Sales Job with commission?

[Hillbeans]

This thread was inspired by the timeshare thread, however i'm just curious if anyone here has a sales job where the bulk of your salary is commission. I was just thinking about the poor salesguy trying to sell us a timeshare. I'm sure he does alright, since they have such a high volume of traffic in there every day, but doesn't it get really stressful trying to sell to uninterested vacationers? Morally speaking, do you find fault into high pressure sales tactics?

 

[DawnCt]

My oldest son (with Crohns disease) is in commissioned sales. I don't think its the best job for him given the stress factors involved but he likes it and he does well. Now and then he expresses some angst towards shoppers who didn't become buyers and I remind him that no one is obligated to part with their money and if people want to shop with absolutely no intentions of buying anything, that is their choice. He has yet to sell me his "product" because I am not in the market for one.

 

[Hillbeans]

Anyone else in this field of work?

 

[mommytotwo]

I used to work at a shoe store that was in a well know hotel. The types of shoes that we sold were pricier and there was even a pair of shoes that were over five hundred dollars. I did have a minimum wage and benefits, but most of my pay did come from commissions. I also had another sales job where we did get a percentage from our sales.

 

[jipsy]

Yes I do. 15% of my pay is salary, 15% is bonus and 70% is commission. However, my job does not require high pressure sales, as I sell products that fill needs and save time and money.

Most high pressure jobs like telephone sales and timeshares, etc. start you out with a "guarantee" for 6 months, no commission. This gives you 6 months to decide if you like it, want to keep doing it, can comprehend the odds (usually one out of 20 purchase in these types of situations) and can understand them. Basically it's a numbers game - if you ask enough people, someone WILL buy.