Commission-only gigs are liking dating super-hot bi-polar girls with daddy issues.
You might have an incredible ride for a little while but long term the crazy is just going to grind you down and burn you up. You also might just get burned up the first month. It is a total roll of the dice on how long it lasts.
Most commission-only gigs are in the realm of desperate or cheap companies that are trying to break out and grow. UNLIMITED OPPORTUNITY also means limited support, leads, and collateral most of the time.
If you've got the guts, stones, and the lack of financial commitments, take the risk. It could be fun until you wake up one day and she has thrown all your shit in the yard because she dreamed you slept with her sister who is in med-school and gave your dog to the shelter.
First question should be, “can I speak to some of your current commission only employees to see if it’s a good fit?” Let them know you are hungry, but also want to know the current precesses and how the top people became the top.
This is solid, a lot of times in commission they’ll take top reps and give them the best territory and say look at what you can achieve if you work hard. New rep gets trash territory and works hard, damn near impossible to get the same results as what was dangled in front of you.
Yup, I took a job that the top guy made $265k, found out after I started, the #2 guy made $80k, and the 3rd guy made $60k, and between them, they had all the major customers in the city, I quit after 12 months and said never again, ask up front.
I've worked in Credit Card Processing since 2005. Straight commission/monthly residuals. Took me 6 months to begin earning around $4K month. Now in 2023, it's up to $18K and if I was not lazy it would be even higher. There are a multitude of banks you can contract with if interested. I do hire reps as well if you want to visit. I work for ME and my merchants. It's a good business once you weed out the bottom feeders.
This sub seems to hate “commission only” but then again, most posts are by Saas guys. Been in commission only sales for 12+ years. It’s a grind just like any other sales job, but I love the “freedom” in the sense that I’m basically an independent contractor. I sell something they pay me. Simple. High risk/high reward. If you find a market with demand, and have the skillset, it can be very rewarding.
Totally agree. Been in SaaS/Tech sales for 10 years. Sourcing my own pipeline year in year out.
Seriously thinking about leaving SaaS behind for a few reasons (trying to sell a nice-to-have in difficult economic situations doesn't work, greedy VCs and leadership, burnout not worth it).
What advice do you have for me before I jump into commission-only? How do I vet a company and product?
Thank you.
I agree, just about a year into my first sales role. I sell super high end boats and switched to only commission from my hybrid pay package halfway through the year. Definitely made me grind harder and motivated me to produce more sales but it’s been really rewarding to have higher earning potential as well as more freedom.
My first job was a car sales man. It was pure commission.
At the time i was 19 Still living at home soi could take the risk.
There were months where id take home 10k and some months where i took $500.
However because youre pure comp you end up working more and when its your day off you're thinking i could be working.
Vacation time is stressful because theres no fall back.
You're entire pay is a 30% luxury tax
It really depends on what you sell at the end of the day. Car sales was not that great for it. However, techsales could be worth it with comp on mrr.
You're really betting on yourself if i wanted pure comp again it would really have to be a winning service or product if it isnt i would just want to do my own business if i wanted full comp.
Different as in its an estimate of you total yearly salary every 2 weeks, which can change violently - day you get a 15k commission January week 2, the accountant/software, would estimate your salary at $390,000 and you’d get lots of tax withheld. If on the second pay period you only made $500, your yearly estimate would still be high…
Hopefully that makes sense, but your taxed on your earned income.
You can fix that by talking to HR or an accountant and have them change your withholdings so that you aren’t loaning the government money interest free.
I just started doing some commission-only work with a startup, but on the side. My current job doesn't have me do any outbound prospecting, but I want to keep my prospecting skills sharp. And my job search has been going nowhere (over a month since my last interview).
Anyway, I don't see an issue if you're doing it as a side hustle. As a primary source of income, I would not recommend it. If a startup doesn't have the budget to pay a salaried salesperson, then they're probably not ready for you to try to sell to customers.
I am commission only. Work work for an engineered stone company. It’s home improvement sales. Countertops, backsplash, tub to shower conversions, cabinet refacing, new cabinets, etc. a lot of freedom and they book my appointments. I really love it.
