What if military service was commission based? Feast or famine for you?

2015-04-20T19:01:35-04:00

For those transitioned are transitioning, would you consider a commission based income in the civilian workforce? Why or why not? Would your military experience be beneficial in a sales position? Did you learn integrity, motivation, commitment, leadership, and a solid work ethic serving in the Armed Forces?

Response by LTC Yinon Weiss made Apr 20 at 2015 7:10 PM

2015-04-20T19:10:37-04:00

It obviously depends on both you and the opportunity. My general advice would be this:

1) Try to avoid jobs that you have no experience in. If you have to take something with no experience, make sure there is a good support network there to help you succeed.
2) Research the opportunity well to make sure it's legit and achievable.
3) Connect with other veterans who have gone down the same path. If your opportunity is legit, then others would have certainly done it already. Reach out to them and get their take on day to day life, and then determine if it would be a good fit for you.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 20 at 2015 7:15 PM

2015-04-20T19:15:52-04:00

You have to remember that anything commission based is dog eat dog. Your army values may hurt you. I learned that on recruiting. You don't have to give up your morals, just don't expect any coworkers to have them.

Response by SSgt Dan Montague made Apr 20 at 2015 7:19 PM

2015-04-20T19:19:42-04:00

I am in a commission based job. I get a low base pay with a commission. A commission job is not for everyone. You should have sales skills below your belt.
I was hired for a few reasons. I was a Marine recruiter for 3 years. That is my sales experience. I was also hired for my self motivation and dedication to a job. Very tangible traits I picked up while serving. The tangible skills you learn will help out, however, sales training is a must in my opinion.

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made Apr 20 at 2015 7:47 PM

2015-04-20T19:47:35-04:00

I was an "Inside Sales" guy for a few years, which is Sales + Commission, as opposed to straight Commission. I did very well.

It depends on your mentality.

I worked on the "quantity" model. More quotes = more sales. The more active quotes I had, the more potential sales that were available to me. But I wasn't doing cold calls. I worked very closely with an "Outside Sales" guy, who chased leads. His focus was a lot different than mine.

My closing rate was a lot different than his. I was sitting at 80%~... but my goal was never to let a quote out the door. His goal was to get the customer to me, so that I could sell them stuff so other people couldn't.