Pros
I'm currently in my 13th week as an Outside Sales Representative with UniFirst (Cleveland, OH). Not only is it my 13th week with this company but also the 13th week of my sales career as a whole. Being my first job right out of college I honestly could not have asked for a better transition into the "Real World". The opportunities that I have been presented with in such a short time are enough to get someone at any level of their sales career excited. I recentely just hit my first selling RampUp Bonus and am working towards my second. The training that you recieve at UniFirst starting day 1 does everything to set you up for success. What really made the difference for me was my "team". My sales manager goes above and beyond to help me and the rest of her reps develop ourselves each day. Her as well as feedback from my Regional Sales Manager, and GM make this team atmosphere a good one. My selling teammates are not only here for support but to light a fire under each others butts and motivate each and every day-- WHO WANTS TO BE THE BEST?! For someone who is self-motivated, competitive and looking for ways to be resonsible for their own success UniFirst is a great fit.
Cons
Like with most selling jobs comes stress. You're going to work a lot of hours -- if you're done with your work at 5 because you have a 9-5 you're doing something wrong. But I will say the more work you put into it the more successful you're going to be. The first weeks of training are intense i'm not going to sugarcoat anything you're going to be working and studying late into the evening. But like i said above, completely worth it as well as necessary. If you can't handle stress or "crunch time" I would consider rethinking-- things that don't come easy are usually worth it. I personally am one who likes to be held accountable for myself. My success as well as my failure. With this job I am accountable for both, which gives me an incentive to put that extra work in! Which can be both a blessing and a curse. If you can't handle rejection or don't have thick skin I would consider another career path-- it would probably take me an hour to count how many times i've been told "NO" or to "never come back". Just like with any sales job there are going to be cons, which is exactly why sales isn't for everyone. I would advise making sure it's something you're comfortable with before applying with any company.
