In May of this year, I responded to an ad in my local newspaer for an experienced outside sales person. I was contacted by a secetary in the company wanting me to send in a resume. I e-mailed my info in. The next day I recieved a phone call from a man in the company who wanted to interview prospective employees.
After a lenghty phone interview I was hired. I was that I would be contacted the next to do m, y employement paper work. This being done, I was asked for my credit card so they could charge my account for the $399.00 fee other people have talked about.
In 3 days I had my kit and my other supplies. So far so good. I was assigned a inhouse trainer and was told I would have a field trainer. The field trainer came down and we started work on May 13. The first 2 days out we sold 7 new accounts and he made over $1000.00. My first 3 days alone I sold 3 accounts and matched his $1000. So my first week I made pretty good money. Because he didn't sell the way they wanted him to (use that stupid calculator) they wouldn't send him again. The next guy came in, He didn't sell anything. Even though I sold some product the next day I didn't get the match, which really cut down my check. Another field trainer came down and we went to an appointment that I had set up. We got a big sale, but guess what I didn't get one penny commission for that sale. I LATER FOUND OUT THIS WAS THE NORM.
The 13 weeks training I was promissed turned out to be only six weeks. Because if the 25% commission deduct for bad accounts, I started asking for a check with the order, so I wouldn't have the 25% deduct.
To make a long story short, I put on 40 new accounts in 3 monthhs, I sold enough product to get back my $350.00 BUT THERE WERE PROBLEMS THAT AROSE, the more time I spent with the company. Here are some examples.
I had two different in house trainers. I don't remember the first guys name but the second was Jim Woodward. He was alright but the more I talked to him the less I TRUSTED HIM.
They sent 5 calculators that I didn't order and charged me $45.
The computer sales pitch was a joke and to take away the calculator if they didn't get a order was tacky and paramount to being an Indian giver.
When you had a warrenty claim they wouldn't replace the bad bulb unless the client ordered six 8 foot bulbs or 12 4 ft bulbs.
They would never give you a list of people who had bought product before.
Jim told me when I asked about this, I was told the company wanted you to stumble on to the account. I stumbled onto 3 accounts and felt like a fool when I found they already clients.
They wanted you to get new business, so when you left some person could claim those accounts and get the follow up sales.
Arter I left, one of the inhouse sale people called one of my accounts (who hppened to be a close friend of mine and tell him that the bulbs were going up by $2.00 per bulb the first of November and that I had set a dozen bulbs back for him. If he took that dozen bulbs, he would send him a black and decker coffee maker. When my friend told him he didn't need the bulbs. He said he would send him the coffee maker any way because he was such a good customer. Guess what no coffeee maker as of today. They called my church and told the seceraty that they were sending her the dozen bulbs that she had ordered. My wife works with her, the sec offered to let guy talk to my wife, They hung up when he found out my wifes laST NAME.
One last thing they tell you they withhold your 25% incase some of you sales don't pay. They will hold this money for 150 days. To be sure all accounts ar paid. Since most of my sales were turned in with a check and none of them owe any money they still will not give me money. So, I am having to wait until April to get the money they owe me.
So., to finish up this long complaint. Here is the way it is. If you want to sell a good but over priced product for a company that will tell you any thing you don't want to hear and nothing that you want to hear, listen to some guy tell you how he used to walk in and not even give a demo and make all these sales, work with a inhouse trainer that is a smoke blower, work with some field trainers, who take your appointments and pocket the money from the sale leaving you with nothing and give away a $9.00 calculactor to get a sale then take it away if the person doesn't buy, then this is the company you want to work for. If not run for the hills.
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