I was hired to sell data to businesses. For example, selling a list of people in the area for a solar company to use for marketing.
They called me an independent contractor but this was obviously an employee/boss relationship.
I live about a half hour away from the office and I was required to start at 7 AM. I tried to negotiate a better time as that was way too early for me and Mike the owner stubbornly refused. One obvious characteristic of an independent contractor is that they pick their own hours and they do NOT abide by a set schedule. I was to notify him when I clock in and when I clock out.
You are micromanaged to an insane degree and called on your personal cell phone if you're doing something the boss disapproves of like listening to music while you work or grabbing coffee before you start work. They tell you what numbers to call at what time and eavesdrop on many of your conversations. Another obvious characteristic of and independent contractor is that they play by their own rules and they don't take orders from anyone EXCEPT for their customers.
Here's how I was paid: For the first three months you receive "training pay." For the first two weeks you're paid $500 which is a little less than CA minimum wage. Then, the next two weeks you're paid $400, the next two $300 and so on and so on. After the first three months you're paid NOTHING. So, if you don't make a sale you're SOL. And even if you make sales you don't get to keep all your commissions, you split it with your boss.
Yes, you could work 40 hours a week and be paid ZERO. I don't care if commissions are uncapped and the sky's the limit, not having a base salary or any kind of financial cushion is a JOKE in San Diego County due to the cost of living being so high. Move the business to Ohio or something if you want to pay those kinds of wages.
There is no other profession where you wouldn't get paid if you don't perform well. I understand and welcome the fact that working in sales is performance based, but there is literally no reason for a legitimate business not to be able to give base pay as well.
Even if I wasn't closing deals for the company, I was still working for them and they are getting free labor.
Just because the deal doesn't close doesn't mean I didn't work on it. I spent time cold calling and prospecting to find the deal, spent my time meeting with and entertaining the customer, creating quotes, proposals, and doing whatever else they required. If that deal doesn't close, then congratulations you just spent hours of your life giving free labor to a business. A lot of times a deal can close and it isn't even really your fault, it's just dumb luck. Sometimes a competitor has a better product, better pricing, or a better, longer relationship that is totally out of my control. If I make a 100 cold calls, and no one picks up, or I don't have any meaningful conversations, I still was working for the company. I certainly wouldn't have been doing it for fun. I want to be compensated for that.
2. It only benefits the business owner.
There is literally no reason to choose a commission only job over a job with a similar OTE WITH a base salary. It is only helping the business owner, and potentially screwing you over. Also, you probably aren't getting benefits either, again also helping only the owner at your expense. (and don't say that you'd rather have no base and uncapped commissions. Uncapped commissions are already the standard for most sales jobs, if you don't have them you are also getting screwed)
3. It communicates a lack of confidence in the company and employee by the business owner.
Mike, If your company, product/service, marketing, lead gen/sales dev, sales training and support, etc is good, and you have confidence in it, you wouldn't be so scared to pay you a bit of base. It also means that they don't really care if you succeed or not. To me it communicates that they are scared that you won't be able to sell their horseshit product, and if you can't, they won't bother trying to coach you to success because it literally does not matter to them if an individual rep succeeds or not.
4. Even good salespeople are going to have bad streaks.
What if it takes you a few months to ramp up and hit your stride? What if you have somebody you love die and you have to take a lot of time off work, and are in deep emotional pain when you do come in? What if market conditions go to s**t and no one is buying? I'm not working for a job where if I have one bad month for whatever reason, I can't eat or pay rent. I understand sales is cutthroat, and I've worked jobs where they fire people within the first few weeks for not making quota and I would have gotten canned after three months below quota. But at least I'm still able to eat if have one bad month, and the company is still invested in my success and will try to help me out with strategies to get back on quota.
I see a lot of people defending 100% commission jobs. At the end of the day, I really just don't see why a legitimate company would not pay at least a nominal base salary.
