Pros
You get good benefits. You're at a respected (for now) company. There is no cap on commissions.
Cons
Here's a typical day at at&t during new business months. There are six of these. 8AM and not a minute later-arrive at office. Office may be 30 miles from your sales territory. 8:15 Morning meeting. This consists of no ra-ra; just warnings that a new product must be sold, and that those with insufficient sales will be disciplined. 8:30 Go on appointments with businesses which have no advertising. Try to sell them on buying one of 8 products, like yp.com, or Google adwords, or online display. 3PM Come back to office. Sit in a different seat than your cubicle, so you can't do paperwork, and dial out to as many customers as possible, until 4:45 4:45 Have another meeting, and tell about your day. 5PM-? Sit in the office and do paperwork. It could take you until 10PM, depending on what you have to write up. The computer software is some of the worst you will ever use; it is cumbersome and difficult to learn. This is your day, every day except Monday. On Monday you will be in a morning training/meeting until noon or later; then lunch; then your 3-4:45 dial out. On occasion you will dial out from 1-5. Your manager will ride with you on calls at least once a week, even if you're an experienced rep. They will evaluate the call based on a platform that may or may not be relevant to what you're selling. You have quarterly quotas. If you fail to hit them, you will be put on a "step." This step starts with an oral warning, then a written warning, then a suspension, then you're fired. Since it's quarterly, you could be fired within a year, no matter how long you've worked there. Your manager might embarass you in front of other people, by dressing you down in public. Your manager will never be fired. They don't fire managers. You will spend more money during new business getting business than you will earn. Remember, you are trying to find accounts at this time. Several people I know have lost their homes and others have declared bankruptcy. If you sell a business, and get a credit approval on them, if they don't pay, the company will take back the commission you earn. This could happen when you aren't making a lot of commissions, so you will go without a paycheck. The atmosphere is one of fear. Management is always trying to catch you doing something bad; they will base their opinion on rumors and gossip. It's like working in North Korea. I haven't been here long, and I'm looking for another job. When I interview elsewhere, I can't believe how happy the salespeople seem. There are places where management doesn't need to know your every move, and doesn't track your every breath-they just look at what you sell. I came from having a home office, and this is impossible to get used to. I want my freedom back.
