For most college students, anything offered for free (especially food) is music to their ears.
Recruiters for door-to-door sales companies will often promote free pizza meetings in hopes of enticing job-seeking (and free food-seeking) college students. But as you know…nothing in this world is really free…is it?
Recruiters set the hook with free pizza, but the actual purpose of the free food give-a-way is to inform pizza-eating attendees how the summer sales experience with their company will be better than the other door-to-door sales companies out there.
Sales reps should be aware of recruiting ‘tricks of the trade,’ and know what to look for when choosing a summer sales company…pass the pepperoni!
First, no matter what a recruiter pitches about how much fun it will be working in his/her office, the bottom line is that a summer sales job knocking doors is difficult. If your primary purpose for summer employment is to have fun, then summer sales is not for you. Long days, hot temperatures and constant rejection is tough to deal with on a daily basis. Don’t let a recruiter fool you into thinking about all the fun you will have, because if you’re off the doors having fun, you aren’t making money.
Second, recruiters may attempt to sell potential sales reps on why the location(s) they are recruiting for are the absolute best for knocking doors. This is understandable, but quite frankly, hard-working and skilled sales reps can sell anywhere! There is no such thing as an ‘untapped’ area. Now-a-days there are multiple companies knocking doors selling the same product in every market. In my 17+ years knocking doors and managing sales teams, I’ve learned it matters less ‘where’ but more ‘who.’ I’ve had offices in traditional and non-traditional markets and every year our top sales reps come from different locations. If you work hard and develop the sales skills needed, you will be successful regardless of market.
Finally, recruiters oftentimes attempt to offer a higher signing bonus to sales reps in an effort to draw them towards their company. The reality is, an extra $1,000 in signing bonus money is the equivalent of a few sales (depending on what you are selling) in commissions. Therefore, signing bonus money should carry little to no weight in determining which summer sales opportunity you should pursue. The lion’s share of your earnings will be made from commissions, not a signing bonus.
As you make your decision on a summer sales company, set aside the recruiting gimmicks and base your decision on what you want from the experience. Some sales reps like being a little fish in a big pond, whereas others would prefer being a big fish in a little pond. It comes down to preference really. Would you perform better with a large number of sales reps in an office or would a smaller team better suit your needs? These are the types of questions you should be asking yourself as you consume that last piece of meat lovers.
Ultimately, you must have confidence that the company you choose will help you to maximize your earning potential. Find the summer sales company that best fits your personality and overall desires for your summer sales experience.