(Untitled)

[red_delicious]

"Hi, Friends!

Long time no talk...I've actually been pretty busy with my new business. Funny you should ask about it, because I think you'd be interested in what I'm doing.

You're pretty unhappy at your job, aren't you

Comments

[margimello]

Back in college, I applied for a job at Vector Marketing not as a sales person but as a receptionist. Their offices are depressing...

[red_delicious]

they're sharks. they do a "group interview" so you feel like you might be missing out on something because you see other people next to you buying into it...or maybe because there's competition they won't give you the job...but really they'll take anyone who bites.

[dilly]

I was interested to see you put WFG in there. I never heard about it until W mentioned that he was one of four partners there... He seemed pretty happy, but then again, if he really is a "partner" (there's tons of people supporting us), then he should be fine, it's the people under him (like one of his co-workers from his Walnut Creek job) that I wonder how they'll be

[red_delicious]

maybe he's a regional partner for the bay area, but the company was started in 2001 (executive board) by a larger global company named Aegon, and I got the impression he only got into it last year by learning about it from a salsa friend.

did he give you the full pitch? i didn't recognize what i was hearing until about 1/2way through when he started to talk about me being an associate. but i think from now on Red Flag #1 is going to be a lot more obvious to me...not trying to be mean, but sales actually takes a lot of natural talent and most people we know don't have that. these programs try to make everyone feel like sales is easy, especially if you're selling to your friends.

[dilly]

maybe be could be a regional 'partner'... now I'm thinking 'associate', based on the way the exec bios read. Besides the CEO, who actually lists where he went to school, all the others are like pseudo self-testimonials/'helping other people' pitches that totally ignores the technical/leadership abilities that exec summaries usually highlight. Ugh

[red_delicious]

yeah, i think i'm juicy bait for pyramids right now because 1) i'm in marketing (the fridge guy only approached me when i told him i was in marketing) and 2) i was between jobs (w only called me when i sent out the update e-mail) or seem open-minded about trying new jobs

the key is to catch me in SF on a weeknight, because it's those nights that i'm generally alone :) i've been pretty passive about meeting up, but if someone actively invites, i make it happen!

p and s were at my housewarming party! you gotta come up and visit!!!

[chinkerfly]

I can give you an inside scoop on Mary Kay, I attempted to sell it right after high school and while I did pretty well, I gave up after I started college and the prospect of approaching strangers didn't gel as well as I would have hoped. They sorta have a pyramid thing going in that if you recruit someone you get something similar to a commission. To be exact, when I bought my inventory, my recruiter would get a check equivalent to 5% of what I bought. And then if you have quite a few recruits your "team" basically works together and if they sell a certain amount in a quarter then the person at the top (essentially the recruiter) gets perks like the Pink Cadillac that Mary Kay is so renowned for. (you can also get a White Jimmy or a Red something or other, all GM) They're not really high pressure about it though, at least not in my region, I'm sure there could be individuals out there who are really hard core about recruiting. For the most part the message they preach is more about teaching people good skin care and the product

[red_delicious]

that's the same reason i think passion parties are legit too...because their products are good enough that you don't have to recruit actively, people will come to you.

question - how much inventory did you have to buy? like, could you just buy after people order, or did you have to keep a running stock (i.e., sunk money)? i heard about a water filter-selling pyramid scheme where my friend's friend ended up with a garage full of water filter inventory that he never moved.

[chinkerfly]

you could buy after people ordered, I kept about $1000 worth of inventory with me most of the time (which isn't really all that much) just because if you bought more than $500 at a time or something you get it at 50% off. $250 was like 25% off. I have lots of left over stuff from when I quit so now I just give it away to friends. :)