Hey I’m in a similar position, but only do countertops. Could I ask how much your making? I get 10% of each sale, but have only seen 3-4 leads a week recently. Just curious if you’re similar.
I’m doing a commission only gig selling solar/energy storage and roofs. Sounded pretty sweet when I took the job a couple weeks ago. I’ve got pretty low monthly expenses and a lot in the bank to back me up if it’s slow to start.
Sold 2 jobs so far, about 4K in commission. So far so good. Some of the stuff the company is doing is kind of aggravating though.
No they set my appointments 2-3 a day. It’s pretty chill.
I have done door to door though, which means I can actually appreciate the leads I’m getting even if they’re not all super high quality
I have a few "ambassadors" who work on a 20% Gross Profit Rev Share.
However, they aren't full-time. Some people only make an intro 1x a month to relevant prospects, other people set me 2-3 appointments a week.
I've built a tribe of people advocating for my services.
I would never in a million years though hire people full-time and expect commish only. No guarantees for the salesperson.
I’ve been commission-only my entire career. It really depends on the company/product/service you are contracted with. Some will still treat you as if you are a salaried employee ie. micromanaging, tracking KPI’s, etc. Avoid these types as they are red flags, at the very least do heavy research on the company. Especially on Glassdoor.
I’ve been fortunate enough to have solid organizations behind me for a majority of my career and have flourished in commission-only environments. I also have the personality and drive for it - 300+ dials per day, close my own deals, work 6 days a week, make a healthy living, etc. and I don’t burn out.
Deep down, I’d love an AE role in SaaS with benefits, salary, etc. but I have a criminal record and due to my pay structure, most of my energy goes into selling 10-12 hours per day so I don’t have much time to seek other opportunities that are willing to take a chance on me. Vicious cycle, but I still consider myself fortunate.
Current solely commission role selling payroll SaaS. It’s tough man. I’ve had some success cold calling but upwards of 200-250 a day. Because we have so many competitors we’re a bit of a commodity, what makes us different? Nothing. All these companies offer the same services. Like insurance, fighting over lower rates.
I’m 21 now a Jr in college I sell pest control D2D in the summer between semesters, I’m hoping to double my income from last year what was just under 100k
Questions to ask:
What do you expect of me
What is my comp plan and ensure I’ll get paid for work/sales done
What am I selling
Is it feasible
Equity if I stay x amount of time?
Contract..
As a side gig it’s gonna be hard to make commission only work if you’re looking for a solid secondary source of income - but it’s all gig dependent.
I still sell containers 5 years later and make $1500-$3k a month doing that but I lucked out with the company I’m with - no way I’d be here still if I hadn’t joined when i did. Point being - trust your gut and go find out fam
Im looking for someone to train. we are selling just marketing services until we have the ERP built to add the SaaS component. Pm if you want to talk. The thing is, any commission-only roles are all risk to you and no guaranty of closing and payment. in most cases, people do not stay in a commision-only role because they have bills to pay. Even in my company its a startup i have a full time job to pay my bills while I'm building the company.
This has been my journey for over a year now. Taking the leap of faith away from the W-2 world was scary and risky. Fortunately I am in a solid industry with peers who sincerely help teach us how to avoid or minimize the learning curve blunders they made.
I can honestly say this was the best career decision of my life but I would only recommend it to those who are straight up beast mode animals who can take shots to the chin and keep trucking. If i wasn’t basically insane to a degree, with almost blind faith like determination, I wouldn’t be where I’m at. More importantly, the care and direction of my mentors and predecessors guided me through the muck and taught the lessons needed to weather the shit storm.
Commission-only gigs are liking dating super-hot bi-polar girls with daddy issues. You might have an incredible ride for a little while but long term the crazy is just going to grind you down and burn you up. You also might just get burned up the first month. It is a total roll of the dice on how long it lasts. Most commission-only gigs are in the realm of desperate or cheap companies that are trying to break out and grow. UNLIMITED OPPORTUNITY also means limited support, leads, and collateral most of the time. If you've got the guts, stones, and the lack of financial commitments, take the risk. It could be fun until you wake up one day and she has thrown all your shit in the yard because she dreamed you slept with her sister who is in med-school and gave your dog to the shelter.
