Direct Sales from start to finish you are responsible...
Pros
- Strong Net Worth Building Opportunities unlike other companies (401K, Stock, and Profit Sharing) - You can earn freedom to run your own schedule (comes after 5+ years of working for 60-70 hour weeks so the cost is high, but it should be noted since it is possible) - Variety of Incentives throughout year (monthly bonuses of all kinds, annual trips, etc.) - High Quality Product - Your clients are the most successful people in your area because your only prospects are people making $400k/year or more. - You learn every part of the sales cycle....cold calling, getting referrals, setting a buying atmosphere, selling, upselling, building rapport, PROSPECTING - you truly learn everything about sales in this position.
Cons
- Schedule: You are expected to work from 7-6 every weekday and encouraged to work weekends and holidays - You start from 0 clients, are trying to get to 300-400 as fast as possible and you are being compared to people getting 100% of their sales from clients, not new clients like you have to do. The expectations of starting your first two years averaging 20 new clients a month is something that is expected, but nobody has really ever been able to do it. - Unless you dedicate 100% of your life to the company, you will constantly feel like an outsider - in your office, at national meetings, etc. - The commission structure and overall pay structure makes it really easy to assume this is a Pyramid Scheme through and through. If it was the same 'pay per unit' no matter what you sold in that month it would be a little easier to believe that the company wasn't just paying a ton of money to the one or two guys leading the office and to the corporate leadership and "minimum wage" pay to the rest of the workers. Basically, when you are hired your base really isn't a base because in a few short months you will be 100% commission and many people end up making $25-$35k there first year (there is your explanation for high turnover) - Practically anyone can decide they want to be a "leader" and many do it for the pay increase so you can get stuck with someone who is very inexperienced and not that good at the job. - The national meetings are one big party and if you aren't a partier you will again feel like an outsider. All these sales reps just end up sleeping with each other and then it creates a lot of drama throughout the company - it is really weird.