Let’s Play a Game June 26, 2008

and it’s called… Help Emma Decide.

So I’m planning on calling the guy back tomorrow. Basically I’ve made up my mind. But… let’s run thru a list of pros and cons.

Pros:

• Super relaxed atmosphere. (I’m sure I could find an atmosphere I would like just about anywhere else than my current job)
• You are 90% your own boss.
• Potential to make a crapload of money. IF you are good at conning people into buying things selling.
• Flexible schedule. There is no set time you have to come into work 3 days a week. 2 days are actually spent in meetings though.
• Kick ass incentives like trips to cool places around the world.
• Renewals. After 13mo, you get 10% of all commissions you made the year before. That gets paid to you monthly. ie. he said one person was making 10k without doing anything each month.
• It is a credible company. They’ve been around for 128 years.

Cons:

• Non-structured environment. Lets face it, I LOVE structure.
• You are your own boss. That’s great and all- but you are TOTALLY responsible for everything. hmm…
• POTENTIAL to make money. I’ve never sold a product in my life. And I dont think it would be something I would want to do for a month let alone more than a year.
• You are constantly on the phone finding potential clients to set up appts with.
• You MUST attend 6 appts a day (the 3 days you’re out on appts)
• No typical benefits like insurance etc. Because you are your own boss. essentially.
• Advertising. YOU pay this out of your own pocket. This means, if you wanna send out flyers and whatever with your name on it- you pay for all postage. They provide the flyers, but thats it. He said something like people typically spend $500. Um….how about no?
• You have to drive to all appts. You go to THEM they don’t come to you. Um… gas money anyone?
• I would have to pay for my own licensing. Makes sense I guess? But the company my friend works for paid for hers.
• Working with my former boss. She’s kinda crazy.
• You work SOLELY on commission.
• I understand there is probably some importance to buy Long term Care policies… but at the age of 23, I dont quite see it. If I dont believe in what I’m selling, why would I expect them to?
• That’s a whole other issue…. Me? Selling? yuck. Ok. well maybe. But not in the sense that I would basically be a door to door salesman by going to other’s homes for appts. At least that’s what I’d feel like. Very 1950’s salesman, except I wouldn’t be lugging around a vacuum cleaner or something.

So….I think in the moments following my interview- I was like- “oh I could do that!” and I think I was livin’ on the high that I nailed my first interview and landed a job. I even made some points during the interview that he planned on bringing up in their meeting. He’s like- “that is a fantastic point!” as he grabs his notebooks with mtg ideas on it. I really thought he was being sarcastic about the point I made, but he was serious.

Anyways…. I’m gonna decline the offer. I need something with structure. I mean, look at when I took a once a week class in college- I slacked off majorly because it was up to me to get it done and I had no one to answer to for a week. I can’t handle the thought of selling crap in that manner. Going to their house for appts? No thanks. And the fact of working for commission only? He made a good point that it’s purely psychological in how we think of it (a paycheck), but there’s really no stability. Former boss not seeming too happy about the job and kept shrugging her shoulders at every question I had? Sent signs to me.

So…. on with the happy trails of finding a job.