Lead List Services, Inc Reviews
I was hired to sell data to businesses. For example, selling a list of people in the area for a solar company to use for marketing.
They called me an independent contractor but this was obviously an employee/boss relationship.
I live about a half hour away from the office and I was required to start at 7 AM. I tried to negotiate a better time as that was way too early for me and Mike the owner stubbornly refused. One obvious characteristic of an independent contractor is that they pick their own hours and they do NOT abide by a set schedule. I was to notify him when I clock in and when I clock out.
You are micromanaged to an insane degree and called on your personal cell phone if you're doing something the boss disapproves of like listening to music while you work or grabbing coffee before you start work. They tell you what numbers to call at what time and eavesdrop on many of your conversations. Another obvious characteristic of and independent contractor is that they play by their own rules and they don't take orders from anyone EXCEPT for their customers.
Here's how I was paid: For the first three months you receive "training pay." For the first two weeks you're paid $500 which is a little less than CA minimum wage. Then, the next two weeks you're paid $400, the next two $300 and so on and so on. After the first three months you're paid NOTHING. So, if you don't make a sale you're SOL. And even if you make sales you don't get to keep all your commissions, you split it with your boss.
Yes, you could work 40 hours a week and be paid ZERO. I don't care if commissions are uncapped and the sky's the limit, not having a base salary or any kind of financial cushion is a JOKE in San Diego County due to the cost of living being so high. Move the business to Ohio or something if you want to pay those kinds of wages.
There is no other profession where you wouldn't get paid if you don't perform well. I understand and welcome the fact that working in sales is performance based, but there is literally no reason for a legitimate business not to be able to give base pay as well.
Even if I wasn't closing deals for the company, I was still working for them and they are getting free labor.
Just because the deal doesn't close doesn't mean I didn't work on it. I spent time cold calling and prospecting to find the deal, spent my time meeting with and entertaining the customer, creating quotes, proposals, and doing whatever else they required. If that deal doesn't close, then congratulations you just spent hours of your life giving free labor to a business. A lot of times a deal can close and it isn't even really your fault, it's just dumb luck. Sometimes a competitor has a better product, better pricing, or a better, longer relationship that is totally out of my control. If I make a 100 cold calls, and no one picks up, or I don't have any meaningful conversations, I still was working for the company. I certainly wouldn't have been doing it for fun. I want to be compensated for that.
2. It only benefits the business owner.
There is literally no reason to choose a commission only job over a job with a similar OTE WITH a base salary. It is only helping the business owner, and potentially screwing you over. Also, you probably aren't getting benefits either, again also helping only the owner at your expense. (and don't say that you'd rather have no base and uncapped commissions. Uncapped commissions are already the standard for most sales jobs, if you don't have them you are also getting screwed)
3. It communicates a lack of confidence in the company and employee by the business owner.
Mike, If your company, product/service, marketing, lead gen/sales dev, sales training and support, etc is good, and you have confidence in it, you wouldn't be so scared to pay you a bit of base. It also means that they don't really care if you succeed or not. To me it communicates that they are scared that you won't be able to sell their horseshit product, and if you can't, they won't bother trying to coach you to success because it literally does not matter to them if an individual rep succeeds or not.
4. Even good salespeople are going to have bad streaks.
What if it takes you a few months to ramp up and hit your stride? What if you have somebody you love die and you have to take a lot of time off work, and are in deep emotional pain when you do come in? What if market conditions go to s**t and no one is buying? I'm not working for a job where if I have one bad month for whatever reason, I can't eat or pay rent. I understand sales is cutthroat, and I've worked jobs where they fire people within the first few weeks for not making quota and I would have gotten canned after three months below quota. But at least I'm still able to eat if have one bad month, and the company is still invested in my success and will try to help me out with strategies to get back on quota.
I see a lot of people defending 100% commission jobs. At the end of the day, I really just don't see why a legitimate company would not pay at least a nominal base salary.