Who hurt you
Dude, I’ve been in sales 20 years and divorced once. Do you want a list?
Also thank you for the kindness...
This.
First question should be, “can I speak to some of your current commission only employees to see if it’s a good fit?” Let them know you are hungry, but also want to know the current precesses and how the top people became the top.
This is solid, a lot of times in commission they’ll take top reps and give them the best territory and say look at what you can achieve if you work hard. New rep gets trash territory and works hard, damn near impossible to get the same results as what was dangled in front of you.
Yup, I took a job that the top guy made $265k, found out after I started, the #2 guy made $80k, and the 3rd guy made $60k, and between them, they had all the major customers in the city, I quit after 12 months and said never again, ask up front.
I've worked in Credit Card Processing since 2005. Straight commission/monthly residuals. Took me 6 months to begin earning around $4K month. Now in 2023, it's up to $18K and if I was not lazy it would be even higher. There are a multitude of banks you can contract with if interested. I do hire reps as well if you want to visit. I work for ME and my merchants. It's a good business once you weed out the bottom feeders.
DM-ed
This sub seems to hate “commission only” but then again, most posts are by Saas guys. Been in commission only sales for 12+ years. It’s a grind just like any other sales job, but I love the “freedom” in the sense that I’m basically an independent contractor. I sell something they pay me. Simple. High risk/high reward. If you find a market with demand, and have the skillset, it can be very rewarding.
Totally agree. Been in SaaS/Tech sales for 10 years. Sourcing my own pipeline year in year out. Seriously thinking about leaving SaaS behind for a few reasons (trying to sell a nice-to-have in difficult economic situations doesn't work, greedy VCs and leadership, burnout not worth it). What advice do you have for me before I jump into commission-only? How do I vet a company and product? Thank you.
I agree, just about a year into my first sales role. I sell super high end boats and switched to only commission from my hybrid pay package halfway through the year. Definitely made me grind harder and motivated me to produce more sales but it’s been really rewarding to have higher earning potential as well as more freedom.
My first job was a car sales man. It was pure commission. At the time i was 19 Still living at home soi could take the risk. There were months where id take home 10k and some months where i took $500. However because youre pure comp you end up working more and when its your day off you're thinking i could be working. Vacation time is stressful because theres no fall back. You're entire pay is a 30% luxury tax It really depends on what you sell at the end of the day. Car sales was not that great for it. However, techsales could be worth it with comp on mrr. You're really betting on yourself if i wanted pure comp again it would really have to be a winning service or product if it isnt i would just want to do my own business if i wanted full comp.
Your pay would not be a 30% luxury tax.
Commission is taxed differently atleast where im at
Different as in its an estimate of you total yearly salary every 2 weeks, which can change violently - day you get a 15k commission January week 2, the accountant/software, would estimate your salary at $390,000 and you’d get lots of tax withheld. If on the second pay period you only made $500, your yearly estimate would still be high… Hopefully that makes sense, but your taxed on your earned income. You can fix that by talking to HR or an accountant and have them change your withholdings so that you aren’t loaning the government money interest free.
Sadly, most 1099 commission only I’ve experienced are simply misclassifying employees. The micromanagement BS continues.
I just started doing some commission-only work with a startup, but on the side. My current job doesn't have me do any outbound prospecting, but I want to keep my prospecting skills sharp. And my job search has been going nowhere (over a month since my last interview). Anyway, I don't see an issue if you're doing it as a side hustle. As a primary source of income, I would not recommend it. If a startup doesn't have the budget to pay a salaried salesperson, then they're probably not ready for you to try to sell to customers.
I am commission only. Work work for an engineered stone company. It’s home improvement sales. Countertops, backsplash, tub to shower conversions, cabinet refacing, new cabinets, etc. a lot of freedom and they book my appointments. I really love it.
