Prosperity Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 I have been looking for summer jobs lately, mostly without any lucky because of my schedule, but today my worries were over, or so I thought. I had an interview for this company called "Vector Marketing" they are basically a company made to sell the knives that their sister company makes. Well I use the word interview very loosely, I talked to the manager for about a minute then there was a group presentation (there were about 10 other prospective employees) on the quality of the Cutco cutlery. Then the manager called us in one at a time to see which ones got jobs. The guy told me that I was good enough blah blah blah, but I suspect that everyone got the job, otherwise why would he call each person in there individually? It would seem to me that if there were people that did not get a job would just get a "don't call us we'll call you." Secondly they have no reason not to hire everyone they can since the sales people are paid based on "appointments" (sessions were I try to sell knives to people) or commission based on how much they sell. I was already hesitant to work for them because I hate salesmen and I don't want to force people to buy knives they don't need. But, worse yet the guy wanted me to miss school days so I can come in and train to be an employee, and without any pay. My skepticism was at an all time high so I did a google search This website says that some of the things they say about the company are not true, some of the thing the manager said almost verbatim. http://www.geocities.com/cutcocomplaints/cutco_vector_alcas.html This one is about Students Against Vector Exploitation: http://consumeraffairs.com/news03/save.html Aww man, those ****s almost tricked me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnyderShrugged Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 Liberty, I'd stay out of it. My sister and many friends back in school tried and every single one of them bombed out big time. Once you are done with family and friends, you are stuck with cold call sales. Just by the comments you made above, I don't think you would have a good experience. I'd hate to see you give up on a finding a better summer job to do something that in my heart, think you will hate doing. They are some great knives though! Did you do the cut through a dime with the scissors yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prosperity Posted May 12, 2005 Author Share Posted May 12, 2005 They cut through a penny with scissors, but damn how often do you use scissors to cut coins? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXREDSKINS44 Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 Well at least you caught the scam in time!! My roommate in college did this exact same job. He missed a lot of school flunked out of his first semester and finally ended up quitting the job. My advice I would not do it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TK Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 As someone who's made a pretty good career in sales, RUN! Cutco's a scam. They'll hire everyone & feed them crap leads where you waste your time on some poor smuck that signed up somewhere to win something & got put on a list. Those so called lead lists are usually someone that wanted to win a new TV & now how has a college kid, with no sells experiance, trying to show him something he doesn't want or need. You want to make some cash & like to talk to people, PM me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsHokieFan Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 Definitley did that before my freshmen year of college Defintley made barely a dime If you know lots and lots of rich people who want to kiss your parents ass then do it (Representative Tom Davis' kid worked in my office the summer I did it and he was of course number 1) Or else don't even bother. My only sales were to my mom and uncle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSF Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 No worries my friend, you werent the only one almost lured to work for that piece of **** organization. My first summer break from college I was looking to make some extra money and saw their ad in the paper. Naturally, since i'm a marketing major I was drawn to them, thinking it would be great for my resume. I went through the whole group demonstration and then the individual meeting. I accepted the job mostly because of my sheer enthusiasm of being hired. It wasn't until I got home later that day and began to mull over what exactly I'd have to do, that it hit me. I called the company back the next day and told them I couldnt find the training site, and that I was having reservations anyway and no longer desired to be employed by them. A few weeks later, I got employed by the Park Authority which was the best thing to happen to me. Once I got my degree this year, they moved me up into the offices and i'm a step away from becoming their advertising manager now. I really worked my way up the ladder in that organization from cutting grass to wearing a suit everyday to work now. Anyway, point is dont sweat it.. You'll find a job that suits you well even if you dont think it will benefit you later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnyderShrugged Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 Don't feel bad at all for almost doing it either. I had a "wonderful"(sense dripping sarcasm please) summer selling door to door steak and seafood from the back of a small nissan pick-up truck. I spent more money than I made on dry ice and auto insurance for the piece of sh!t truck. Saty away from a company called "Anchor's Away" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prosperity Posted May 12, 2005 Author Share Posted May 12, 2005 I thought so, thanks for those who posted. I am going to call them and tell them I am not interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonJeremy Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 Originally posted by Liberty I thought so, thanks for those who posted. I am going to call them and tell them I am not interested. You made the wise choice....Vector Marketing/Cutco is a joke...I can't believe they are still around. I sat through one of their "interviews" about 13 or 14 years ago...:doh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. S Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 I went to their so called 'interview' as well 2 summers ago, looking for a job for 6 weeks of summer after my first year of college. Same deal, lady said she didnt need someone like me, she wanted a 'leader'. I was about to say 'cut the bs, you advertise like there's no tomorrow, and you dont need anymore frikkin people?" I know of a few people who actually have made thousands off of it. It however takes too much work, and a huge social network. Personally, I just hate how much they advertise and then scan through people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaceman Spiff Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 Haha...I worked for them for three years, made several thousand dollars. It's not a scam as far as selling the product goes. It's why I'm getting several job offers after college. Here's the deal. Vector doesn't "work" because a lot of people just sit around on their asses and expect things to fall in their laps. You have to be self motivated and follow the program and you can do well. Vector goes wrong in the sense that they try to make it seem like it's for everyone, when clearly, it's not. Sales aren't for everyone, especially this brand. Yet Vector tries to make it feel like the company is for everyone, therefore you get a lot of the reactions similar to the ones the above posters have said. As far as the negative stuff on the internet, every company out there has complaint sites. Vector is no different. It's funny, I went for an interview at a real estate company yesterday, and