Run for the hills!!! - Sales Representative Pitney Bowes Employee Review

One of the worst work experiences I have ever had. Ridiculously complicated/poor compensation plan - it starts you off at a 1% commission with the slight possibility of earning up to 11% commission if you reach sales revenue numbers that take 6 months to reach. The trick is that at 6 months your compensation plan gets set back to zero, and you are back to earning 1% commission . Management tried to explain that you can earn extra $$$ with the quarterly incentive bonuses which are designed to be difficult to obtain - again, another cruel practical joke. Let's talk about the slashing of the sales force in 2010. Over 50% of the sales reps were let go while the management that drove the Seattle district from the #1 spot in 2009 to the lowest ranking in 2010 were retained/rehired. The performance management process is brutal and unrealistic. If you are below 80% in your first 6 months on the job, you will be put on a PIP (performance improvement plan) and then a CAP (corrective action plan) and then fired. Management tries to sell the performance management as a positive thing - we CARE about YOU here at Pitney Bowes and about your SUCCESS. I don't think any of the sales reps bought that line. Management is more preoccupied with self advancement than connecting with the sales reps. The disastrous Conquest Channel is a good example of the disconnect. District Managers were instructed to hire competitive sales reps across the country to convert competitive accounts - these people were hired and without a manager for several months, given poor quality account lists, little/no support had their accounts stolen by the regular Pitney Bowes reps - the reward they received were massive firings across the board when they could not produce the numbers needed to satisfy the shareholders within a ridiculous 6 month time frame. All the while, the reps had to sit through bizarre district meetings where the District Manager told us how great things were, how awesome our opportunities were if we would just work for them (meanwhile most reps I knew were partially living off of credit cards to support themselves). It was like the fairy tale, The Emporer's New Clothes - the disparity between reality and the pep talk sales meetings was quite staggering. Management clearly had their favorites. Overall I would recommend avoiding this company, the industry is in decline and Pitney Bowes is stuck in 1987 and has failed to transform itself with the times......