Pros
The sales floor is a friendly and high-energy environment and many of the other sales agents are willing to help you improve. Occasionally lunches are provided for sales agents during times of high call volume if you are willing to take a short lunch. Frequent sales contests are the norm on the sales floor and outstanding performance is generally recognized which can open the door for advancement. Prima donna personalities are generally not tolerated except for the best peforming agents. Benefits (medical, dental etc) are provided after 90 days if you last that long.
Cons
Pay is very poor. When interviewed, I was told a top agent could earn in excess of $75K per year, but as a top-performing agent earning all bonuses and even as a President's Club winner, my earnings didn't break $60K. Also, due to the application and enforcement of time management, the job of selling on the phone is complete drudgery. We all know that turnover in a telesales environment is generall high, but I was not prepared for the carnage that I witnessed around me daily. The way agents and managers are terminated is the single biggest detractor to building morale and collaboration on the sales floor--employees just disappear one day and their name must never be mentioned again. While the company makes an attempt to judge sales performance objectively, too many agents manipulate the system which only punishes the agents with good character. For example, while QA of sales is supposed to be objective, only the shortest sales calls are screened meaning that you've just got to extend your call past a certain point and then you can pretty much say anything you want. This means that almost all agents get corrupted by the system that is supposed to be protecting them. And it also means that agents prone to dishonesty are often the ones who appear most successful.
