superb sales force of The Marketing Firm to make them a lot of money.
You are supposed to report to work at 7:30 am for atmosphere and a meeting before ever hitting the streets to go DOOR TO DOOR in an attempt to get small businesses to buy Quill Office Supplies. You stay out in the field until 5, then head back to the office for the bell ringing party at 6:15.
There is no salary - it is compeltely based on commission. I made a grand total of about $150 in my entire week. And I was on my feet, busting my hump all day every day. I might not even get paid for all of it because it seems that one of my orders may have been cancelled, unbeknownst to me.
The Marketing Firm is feeding off of fresh college graduates who are looking to make their mark on the world and prove that they can be a manager. Everyone in the office keeps telling themselves that they're not there to do sales, they're there to become a manager. I wonder how many months they last.
STAY AWAY from The Marketing Firm. They'll stroke your ego and make you feel great, but at any cost, DO NOT LEAVE A JOB WITH BENEFITS! There's no health insurance, no 401K, nothing. You can buy catastrophic insurance from State Farm. But you can do that on your own, you don't need Sean to call the agent in to sign you up - I wouldn't be surprised if Sean gets a portion of that too, in addition to 25% of every sale made by one of his workhorses. Kudos to him for making it through this pyramid scheme. Unfortunately there are a lot of suckers out there to make him money for a while. Don't let it be you.
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