SecretMethod70

I've worked with Vector for almost 4 years now and have been an assistant manager for the past year or so. Not only did I and do I work as a sales representative (what we interview for) I now also run some of these interviews and assist in training. As such, there are some statements I think should be addressed here:

No.

Yes.

It's a security deposit actually, and most people put it on their credit card so that if they don't like the job within the first month they can return the sample kit and it's like they never paid for it. Either way, the option to return the kit is available at any time down the road, be it 10 days or 10 years into the job. You can't do demonstrations of a product without the product, and a company would be stupid as Hell to just "give away" $400+ worth of their product to every potential representative that started with them.

Yup, been around for 55 years. It does involve a lot of scheduling - the time management skills to gain are second to none for a "college job" - but, ther's no "going out" - all demonstrations are done with customer recommendations - people whom a previous cutomer has already recommended and contacted about the demonstration and who has previously agreed to have a representative call them to set up a demonstration.

As with anything, forethought should be given. The job's simple, it's just a matter of having the motivation and discipline to be successful, as with any sales job.

I suppose it's a matter of perspective, but the goal during interviews is not to "sell the company" on potential workers, it's to convey information about the position and select the personable people who hseem to have the potential for success. With 40,000 students working with Vector per year, it's no skin off their back if someone decides it's not for them.

There are three flaws to this line of thought. One, you can see above, is that it's illogical and a bad business practice to NOT require a security deposit for the product. ALL sales companies that work through demonstrations - tupperware, etc - require the representative to possess the product and none of them that I'm aware of give it away for free. The second is that many representatives who decide to leave return their sample kit for a full refund. The option is always available. Lastly, managers in the company are paid based off the success of their offices. If the representatives aren't sucessful, the managers aren't sucessful, and neither makes any money. They don't earn commissions based on security deposits for sample kits - in fact the manager of the office pays for the sample kit first before he even recruits anyone. The security deposit is for the manager's safety just as much as the rest of the company's and the representatives.



The training is designed so that when it's followed properly no one feels "pushed" into anything. Demonstrations are "matter-of-fact" presentations of the product and information concerning purchase options. If the presentations were pushy then I would have a Hell of a lot more people using the 800 number I leave them afterwards which they can call to cancel their order if they so choose. So far, in the past 4 years I've done this job, I've had one person do that.

Representatives are also trained to focus on people who are 30+, Married, and have a home. I know people who have sold over $25,000 in an area they're not from - they start with their teachers and such. It's just a matter of motivation. They're not pushy, they just do a lot of demonstrations. Nation-wide our average order is $180 (a fair amount for cutlery with a similar guarantee and reputation to Craftsman tools) and closing ratio is 60%. That's if someone does nothing more than literally read out of a manual. People generally like to help other people out, and there's a guaranteed pay for every demonstration so they don't feel bad if they don't get anything, AND like I said, representatives are trained NOT to pressure anyone.

Quote:

The interview was held in a temp-like office. The appointments are made through them, but I would have to drive to the potential customer's home and try to convince them to buy. That is, if I can even get a customer to call in using my name as a reference.

Sorry, but you should have asked questions at the interview if things weren't clear. Appointments are not made through the office (although, you can call from the office to set up appointments if you'd like). Customers (whether they've bought or not) on average provide 2 recommendations per appointment. The customer speaks with those recommendations who in turn give permission for the representative to call and set up an appointment with them. So, on average, whether there is a sale or not, one appointment typically results in 2 future appointments. This is a nation-wide statistic based on thousands of representatives' input.

Yes, it's a group interview which lasts about an hour or so designed to be totally clear and upfront about all the details of the position. Makes no sense to bring someone into training for a sales position when they're not clear on exactly what their responsibilities would be.

That's funny. First, if it were a scam, or some other such illegal practice, I don't think 1) Cutco would share an award from the AFL-CIO with Lucasarts, 2) they would have been in business for over 50 years, 3) both Hillary Clinton and Gov. Pataki would have visited the main offices/construction plant in Olean, NY in one year, and 4) the business and marketing schools in multiple universities would not only study the company, but in some cases integrate our training and overall program into their class.

Purdue University and Illinois State University to name a couple - both schools with reputable marketing programs - both have classes in which students not only study Cutco/Vector, but also are required to go through our training and do a set number of appointments. Part of their grade is based on their success and manager assessments in this program.

There is an <a href="http://www.vectoroncampus.com/academic-advisory-board.htm">Academic Advisory Board</a> which has professors from Boston College, Illinois State, University of Texas, and Purdue University to name some.

Yeah. Sounds like a scam to me.

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