Pros
CDW has been in the industry so long that most people have heard of them. Almost no call is completely cold. It's a good place to start a sales career for that reason. That does have a downside, though (see cons). CDW's health benefits are good. BCBS medical and vision, CIGNA dental. There's no fronting the cost for prescriptions and waiting for a refund. All discounts are done up front. It's a great place to get a first taste of technology sales. There are lots of entry level positions for recent college grads. For that reason, the average age of a coworker is pretty young. Systems are very easy to master. Creating quotes, finding product, and placing orders couldn't be simpler. The system does crash about once a week so be prepared for that. CDW holds a lot of contracts in the government space, which helps to open doors in that segment. Having worked at CDW for a few years looks very good on a resume when applying to another sales job, whether in IT or not.
Cons
A new AM can expect the first year at CDW to be very difficult. Unless you come from an IT background you won't know enough to be a real asset to your customers. If you're on the government side, you pretty much have to wait until someone quits to get a decent account base. There simply aren't new government entities cropping up every day, unlike businesses. CDW has been around long enough to burn many IT professionals. For that reason, many will not want to do business with a new AM. Pay is pretty low compared to others in the industry. The average small business AM makes $28k a year, so turnover there is high. If you're in small business, get to med-lar within 2 years or quit. The average med-lar rep makes $80k a year. That's not bad, but if you were doing that volume anywhere else, you would be making much more. The company is not flexible. If you're an outside the box thinker or get frustrated with broken bureaucracy, you need not apply. The same processes and systems that were broken when I started were still broken 5 years later. CDW sells so much that it's really not great at anything. It takes a few years, and many bruised relationships, to figure out what you can expect to actually deliver on. The biggest problem at CDW by far is a lack of leadership at the tactical and operational level. Managers are chosen based on diversity goals versus capability, and it shows. I would give a new hire the following advice: Do not expect your manager to coach or develop you in any way. Do not expect your manager to be able to muster any meaningful advice or resources to help you close business. Do expect your manager to ask you what's in your pipeline. Do expect your manager to lie to you. If you get very good at the job and want to make a lateral or upward move, expect your manager to block you. Get 3 years under your belt then put your resume out there.
