Lawson Products Reviews

Former Employee – worked at Lawson Products

Pros – The company was flexible and people were easy to get along with.

Cons – Company was outdated and needed to gear towards a corporate feel.

Current Employee – been working at Lawson Products full-time for less than a year

Pros – Good customer relationships. Great product knowledge

Cons – A lot of empty territories in my area

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Lawson Products

Pros – Great place to work. Friendly staff, not a political environment. The location is great if you live in the city or suburbs. The management at the company is relatively flat so there can be a lot of exposure to senior executives.

Cons – The company has been going through some rough times but everything seems to be on the up trend now.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Lawson Products full-time for more than a year

Pros – Management at the Cleveland Call Center has drastically improved
No cold calling, unless you uncover a prospect that you want to call
Co-workers are knowledgeable of the products
Casual work environment
Opportunity to earn high commissions
Work in tandem with outside sales team

Cons – Company wants 50 calls per day to accounts
Challenges with implementation of SAP system
Inventory management was an issue that was improving
Sales goals were often increased 20% from prior year, making it difficult to hit numbers
Only receive commission if you hit a certain percentage of your goal

Advice to Senior Management – Management in Cleveland was getting better. Very fair and professional call center manager. Advice to upper management would be to drive inside sales and outside sales partnering.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Lawson Products full-time for more than 10 years

Pros – Independent - did not have to punch a time card. Some products were exceptional. Didn't have to work in an office. Pay check was stable. Some product innovation.

Cons – Upper management changes constantly. Sales goals unachievable in a down economy. Pricing way out of line. Shipping costs passed on to customers killed many sales. Management just not in touch with reality. They act like Washington politicians.

Advice to Senior Management – Start implementing some of what made Lawson great many years ago. Superior training of sales force made for superior customer service in the field. Currently there is little to no training whatsoever.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Lawson Products full-time for more than 10 years

Pros – Transitioning to e-commerce and modern data management and inventory control systems. Opportunities for people with the skills to help with the shift in business model.

Cons – Going through major transition in corporate culture as they modernize infrastructure.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Lawson Products full-time for less than a year

Pros – - Compensation - There is a reason they are willing to give you exactly what you or your recruiter ask for and that is because this is their biggest selling point to get you in the door... and let me tell you... there is a reason for that.

Wish I had more to say here but honestly there are some decent people but they are so far overshadowed by those who are awful its hard to even consider that a positive

Cons – Mind you I am writing this as someone a year out from leaving and I left on my own accord:

- Poor "leadership" just trickles down - its hard to achieve a vision when your fearless leaders don't even understand what that means, not to mention no one is actively measured against goals

- Management isn't even something that I would consider an active practice by most that call themselves managers at Lawson

- Growth / Opportunities - when I was hired in I started with 4 other people - 3 of us left in under a year - working here is taking a backseat to growth while just sitting at your desk for 10-12 hours a day doing nothing or anything to just collect a paycheck - needless to say if you would like to regress in your career this is the place to do it

- Corporate Culture - I will say it again - people go here to die - so if you can wake up for the next 40 years in the same thankless job, with the same problems everyday, and no way of getting any traction of fixing anything this is the place to do it

Advice to Senior Management – I have worked at a handful of place, some good and others not so much, but Lawson was hands down the absolute worst place I have worked in terms of people development, feedback, and overall rapport between employees. My advice would be to honestly assess the way in which your people feel and the promises that have been made upon walking into roles but beyond that look at the way in which management is assessed in their abilities, most people managing here don't even offer constructive feedback when its solicited.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Lawson Products full-time for less than a year

Pros – No cold calling. Small office with good hard working people.

Cons – In transition- switched to SAP and lost a lot of customers during the switch
Not enough communication between Inside and Outside Sales
Poor communication between corporate office and sales force.
Archaic and outdated website

Advice to Senior Management – Aim before you fire. Greater due diliigence before making big decisions.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Lawson Products full-time for more than 10 years

Pros – Took advantage of extra training opportunities. Flexible work schedule.

Cons – No opportunity for advancement. No recognition of working beyond what was expected.

Advice to Senior Management – Communicate better with work force.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Lawson Products

Pros – They are starting to dig themselves out of the hole that the Government debacle from years ago put them in.

Cons – They have too many issues at once going on; SAP install, supply chain issues, independent agents to employee changes, corporate do it my way gig...

Advice to Senior Management – Keep in mind the people make the business happen. Treat the tenured folks with care and bring them through the changes, don't get ride of them due to the changes.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend