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Just got into a commission-only sales job. Did I make a mistake?

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Laughlin

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So I just graduated in December in the field of television/radio. I'm working a sales job at a TV station in a smaller market. I'm new to the job obviously, but a conversation with a coworker has me worried now.

After 3 months, I'm on straight commission. I've been told I'll be given accounts to tide me over in the beginning. But that coworker now has me worried that not only does commission suck, but if I do succeed, I'll be stuck in sales forever. Which I'm not sure is something I want to do, yet I'm still not sure yet since its early.

Any advice to help ease my mind, GAF? Any salespeople out there?
 
If you tend to be highly extroverted, it shouldn't be too bad I would think. But, it would not be a job for me. I hated selling shit. Especially when your pay depends on it.

Keep your job options open in the meantime, that's my advice.
 
Start rumors about manager, get manager removed.
Become manager.
Welcome to salary.

I would say just do the best job you can do, and keep your search open for stuff just in case you find this isn't meeting your needs in any way. But that's the same for any job, really.
 
I work at a start-up, and while I don't work in sales I often work closely with that team. Sales is a very tough position. Depending on the sales cycle, it can be weeks or months before your first sale closes (and you get paid). Most higher end sales jobs are base salary ($100K or more) + commission. Commission only, in my experience, exists only for: bad jobs, young people, or hyper aggressive people who need to "win".

Will you get stuck in sales? Well, I only know a few people who have transitioned out of sales to something else. If you are very good at selling for a very long time, you can become head of sales, head of Business Development, etc. And at that point you become more a part of the management of your company.

That said, good sales people are very valuable, can make a lot of money, and will always be in demand. We are constantly looking for (senior) sales people, so it's a portable job. Happy to answer any questions about this.
 
If you're good, you can make bank. If not, you're going to struggle. The only commission job I ever had was selling computers at Circuit City in 1998-99. I tend to hate typical salespeople, so I tried to be the salesperson I would want to deal with as a customer. I was the best-informed person on the floor and probably the most helpful, but also one of the lowest paid because my commissions sucked. The way to make a lot of money at that job was to sell service plans and I didn't sell many of them. There was this guy named Peter that only worked a couple days a week who made a killing because he was so good at closing service deals. The only reason I ever made any money at all there was because they fucked up payroll for several of us that were there when the store opened and made our base hourly a lot higher than it should have been (you had to clock in and were paid the greater of your commissions in a pay period vs. worked hours x base hourly rate).
 
Start looking for another job and do the best you can in the meantime.

Sales is brutal and making it commission only is even worse. But the good news is you will learn a ton doing this job and develop a lot of good skills that you can use for the rest of your life. Whatever you do after this is going to seem easy.
 
Yeah, keep your eyes open for a new job, but try hard in the meantime. Who knows, you might really excel at it.

One of the keys is to work hard but have fun with it.

Remember: NEVER let 'em see you sweat. All sales people get stressed out, but the ones who actually seem stressed out and desperate are fucked. Even if you're broke, keep smiling and joking. Actually pay attention to the people you're dealing with and get to know them at least somewhat. Not only does it make you more successful, but it makes the job more interesting. Just stay in a good mood. Think of the most gregarious fictional character you know and emulate him/her. Smile when you talk on the phone. Stay happy. It's good for your career and it's good for you.
 
Haha, your coworker might be trying to discourage you in order to make you lose confidence and struggle, thus making them look better! heheh

Really though, you should try to do a good job and also succeed in sales - all the while, be looking for other jobs. In the end, you can use this position as a point of experience and also, if you make a good impression, have a reference.
 
Commission only job? Leave as soon as you can. You'll never make what they said you would potentially make. If there are other sales people there they'll fuck you over for a sale. Total shark pit.
 
Yeah I given a commission only job, didn't take it as I agree going to people houses and trying to sell them crap.

The fact it was commission only and that the company was a little dodgy didn't help either.
 
