Sales

[timetosave]

I am looking for a second job. I would like to come as close as possible to doubling my income. I am hoping to work on commission (a good motivator to do well).


I am seriously considering sales (I have sent a resume to Howeround).


I am at a bit of a loss about what I should consider selling. This should be something that I can do in the evenings and weekends. I have no intention of leaving my job.

Any suggestions? I'm sure some of you have experience, either yourself or what your spouse does, in sales.

Thanks
G

[jodi]

Just my $.02...sales positions can be very hard, especially if you are in a position where you need to find your own clients. I sell real estate, just a part-time gig to bring in a little extra money towards debt (maybe $6-7k per year). The commissions are great - anywhere from $1000-$2500 per house sold, but it is a job with intense competition. No one feeds you leads - you have to work hard for every client you find. If you don't know a lot of people (family, friends, church, business contacts), then you will have to market strongly - which a lot of people are put off by (i.e. cold calling). And it's a position that requires a license, association membership, dues, lockbox key fees, etc. to the tune of about $1000 before you can even get started and another $1000 per year to stay in business (sometimes a lot more if your office charges you for office space and phone time). But it's flexible, you work for yourselves (even though you work under a broker, they are not your boss), and the income potential is great. Most people want to look at houses on nights and weekends anyway, so that would work out great for your shedule.
What type of sales are you considering? I don't know what Howeround is.

[Great to be Debt Free]

Once upon a time, I would have recommended telecom sales (Sprint, Nextel, Cingular, etc.), but I have been away from the industry for a while and from what I hear it has gone downhill. It is pretty competitive and customers are very savvy and demanding. You end up doing more customer service than sales these days due to 2 yr contracts that have people locked into their provider, etc. You might still check it out. I made pretty good money in sales on top of the hourly rate (I was earning about $40K and then moved into management). But I was doing it full time and going to school.

Hopefully someone else will have a better idea.

Also, ask people you know who are in sales -- even the salespeople you run into. They're usually honest on whether they love/hate, do okay/ do great. Also keep in mind that usually training is required and you'll need to have the time available to train.

Good luck!

[PrincessPerky]

pick something you want to sell, something you believe in....at one time I was a good sales girl....To sell you have to paint your 'product/service' in the best possible light...which is sometimes not the true light.....that whole honesty wins thing doesn't workout as the best moneymaker..........

[timetosave]

Thanks for the input. I really want to add to my money pot so I can start saving...I will definately look into real estate.

G

[jodi]

Make sure you get all the costs associated up front - I don't know what state you are in, but here in NY you have to take a licensing course (either 1-2 full weeks or possibly night classes at a local college - about $200-300) before you can take the exam ($50). Then you have to pay your dues and for your lockbox key ($800-900 annually) before you can get started. Remember, too, that with any commission job, there is time between when you make the sale and when you get paid. In real estate (in NY), it's about two months after a sale before you see any money.
I guess I made it sound better than it was! I wanted to write again to warn you that it is very difficult. The drop-out rate for first year agents is incredibly high - I would guess 50-75% don't last a year. But if you can find a broker to work under who doesn't mind if you only do it part-time (as I do), it can be a great way to earn a little extra on the side. I think people run into trouble when they try to do it full-time, without benefits, because you can go so long between commission checks.

[timetosave]

Originally Posted by jodi

Make sure you get all the costs associated up front - I don't know what state you are in, but here in NY you have to take a licensing course (either 1-2 full weeks or possibly night classes at a local college - about $200-300) before you can take the exam ($50). Then you have to pay your dues and for your lockbox key ($800-900 annually) before you can get started. Remember, too, that with any commission job, there is time between when you make the sale and when you get paid. In real estate (in NY), it's about two months after a sale before you see any money.
I guess I made it sound better than it was! I wanted to write again to warn you that it is very difficult. The drop-out rate for first year agents is incredibly high - I would guess 50-75% don't last a year. But if you can find a broker to work under who doesn't mind if you only do it part-time (as I do), it can be a great way to earn a little extra on the side. I think people run into trouble when they try to do it full-time, without benefits, because you can go so long between commission checks.

I'm in NY also, and no, you did not make it sound better than it is. I've been considering this for over a year. I have a dear friend that has his own agency, and I work full time during the day (good money) so I don't want to give that up. This is only on the side, something to help the pot grow so not seeing the money for two months won't hurt the bottom line. Thanks for the input. I really think this is what I want to do.

