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Commission only sales job?

Itizn

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I had a d2d job but it wasn't commision. Regardless I definitely learned some valuable skills as it was a rather unique sales job. It also certainly helped with me eventually making cold calls to try and get my own business off the ground.
 
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Ing

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Why don’t you go to Walmart , buy some smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms, go to some houses and start to sell them? As a start if you want to learn.

It worked 40 years ago, why not now?
 

broswoodwork

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Why don’t you go to Walmart , buy some smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms, go to some houses and start to sell them? As a start if you want to learn.

It worked 40 years ago, why not now?
My best guess is he's someplace where smoke alarms are a newer household feature.
 

Tipoki13

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My best guess is he's someplace where smoke alarms are a newer household feature.
Nope I'm in a first world country, they've been around for years. Which is why I think it's such a hard sell. Everyone has them already
 
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broswoodwork

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Nope I'm in a first world country, they've been around for years. Which is why I think it's such a hard sell. Everyone has them already
Oof... Hmmm. I hate to be negative, but I'd definitely pass on this personally.
 

broswoodwork

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Here's a fun blast from the past, if you want some sales experience, and you're going to be working for free anyways.
 

Tipoki13

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Oof... Hmmm. I hate to be negative, but I'd definitely pass on this personally.
That's what I'm thinking. Honestly I'm still unsure. Everybody around me is telling me not to do it and even ridiculing me about it. Having said that people around me have ridiculed me for saying that I care more about learning in a job than the money. I'm 24, I should be taking risks and seeking opportunities to learn over anything else? On the flip side though, I might not make money for weeks even a few months maybe (I realise this is a bad mindset but you have to be realistic too). I can't really afford to not make money for weeks
 
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ChrisV

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"Commission only" always raises red flags for me. Those gigs can be really scammy. They just get a billion people to push their products and don't care if you don't sell shit because they're not paying you anyway.
 

duscle

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I cant think of anything worse than this. Rejection after rejection from householders and their angry pets and on top of it commison only! You surely cant tell me there are no other jobs in your area.
 

minivanman

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I remember back when people just started putting solar panels on their house (in my area anyway). I got a job with a company going d2d and to this day I remember the 1 and only day I worked there. This was not the name of the company but it all started with and S sound kinda like this..... Hi, I'm Bob with Sun City Solar Systems and I was.... blah blah blah. It sucked and I couldn't go back. I also took a job for 1 day driving around selling tools to farmers. I remember this job because me and that guy had a heck of a fun day! We didn't sell any tools but we had fun (he loved Michael Jackson so we jammed out! lol).... he was driving and 'experienced' at it so atleast it didn't cost me anything.

Is it going to cost you anything to do it for a day? You will either like it or remember it 30 years later like I do.

I did lots of things 1 day. lol I was a gold medal winner for the decathlon and in the best shape of my life.... worked on an oil rig for 1 day and it kicked my @SS!! lol Worked as a grocery sacker for 1 day. Good job, if I could have woke up on time I should have kept that job. Helped a brick layer for 1 day. Tough job! Helped a landscaper for about 5 minutes. We were going to have to rake small leaf bits out of dirt for 8 hours. I walked off. lol I helped break up concrete for 1 day. I ran a large printing press that printed those billboard signs on the side of the road for 1 day. Cool experience. Another job I should have tried to keep for that time in my life but again, couldn't bring myself to wake up on time. I worked at an upholstery shop for 1/2 a day. Worked as a dishwasher for 1 day. Worked at a mechanic shop for 1 day. I was a telemarketer for 1 day. Let me tell you about this, we had telephone books and we went down the row calling people offering them a subscription to their local newspaper. Believe it or not, the owner of that company made a boat load of cash. He rented a small place for people to call out of, got some free telephone books, 8 desks and 8 phone lines. I did half way decent and sold I think 8 subscriptions but it just wasn't my thing.

And probably a few more 1 day jobs. I learned from every single 1 of these jobs. I still remember each one. Glad I worked every one of those jobs.
 
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awsamro

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So I have a dilemma - I've been offered a door-to-door sales job but it's commission only?

I'll be selling house alarms, smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms to households. I feel this would be a hard sale as most households would be kitted out with these anyway and would be unlikely to change, maybe I'm wrong?

I have no sales experience and it's a skill that I really want to learn but I need to eat too.

Should I take the job for the training provided and the overall experience or should I look elsewhere?