A good sales job at a minimum should be providing you guidance on what you can expect to earn. 100% commission is typical of churn and burn style shops that bring in new meat on the regular because all that's needed is a warm body manning the phones or lugging the sample case from house to house. I'm sure good 100% commission jobs exist but I am unfamiliar with them.
 
I'm in sales and have a few deals to close today so I'll be busy. Caught this thread on a potty break so I'm subbing to offer some advice later. But I'll say that commission only for your first sales job sounds like a terrible gig... My first sales job at least had 30k base pay in the Midwest where cost of living is lower.
 
Sales is rough, business development is kind of cool, product management is the best place you could end up from a sales position.

Commission only would be a major red flag to me.

Edit to say, business begins and ends with sales. No matter what product you have or how good your marketing is, there comes a point when the most important person is the one who can extract the cash and keep the customer base growing.
 
As someone who works with salesman on a daily basis in Real Estate, OP you'll be fine if you have the confidence of knowing your product/service and knowing what you're really selling to people.

A job like that is scary because it's very freeing from a 9-5 schedule. All that matters is bringing money in, so you are free to do that in any way fit(legally of course).

Don't do it only for the money though. You'll never be satisfied and you'll drive yourself to the poorhouse.

Do it to gain skills that will benefit you down the road or to become more of an extrovert.

A lot of the top CEO jobs are essentially Sales driven jobs. Having a good set of sales and negotiation skills are essential to moving up in the world.
 
If you have the ability to work that sales outside of the office, I would highly suggest doing it in the office till you get your confidence and commitment up. I loved the idea of staying home and making calls and setting meetings, but I found that without having a place to go in and call the office or work at, you never get the feeling that you are away from work. You will sit down to watch TV or play a game and think that maybe you shouldn't be doing that, maybe you should work a little more. I found it best to just go in, getting all my scheduling out of the way and set up all my meetings in the office, and then when I got home, I didn't have to worry about it. I personally believe you need a buffer from work and home, but each person is different. Find what works for you
 
For those asking about my goals with this job. Obviously I plan to make money, but I plan to further my career in television or digital media, which I do both of here. Which is one of the reasons I took the job here, as it's something I'm interested in and want to pursue.

But thanks for the advice GAF keep it coming! Can always use more perspective. While I'm still early and not necessarily doing any deals yet, maybe I'll put out my resume just in case. It can't hurt.
 
Laughlin said:
For those asking about my goals with this job. Obviously I plan to make money, but I plan to further my career in television or digital media, which I do both of here. Which is one of the reasons I took the job here, as it's something I'm interested in and want to pursue.

But thanks for the advice GAF keep it coming! Can always use more perspective. While I'm still early and not necessarily doing any deals yet, maybe I'll put out my resume just in case. It can't hurt.
Click to expand...

Also consider that your co-worker may be scaring you away from the commission only job to pad his/her pocket more. Take that into consideration.
 
Depends. It's a bad job if it's commission only unless it's a situation like a realtor, but that's a self-business model.

Most sales jobs start with a base salary. Then you have a commission structure on top. Then to ensure good performance, quotas are usually in place for sales people.

I personally love commission as you get what you put in, but I wouldn't accept a commission only jobs. Some months you make $30k, some you make $0. All depends on sales cycles.
 
GhostWriter24 said:
So at a local TV station you're trying to sell ad space, huh? Good luck with that...
Click to expand...

Why do you say that? If you watch any local TV station they all have a lot of ads.

As for everyone stating I should have a base salary, that's kinda concerning. I guess I should've done more research...
 
Laughlin said:
Why do you say that? If you watch any local TV station they all have a lot of ads.

As for everyone stating I should have a base salary, that's kinda concerning. I guess I should've done more research...
Click to expand...

It depends on the commission structure.

If you're 100% commission, you eat what you kill but you also don't have the company taking any of your income, which means hiring an accountant and keeping receipts.

In that instance, nearly everything you spend is a tax deductible expense, but I am not an accountant. Consult one if you are a pure sales guy.
 