G

[b4freedom]

It's funny, I've done sales of different types and I'd have to say that I did the best when I was 12 to 15 years old and would put on a boy scout uniform and walk door to door selling M&M's. Virtually no one said no. People that did say no always felt bad. It's the only cold sales I've ever done with a 95% success rate. If I had a 95% success rate on all other sales, I'd be richer then Bill Gates. When I was twelve, I figured out that I could typically sale at least 2 boxes of M&M's at 50¢ each and make 25¢ a box. It typically would take about 1 to 2 minutes a house to make a sale. I literally ran from house to house. I figured out how to purchase the boxes directly. My mom was too oblivious to ask what I was doing when I'd have boxes of M&M's shipped to the house. My friends thought I was nuts and asked why I would do that. I explained to them that I was usually pulling in $15/hour. None of them wanted to put on the uniform and walk door to door.

When I went to boy scout camp for the first time when I was 12, I didn't realize that I needed to bring spending money (My mom had none to give me and I paid for camp myself). So, I was broke at camp. After the third day, I wanted candy so bad. I wanted money so bad. So, I walked around picking up soda cans for 5¢ each. I did this for a day. I walked to town, purchased a 100' roll of surgical tubbing for $10 from a surgical supply store, went back to camp and sold it for $2 a foot as “water weenies”. (You'd tie a knot in one end, blow it up with water. It would get about 5 times longer and about 4” wide with a lot of pressure. It was better then a water gun.) I sold out in an hour. After which I was really paranoid for two reasons: I had a giant wad of cash. I was afraid that when they figured out that I was selling something for $2 that cost me 10¢, they'd beat me up (I was only 12 and many of them were a lot older). I asked my scout leader to hold the money for me. He was shocked. And everyone loved me for selling them over priced water weenies.

I wish I could think of something that good to do now, as an adult. I guess I don't want that 50¢ candy bar as badly as I did back then.

[scrava]

OMG, LOL, you were industrious! You gave me a good laugh as I was picturing you worrying that the kids owuld find out about the over-charge!

Originally Posted by b4freedom

It's funny, I've done sales of different types and I'd have to say that I did the best when I was 12 to 15 years old and would put on a boy scout uniform and walk door to door selling M&M's. Virtually no one said no. People that did say no always felt bad. It's the only cold sales I've ever done with a 95% success rate. If I had a 95% success rate on all other sales, I'd be richer then Bill Gates. When I was twelve, I figured out that I could typically sale at least 2 boxes of M&M's at 50¢ each and make 25¢ a box. It typically would take about 1 to 2 minutes a house to make a sale. I literally ran from house to house. I figured out how to purchase the boxes directly. My mom was too oblivious to ask what I was doing when I'd have boxes of M&M's shipped to the house. My friends thought I was nuts and asked why I would do that. I explained to them that I was usually pulling in $15/hour. None of them wanted to put on the uniform and walk door to door.

When I went to boy scout camp for the first time when I was 12, I didn't realize that I needed to bring spending money (My mom had none to give me and I paid for camp myself). So, I was broke at camp. After the third day, I wanted candy so bad. I wanted money so bad. So, I walked around picking up soda cans for 5¢ each. I did this for a day. I walked to town, purchased a 100' roll of surgical tubbing for $10 from a surgical supply store, went back to camp and sold it for $2 a foot as “water weenies”. (You'd tie a knot in one end, blow it up with water. It would get about 5 times longer and about 4” wide with a lot of pressure. It was better then a water gun.) I sold out in an hour. After which I was really paranoid for two reasons: I had a giant wad of cash. I was afraid that when they figured out that I was selling something for $2 that cost me 10¢, they'd beat me up (I was only 12 and many of them were a lot older). I asked my scout leader to hold the money for me. He was shocked. And everyone loved me for selling them over priced water weenies.

I wish I could think of something that good to do now, as an adult. I guess I don't want that 50¢ candy bar as badly as I did back then.

[Saving in So Cal]

When I was younger, I worked a second job at a department store that paid a base plus commission. I made a lot of money and paid off quite a bit of debt in a short time. Also, the job wasn't hard or stressful. I don't know if any department stores pay that way anymore. If they do, I would recommend it.