Blogocentric Formulations

Commission

Today I got an offer to come in for an interview with an insurance sales firm. I'm always skeptical of sales jobs, and this is why:


THEM: "We saw your resume online and think you'd be perfect for this sales job! When can you come in for an interview?"

ME: "Before I come in, I have to ask... is there a base salary, or is the job entirely commission based?"

THEM: "Well, there's uh, some salary involved. But you can make up to six figures with commissions!"

ME: "That sounds great and all, but what's the base salary?"

THEM: "Don't worry, we'll train you and everything. Come on in for an interview, and we can discuss all your questions!"

ME: "Tell me what the base salary is first."

THEM: "Uh, it's $2,500 a month."


I have to give them credit... at least they pay a base salary. A lot of sales places expect you to work 100% on commission. But come on, thirty grand a year before taxes? In Los Angeles? That doesn't even cover my rent... and I'm not going to gamble the roof over my head on whether or not I can convince people to buy an insurance policy.

I get that sales is a numbers business. I really do. And I get that this is a tough economy and that companies can't afford to pay an army of salespeople if they're not generating the sales that will keep them in business. But to not pay someone a living wage for the area in which they're living is completely crazy to me. To make their ability to keep a roof over their heads... to put food on the table... to afford a doctor's visit or medication for their kids contingent upon whether or not they can sell a product (and how many products they can sell) seems incredibly dangerous to me.

Maybe I'm just not a born salesman. Maybe I don't get the whole competition thing, or am not confident enough in my salesmanship to take a job like this. But the idea that I could lose my apartment or default on my car payment after a bad month or two of disappointing sales numbers is a terrifying prospect. I don't think I could handle the stress of working under conditions like that.

I don't have kids yet, but I imagine when I do, that concern is going to be even more pronounced. If I'm going to work a day job, I need to make sure it's one that will pay the bills each month and every month. And if they're going to offer incentives for numbers-based sales, then that should actually be in the form of a legitimate bonus, not additional income that your family needs to survive.

And if you are one of those people who by choice or necessity works a commission-based job and relies on that non-guaranteed income to support yourself and your family... my hat's off to you. You have a tough, stressful job and I admire the hell out of you for doing it.