Vantaggi
Some 'current' field sales reps seem to like the "uncapped" commission plan, the "flexible" schedule, that there is "no boss" breathing down their neck, that they get respect from their managers and peers, and that they can build their own book of business with "great" residual and renewal income. But ... read the Cons carefully.
Svantaggi
Uncapped commissions? The point at which you get commission is relatively high, which means only at a certain point do you start to earn some commissions, and even then, it's on the lower end (15%) until you hit another level then it's 20% retroactive, and then 40% above that level. But, the catch is, can your sales territory reach the trigger commission level at all. If not, the company keeps all the income on the sold ads; you get none. Just know that some cities or metro areas are more competitive than others and they have more business owners who believe in display advertising, even if their results can't be traced. You need enough business owners who believe in display advertising, because they see it primarily as 'brand' advertising, regardless of any way to trace effects. Just be clear on that. If you run into business owners who are picky about measuring their return on investment, you'll see no sales. If they start measuring the cost per ad per cart per month (e.g., if the six-month price divided 6, then by number of carts ... if they buy 20% of 200 carts or 40 carts ... hypothetically, you have say $1400 / six months / six is $233/month by 40 carts/month is $5.85 / cart per month ... ). Plus, be sure the reported "number of customers' per week is a true figure, since store managers differ; some say receipts, and some think receipts equals customers, when it only means purchases which are often the same local customers. Most stores have the majority of their locals shop there. So, 15,000 receipts per week is definitely not 15,000 people, it's 15,000 purchase from among the few thousand locals who shop on average three times per week. That's a lot of 'visibility' opportunities ... chance they will see the ad (no guarantee, of course), but among the repeat shopping locals. Be clear about that, or you are misrepresenting the data. Some cities and towns don't sell as well as others; some cities and towns seem to have more of the ROI seeking business owners. Don't let anyone fool you about that. If they deny this, cut the discussion short and find something else to do. Also, know that you can only sell up to six businesses per store. So, this caps your income potential, no matter what 'unlimited income' you are led to believe about that. And, know that the folks who are making six figures at this business are working 40+ hours per week, including weekends at times, and are away from home a lot, as they are selling in cities and towns far from home. That's the truth. Flexibility in your schedule? Not really. You pretty much have to work full time at it to build up to a living income, if you have cities and towns with enough believers in this sort of advertising. No 'boss' breathing down your back? Eh, the indirect effect of whether you join any team conference calls is there. Respect of managers and peers? It depends on the team and the manager. Reportedly, there really is no teamwork. For example, you never know who is vying for what territory may be near you or not. There's no visibility on that; no sharing about it; no communications among the so-called 'team.' So, the effect really is 'every man for himself.' Build your own book of business? Sure, if the territory has people who believe in display advertising, as I said earlier. But even still, you have to have enough of those who believe the cart ads will do them some good. And, reportedly, you have to go through many hundreds of business 'leads' (up to 900 hundred? and they not truly leads when they are simply names of local businesses) just to find the handful of those who will take an appointment just to find out what it's about. Decide now (during the first meeting) And, they 'decide now' tactic that is brought to the initial appointment can seem too pressured or manipulative to some. That approach seems to be evolving, as some reps are finding it's good to send full information about how it works ahead of the appointment and calling to confirm after the owner understands the program. Exclusive category This is just not true. The contract says it isn't. Ask to read the contract back page, and you'll see it clearly stated that there's no exclusivity. This is one area where anyone from Cartvertising telling you it's exclusive is really lying. If you don't mind lying about this, you'll be fine. Residual and renewal income? I got the impression, perhaps mistaken, that the renewal rate is really not that high. So, you are constantly chasing new business. This means the reported income levels from renewals and 'residuals' (as some call it) that are touted are not really achieved in certain areas. Other points not made by anyone ... yet I discovered that the rate sheet was almost never followed. The ad space was consistently sold at half or near half that listed on the rate sheet. The process is to hope the buyer is okay with the rate, but if not, start offering deals like going up a level for the same price, or lowering the prices for speedier payment ... etc. This is different from most fixed rate, lower price point display advertising. Just know that it's your choice to offer the advertising anywhere below the rate sheet, down to the lowest acceptable level that Cartvertising allows, and keep that firmly in mind. Otherwise, you'll be at a loss as to what to charge. Some just use the lowest rate always and don't bother playing a negotiating game.