Commission vs Soul Sucking Salary
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The Virtues of a Commission Job
During my senior year of college we had the normal job fairs where prospective employers tried to harvest a new group of recruits for the future. Just like today's graduates, the world was our oyster. Many planned on one day running the company and changing the world.
In the late 70's the great companies were IBM, Xerox and the auto manufactures were still relevant. The big selling point was security. Take the salary, benefits and pension and plan on working until retirement.
After spending 4 years in a military college, I knew I had a problem with authority and the amount offered I was already making in a summer selling cars. In my mind these opportunities involved a serious pay cut and my career would probably be short-lived once I opened my Irish mouth. I saw the contrast as being a gun slinger vs the stifling safety, security and boredom of navigating the politics of posers.
Commission vs the Carrot Diet.
In the 1990's, I watched as corporate America laid off our entire middle class. Almost daily it would make me angry watching business news announce a company is laying off/cutting some huge number of employees (my car buyers) and then their stock would rebound up as a reward. Many of these companies are now gone! No-one ever figured out the accounting/finance people in charge did not have the guts or recklessness to compete. They never could make anything happen, but were damn good at measuring what did happen. An example would be the contrast between the leadership of Alfred P. Sloan and the growth he manufactured for GM versus the leadership of Roger Smith) who became the beginning of the end for GM dominance.
As it turned out the real risk was taking the corporate salary job.
My List for Virtues of Commission Work
- Self Determination - Rather than some HR person deciding your worth - You decide. With commission work you get paid exactly what you are worth and you decide that number. If you are good, that number will be much more than the perceived safety and security of a salary position.
- Shout from the mountain top - If one is willing to accept the risk, work hard and adjust, the money can be life changing. There is no better feeling than leaving the store as "Master of the Universe." I had a college buddy who had a corporate job once say "working here is like pissing yourself in a dark blue suit. You get a warm feeling but no one notices." Not true in commission work. You get to use all your God given talents to the fullest.
- Posers can't hide - Since this is production, we have something very tangible to measure - "How many cars?" This knocks down the politics of posers. If a store does have drama, it is more like your high school click and it is usually the poor performers who like to play. Producers don't the have time or patience.
- You Never have to ask for a raise - Raises are effective when you are. Replace having to go to a boss, hat in hand, tell some Tiny Tim story and be judged - with - just go take it!
- Honest Job - Since you are on commission your efforts/results are injected right into the bottom line of your company. That means if you are doing well, we need you! We are not concerned about your education level, or who your dad is, you got a job... You won't get laid off or your job outsourced to China. However, if you can't produce, learn or try you can get fired. A harsh truth but the truth.
- Special - Doing commission work makes you special. You are in a class of people that are not afraid to only "eat what they kill." True self reliance and self respect. This makes you part of a special minority of characters.
- Diva.. I am mentioning this one, with a strong word of caution, but if you are very good at this, you can be a bit of a diva. I worked in a large store in Atlanta where a manager didn't like my Irish mouth and kept trying me on for size. He couldn't close an open face steak sandwich and he knew I knew it. So he would huff and puff at me and I couldn't stop myself from popping off some come back that would put him kicking in the roof. It became my favorite thing to do. I even put it on my work plan for the day. "Make manager kick from roof." Then he would step on himself and say "Mahoney what do you think I should do to you?" Then I would say "Hell, I would fire me." Knowing good and well I would decide when it was time to move on - not him. I loved not having to take crap from anyone.
These are the virtues of commission work that I enjoyed. I am sure you have more and I would like to hear what you appreciate about commission work. What makes you get out of bed in the morning and enjoy coming to work?
Why try commission work?
Because most options suck and always did suck! Doing 20 to 40 interviews a week I meet a lot of great people who have bad, under appreciated, under paid jobs. I am amazed at the lack of employer loyalty from companies that stoped even making an effort to sell the carrot diet to justify the bad pay. I am meeting college grads making $26k to $35K doing some form of door to door, B2B sales on 1099's. I have met many middle age men having to write chapter 2 to avoid making 55 the new retirement age. Lots of people trying to avoid making warehousing for $12.00 an hour a new career. Retail workers whoose hours are cut to 10 to 20 hours a week. It is a sorry state.
Bet on yourself for a real chance. Become self reliant and take responsibility for your own pay. Generate the self respect that means never ever again will anyone but you decide who you are and what you are worth..
