Pros

Great, ethical, financially solid company. You make your own hours. The reps that do well make an insane amount of money. They invest an incredible amount of time and effort into training new reps. My MD is a great person.

Cons

Don't take this job unless you're friendly with a lot of wealthy people in the area. I can't stress it enough. I moved to the area recently and was convinced that I could beat the odds and survive in a cold market. As competent as I'd like to think I am, however, it's getting increasingly hard for me to deal with the soul-crushing nature of cold-calling 40, 50, or 60 business owners a day, and having them hang up on me or tell me to take them off my calling list. These people are bombarded by other solicitors and they don't want to give you the time of day. I haven't made one single sale since I've been here, even though I've been hammering away at the phones and seeing 3 people a day, just like they told me to. I know that a huge part of the problem is my own lack of skill-- I'm simply not experienced enough to close sales very effectively, but to be frank, my opportunities for joint work are slim. Successful veteran reps who have full calendars and a steady stream of referrals from existing clients don't want to waste their time coming on a cold-call appointment with a new rep like myself. (One of them even told me that, quite literally). And of course, the struggling, ineffective reps are happy to come on an appointment with me, though they often screw it up. And that $4,000 signing bonus they give you? They put it into an escrow account and ask you to draw from it bimonthly in small amounts. I've already started interviewing at two other companies (in other industries) because I can't go much longer living on $1,000 a month. So, folks, don't make the same mistake I did. In these times, no one wants to place their financial future in the hands of a stranger who cold-called them. Make sure you know at least 20 affluent people who would be willing to meet with you, buy from you, and refer you to their affluent friends/family members/neighbors. If you don't, be prepared to go on indefinitely without earning a paycheck.

Advice to Senior Management

If you want to retain talent, provide a lead program or create a small base salary for first year reps.