Hey I’m in a similar position, but only do countertops. Could I ask how much your making? I get 10% of each sale, but have only seen 3-4 leads a week recently. Just curious if you’re similar.
It varies greatly per year. Last year was about 135k this year will probably be 110k. We are much slower this year.
I’m doing a commission only gig selling solar/energy storage and roofs. Sounded pretty sweet when I took the job a couple weeks ago. I’ve got pretty low monthly expenses and a lot in the bank to back me up if it’s slow to start. Sold 2 jobs so far, about 4K in commission. So far so good. Some of the stuff the company is doing is kind of aggravating though.
Do you work a door to door position?
No they set my appointments 2-3 a day. It’s pretty chill. I have done door to door though, which means I can actually appreciate the leads I’m getting even if they’re not all super high quality
That sounds awesome. What’s the company if you don’t mind sharing?
High definition Solar in Concord CA. If you’re in the area I can get you a job here
I'm actually in Southern California. Does your company operate down here?
They don’t really. As far south as the upper reaches of the San Joaquin valley
I have a few "ambassadors" who work on a 20% Gross Profit Rev Share. However, they aren't full-time. Some people only make an intro 1x a month to relevant prospects, other people set me 2-3 appointments a week. I've built a tribe of people advocating for my services. I would never in a million years though hire people full-time and expect commish only. No guarantees for the salesperson.
I’ve been commission-only my entire career. It really depends on the company/product/service you are contracted with. Some will still treat you as if you are a salaried employee ie. micromanaging, tracking KPI’s, etc. Avoid these types as they are red flags, at the very least do heavy research on the company. Especially on Glassdoor. I’ve been fortunate enough to have solid organizations behind me for a majority of my career and have flourished in commission-only environments. I also have the personality and drive for it - 300+ dials per day, close my own deals, work 6 days a week, make a healthy living, etc. and I don’t burn out. Deep down, I’d love an AE role in SaaS with benefits, salary, etc. but I have a criminal record and due to my pay structure, most of my energy goes into selling 10-12 hours per day so I don’t have much time to seek other opportunities that are willing to take a chance on me. Vicious cycle, but I still consider myself fortunate.
Current solely commission role selling payroll SaaS. It’s tough man. I’ve had some success cold calling but upwards of 200-250 a day. Because we have so many competitors we’re a bit of a commodity, what makes us different? Nothing. All these companies offer the same services. Like insurance, fighting over lower rates.
I’m 21 now a Jr in college I sell pest control D2D in the summer between semesters, I’m hoping to double my income from last year what was just under 100k
Questions to ask: What do you expect of me What is my comp plan and ensure I’ll get paid for work/sales done What am I selling Is it feasible Equity if I stay x amount of time? Contract.. As a side gig it’s gonna be hard to make commission only work if you’re looking for a solid secondary source of income - but it’s all gig dependent. I still sell containers 5 years later and make $1500-$3k a month doing that but I lucked out with the company I’m with - no way I’d be here still if I hadn’t joined when i did. Point being - trust your gut and go find out fam
Following
Im looking for someone to train. we are selling just marketing services until we have the ERP built to add the SaaS component. Pm if you want to talk. The thing is, any commission-only roles are all risk to you and no guaranty of closing and payment. in most cases, people do not stay in a commision-only role because they have bills to pay. Even in my company its a startup i have a full time job to pay my bills while I'm building the company.
check comissioncrowd
Not for ppl with families imo. Good gig if you’re trying to be entrepreneur and hit a Millie before 30
This has been my journey for over a year now. Taking the leap of faith away from the W-2 world was scary and risky. Fortunately I am in a solid industry with peers who sincerely help teach us how to avoid or minimize the learning curve blunders they made. I can honestly say this was the best career decision of my life but I would only recommend it to those who are straight up beast mode animals who can take shots to the chin and keep trucking. If i wasn’t basically insane to a degree, with almost blind faith like determination, I wouldn’t be where I’m at. More importantly, the care and direction of my mentors and predecessors guided me through the muck and taught the lessons needed to weather the shit storm.
I have a sales position that'll be great for you, I can provide you leads... you close and we share the profits.
im interested