Great Place for Lunch - Business Development Specialist CDW Employee Review

1.0
Nov 2, 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Free food. Fun partner events. Matching 401(k) plan. Employee purchase program. Training program.

Cons

Pay is way below industry standard and it is based on position and not promotional merit. Management is not going to be transparent about the commission structure and after 2 years coworker loses the low base salary. CDW also takes 20% of a coworker's SPIFF money, which accounts for about 30% of their overall earnings. If the coworker is in a pre-sales role within CDW S3, the bonus is capped at 150% and there is no SPIFF money. Overall, CDW turnover rate is very high because of the total compensation. Upward promotions are rare and CDW prefers to hire from outside the company to prevent internal conflict among coworkers. Going through the Emerging Leaders Program has a high opportunity cost for the coworker because of the amount of time it takes to complete the training. New Sales Managers are tossed around and start in the academy with low-revenue teams, which directly impacts their pay. Culture varies across each department and CDW partner-funded teams are often in conflict with their external partner stakeholders. This results in an internal toxic culture that persists and CDW will often take the side of the partner and eliminate the coworker or the entire team. The internal bureaucracy also stifles any innovation and management listens top-down, which affects the customer experience.

Explore other reviews about CDW

5.0
Apr 19, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good exposure to enterprise systems and tools, supportive team environment, opportunities to learn and grow, collaborative culture, flexible work environment

Cons

Limited ownership in some projects, slower career progression, processes can be bureaucratic at times, communication gaps between teams occasionally

3.0
Jul 6, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

You have the ability to sell full stack solutions, services and software.

Cons

I have worked at CDW for 10yrs and every single year they have changed the comp plan in a way that makes it harder for sellers to make money (constantly moving the goal post). Prior to 2020 CDW had little to no lay offs now it is happening every six months. They say the reasons is to reduce cost and improve efficiencies BUT as a company our sales continue to grow along with the C-levels pockets.

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All