Laughlin said:
Why do you say that? If you watch any local TV station they all have a lot of ads.

As for everyone stating I should have a base salary, that's kinda concerning. I guess I should've done more research...
Click to expand...

I'm not saying TV ads are irrelevant, only that there's a precipitous decline in the market for them now in an internet-driven economy.
 
DoktorEvil said:
It depends on the commission structure.

If you're 100% commission, you eat what you kill but you also don't have the company taking any of your income, which means hiring an accountant and keeping receipts.

In that instance, nearly everything you spend is a tax deductible expense, but I am not an accountant. Consult one if you are a pure sales guy.
Click to expand...

It's 20% commission.
 
Laughlin said:
Why do you say that? If you watch any local TV station they all have a lot of ads.

As for everyone stating I should have a base salary, that's kinda concerning. I guess I should've done more research...
Click to expand...

i think hes tryin to say, limited/small population = only lowcost ads = you won't see much on each sale.
 
Sales is easy if you try and don't mind dealing with people and there is also good money in it for those motivated enough.

Don't feel like you've hit the bottom because you're doing a sales role, or a commission only one for that matter.
 
Laughlin said:
Why do you say that? If you watch any local TV station they all have a lot of ads.

As for everyone stating I should have a base salary, that's kinda concerning. I guess I should've done more research...
Click to expand...

you should definitely have a base salary, or at least a draw against future sales in case things go to shit. Any sales job worth having will at least invest that much in you. As someone else said, pure commission jobs are either "churn and burn" and go through a ton of people, or so laughably high paying that a salary is pointless. Your sales job doesn't sound like the latter.

As for "local tv stations have a lot of ads!" well, sure. businesses have to advertise. the problem for you is that most of the low hanging fruit (the big auto dealerships, etc) likely already are doing business with your station, or a competitor. You're going to have to find the UNLIKELY customers (new restaurant opening?), or steal big fish from competing stations. Good luck.

what do you know about your sales cycle? it can take days to close a sale, or it can take months. Do you get paid when they book the business with you? or when the payment actually arrives? all of this stuff makes a big difference.
 
Manmademan said:
you should definitely have a base salary, or at least a draw against future sales in case things go to shit. Any sales job worth having will at least invest that much in you. As someone else said, pure commission jobs are either "churn and burn" and go through a ton of people, or so laughably high paying that a salary is pointless. Your sales job doesn't sound like the latter.

As for "local tv stations have a lot of ads!" well, sure. businesses have to advertise. the problem for you is that most of the low hanging fruit (the big auto dealerships, etc) likely already are doing business with your station, or a competitor. You're going to have to find the UNLIKELY customers (new restaurant opening?), or steal big fish from competing stations. Good luck.

what do you know about your sales cycle? it can take days to close a sale, or it can take months. Do you get paid when they book the business with you? or when the payment actually arrives? all of this stuff makes a big difference.
Click to expand...

We can get a draw if we need, though I'm not sure that's something I'd like to do unless necessary. And I believe you get paid when the business is booked.
 
Depending on the sales position, you can get some nice benefits such as taking prospective customers out to dinner/lunch or to a Celtics game in the corporate box. I've been wined and dined by reps who want to get my business.
 
n64coder said:
Depending on the sales position, you can get some nice benefits such as taking prospective customers out to dinner/lunch or to a Celtics game in the corporate box. I've been wined and dined by reps who want to get my business.
Click to expand...

I might get benefits, but it won't be anything like that. Like I said, it's a small market.
 
I think commission only is a fucking scummy payment model. I see it as a shitty exploit that lets companies "employ" people for less than minimum wage.

Sure, some jobs may might give shittons of commission so that the employees can make a living wage on a normal level of sales, but most of the time it just reeks of exploitation to me. I've known people who work a lot but rarely make sales, so they spend hours effectively working for no pay at all.

Edit: holy shit I didn't notice this thread was from last year.
 
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