I interviewed this morning with a marketing consultant group. At the end of the interview I wanted to ask the broad question of "So what exactly is your business model?" and "What is it exactly that you offer of value to your clients?"
After the interview today I get the impression that they don't really offer much in the way of value to their clients. They basically do door to door "sales" to small businesses for large companies. But the whole time the emphasis was on growing and expanding into new markets and not really focusing on selling better. More or less it seems like they are stuck with the door to door sales and look for growth in adding people to pound the pavement, but the whole time the interviewer was trying to sell me on Manager in Training program. The position pays comission only. The whole set up seems a bit ponzi-schemeish in the way that all they really do is knock on doors, but it doesn't seem like they are focused on knocking on doors, but growing.
I would like an answer to my two questions above, but want to know a professional way to ask them. I will be speaking with the owner tomorrow to possibly discuss an offer, should I ask then?
Thanks for all your help.
Nate
Nate, I'd have to know more
Nate,
I'd have to know more about the position for which you're interviewing before I could comment more.
However, those questions are certainly not appropriate to ask BEFORE you get the offer. Get the offer first, then if you have to ask before accepting, do so.
Mike
Is this a job
"commission only": is that a job? That way they can recruit the whole wide world to work for them. I would think that changes things! This reduces the "offer" from the company by an important component. I would definitely want to know not only the customer offerings, but also how that company cares for their "employees"!
edit: Are they offering also to pay you part of the commission for any new sales people you bring on board? In that case please check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-level_marketing before deciding whether you want to get involved.
A friend of mine once
A friend of mine once recruited me to sell knives on commission only basis as part of a "Manager in Training" program. I had to buy my own set of demo knives. I still have those knives 20 years later. I couldn't sell anything but my buddy got the commission for my set of demo knives.
Beware of these "Manager in Training, Commission Only" positions or you may end up with a set of knives and little else.
I found this on the Dilbert site and thought of my steak knives
tinyurl.com/ls3rzh
I wonder of Scott Adams
I wonder of Scott Adams reads M-T forums.
-Jazz
Commission Only Jobs
Dear MT'er's
I can't count how many times people have offered me commssion only sales jobs. And I rejected every one of them. If there are any MT'ers that are out there that make a decent living and have had a successful career doing this please inform us on the success rate.
Here is my take on these kind of offers. First, if you have to pay anything to join their company., then they just made a sale. Keep your money in your pocket.
Second, if they ask you to sit by a phone and take orders, and the phone is ringing constantly and you can see REAL products that you have seen people buy, accept the offer.
Third, a good associate marketing manager once told me "if you think you only want that thing (or person on a job) since it is FREE, then it really has no value to it. If it has value, they you would spend money on it to buy it. If anyone is not clear on this write me directly for clarification.
Finally, a good sales person knows that to make a sale you have to spend time meeting the client to understand their SPIN, situation, problem. implications, needs. Nate, ask them how long is the sales cycle, when is the peak buying season, who are the decision makers, these are some examples of sales interview questions. Driving around and building relations with clients is called marketing and branding, or business development. What if you spend 3 months calling a client and then they quit the job or get laid off or die. Or their manager drops in and cans the deal. YOU get nothing, and the company's brand is better known.
If they thing you can add value to the company, there needs to be a number tied to that value. If you cost them 1000 a month, and generate 1750, then you have a positive ROI. If they pay you nothing, then they have made no investment in you to succeed. And you will give up and quit as soon as you find a better opportunity, or see all the skeletons in their closet.
Hope people find this useful.
JHBChina