Any advice would be much appreciated.
Hello,
I’ve spent the last 10 years doing a commission only sales job selling mortgages. Here is my 2 cents for you:

1- Sales skills are awesome to learn. The best thing you can do is invest in a sales Training program beyond what the company offers (best i’ve done is Tony Robbins Mastering Influence) and learn the concepts in the program then go apply them in your job. It will accelerate your learning and make your job far more valuable in terms of self growth.

2- The product you are selling is good because everyone needs one. Also - the channel of door to door is a good start but there are many other things you can do to land big accounts like sell directly to a builder or through real estate agents. Agents are always looking for ways to thank their clients. Maybe they can thank them with a brand new alarm system for their new home? Depending on your price point some agents might love the idea. Look for ways to connect with people who can move quantity for you - not one door at a time.

3- You can be successful right off the bat if you work your a$$ off.

4- Having a safety net is nice. When I first started I was nervous going from a secure job to commission only. I told my parents they indicated that they will be my safety net. In my first year i doubled my regular income. I wae making 45k salary and I made 90k in the first year. I never needed the safety net but it was good to have it for my stress levels to remain in check.

5-sales jobs are good for building some capital, learning to connect, and developing you as a person. It is not a Fastlane.

Hope this helps ;)
 

awsamro

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I remember back when people just started putting solar panels on their house (in my area anyway). I got a job with a company going d2d and to this day I remember the 1 and only day I worked there. This was not the name of the company but it all started with and S sound kinda like this..... Hi, I'm Bob with Sun City Solar Systems and I was.... blah blah blah. It sucked and I couldn't go back. I also took a job for 1 day driving around selling tools to farmers. I remember this job because me and that guy had a heck of a fun day! We didn't sell any tools but we had fun (he loved Michael Jackson so we jammed out! lol).... he was driving and 'experienced' at it so atleast it didn't cost me anything.

Is it going to cost you anything to do it for a day? You will either like it or remember it 30 years later like I do.

I did lots of things 1 day. lol I was a gold medal winner for the decathlon and in the best shape of my life.... worked on an oil rig for 1 day and it kicked my @SS!! lol Worked as a grocery sacker for 1 day. Good job, if I could have woke up on time I should have kept that job. Helped a brick layer for 1 day. Tough job! Helped a landscaper for about 5 minutes. We were going to have to rake small leaf bits out of dirt for 8 hours. I walked off. lol I helped break up concrete for 1 day. I ran a large printing press that printed those billboard signs on the side of the road for 1 day. Cool experience. Another job I should have tried to keep for that time in my life but again, couldn't bring myself to wake up on time. I worked at an upholstery shop for 1/2 a day. Worked as a dishwasher for 1 day. Worked at a mechanic shop for 1 day. I was a telemarketer for 1 day. Let me tell you about this, we had telephone books and we went down the row calling people offering them a subscription to their local newspaper. Believe it or not, the owner of that company made a boat load of cash. He rented a small place for people to call out of, got some free telephone books, 8 desks and 8 phone lines. I did half way decent and sold I think 8 subscriptions but it just wasn't my thing.

And probably a few more 1 day jobs. I learned from every single 1 of these jobs. I still remember each one. Glad I worked every one of those jobs.
Super funny
What do you do for money now?
 

Kevin88660

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WJK

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I cut my teeth selling real estate in 1976 -- a day or two ago. Selling is one of the best skills in the world to learn. I cried the first 3 months -- there was virtually no training at that time. But, I became successful anyway. I support you in trying this business opportunity -- or another. It's all part of your education. And your education is the only thing you'll really ever own. You can't lose it in a divorce. You can't gamble it away. You can't get too old for it... You'll have your education for the rest of your life!
 

CoderSales

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Great thread - I'd say take the job for the experience. Sales is an incredible skill and you will always use it for almost any industry you're in. I used to work in magazine sales, having to make 100+ cold calls a day and pitch CEO's while dodging secretarys and other agencies. I was the top performer for 3 straight years, almost hitting 1/2 mil in revenue the last year I did it. Fast forward to freelance software dev now, I landed my first client in less than 2 weeks for $20K from a cold call.
Sales IS a skill that can be honed over time and applied cross industry. The 'problem' is that unless you make something, you're always going to be selling/working for someone else. :/
Compound that sales skill on top of something you created and you're moving in the right direction. Want to be a successful CEO? You're going to have to learn how to sell your vision. Want to be acquired? You're going to have to learn to sell your company and pitch why your value prop is truly unique.
 

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