as the guy explained the position to me, I knew I could do a lot of the things he was talking about due to what I learned at Vector. Same goes for two other interviews I've been on for sales oriented jobs. Haha, and you are right, Liberty. Everyone probably got the job, maybe except a few people that went in there and didn't impress the manager enough or were turned off by the position. Vector managers goals are to hire everyone that walks in the door. The average Vector rep sells about 2,500 dollars worth of knives before they quit because like I said before, the realize it's not for them. The managers place all those people because they're trying to find the certain few that will sell more than that and make it up through management like I did. I will agree that the "interview" you went through wasn't so much an interview as it was the manager (and I see you are from Richmond, I probably know the dude) trying to sell you on the position instead. Every once in awhile they'll toss out easy questions to the group to make them feel like they ARE being interviewed, but the reality is that he was just trying to get you excited enough to take the job and come in for training. This is one of a few reasons I decided to leave management, because I felt like I really wasn't interviewing anyone. I might as well have just cut the rope and penny for them, gotten them all excited and said "Hey, see you on Friday." I didn't like hiring people that I really wasn't truely excited to work with in hopes that they would turn into a superstar representative. All in all, it's not a scam, in my eyes although I know I'm going to get berated for saying that. You just have to do the work necessary to succeed. And, like I said, it's not for everyone. Anyone that wants to discuss it, or if you have any other questions, PM me. I'll tell you more details about the company or individuals etc that might not be good for a public forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
75004 Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 A wise choice liberty, I sat thru a demonstration a few years ago and the same scenerio occured. They wanted you to sell to your family members and friends door to door. I left before they call my name. I wasted about 2 hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMac Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 I have never heard of Vector Marketing, but I have definitely heard of Cutco Knives. How have I heard about them? Well, my wife spent 900.00 on a set about 6 months ago. I about died when she told me how much she spent, BUT the knives are incredible and worth every penny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prosperity Posted May 12, 2005 Author Share Posted May 12, 2005 Haha...I worked for them for three years, made several thousand dollars. It's not a scam as far as selling the product goes. It's why I'm getting several job offers after college. By several thousand do you mean 2-3 and do you mean while you were in management or while you werre actually selling their goods. I can't imagine anyone making that much money even if you get the 30% commission. Either way I would feel dirty selling things that I know people neither need nor want. So much for my career in marketing/sales. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinned Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 I can't vouch for Cutco/Vector as I have never interviewed or worked for them, but I do have one memory that sticks out. A few years back I was riding the subway in New York during the lunchtime hours and there were probably 3 -4 teenage kids running around inside the train car with these knives. Let me make it clear that they were not trying to sell them to people on the train; instead they were goofing off and sure didn't make any of us on the train feel good about kids running around with sharp knives :hammer: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaceman Spiff Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 Originally posted by Liberty By several thousand do you mean 2-3 and do you mean while you were in management or while you werre actually selling their goods. I can't imagine anyone making that much money even if you get the 30% commission. Either way I would feel dirty selling things that I know people neither need nor want. So much for my career in marketing/sales. Well...I've sold just under $46,000. And I do know that after you've sold $30,000 you've made $10,250. (there's a sign in all of the offices that says "how to make 10,000 this summer) and tells you that if you sell 30,000, you'll make 10,250.) For the remaining 16,000, I've made half of that (30% up front plus a 20% bonus at the end of the month) so...as a rep I made roughly $18,000...not including product that I straight up sold for cash. But 18,000 is a safe bet. As far as management goes...I made about 6,000 the first summer and then 4,000 last summer (horrible summer for that office). So...all told, in my time with the company, i made about 28,000, most of which was made in the summertime. I also managed part time in 02-03 and 03-04 during the school year, but it's harder to figure out what I made off the top of my head during that time. People do make good money in the business, I know a woman who's in her mid 30's who sells, she makes 50-60,000 a year, its how she supports herself and her kids. The record for sales in one year by an individual is $264,000, and he made half of that, you can do the math, it's easy to divide by 2. He did it as a 21 year old college student, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaceman Spiff Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 Originally posted by Skinned I can't vouch for Cutco/Vector as I have never interviewed or worked for them, but I do have one memory that sticks out. A few years back I was riding the subway in New York during the lunchtime hours and there were probably 3 -4 teenage kids running around inside the train car with these knives. Let me make it clear that they were not trying to sell them to people on the train; instead they were goofing off and sure didn't make any of us on the train feel good about kids running around with sharp knives :hammer: :doh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaceman Spiff Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 Originally posted by JMac I have never heard of Vector Marketing, but I have definitely heard of Cutco Knives. How have I heard about them? Well, my wife spent 900.00 on a set about 6 months ago. I about died when she told me how much she spent, BUT the knives are incredible and worth every penny. See? not that hard to sell. Sorry guys, haven't figured out the multiquote thing yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbooma Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 Liberty, Good for you. You may laugh at what I am going to say, but if you are looking for a summer job while going to school one of the bests jobs is as a waiter or bartender. You get to meet a lot of people, contacts and can talk to people all day. I can say my 10 years in that industry has propelled me to where I am at today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchogs Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 i sold cutco the summer before my freshman year of college. i needed a super flexible, part-time gig because of my training program (8-10 and 3-6 practices). i did fairly well selling to family, friends' parents, and neighbors. i just never had the heart to ask them for "references" to cold call later. the few i did get, i never bothered to call. once i ran out of family and friends/neighbors, i stopped. you do get to keep your sales kit of knives, and i'm still using them 10+ years later. great knives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD_washingtonredskins Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 Originally posted by Liberty They cut through a penny with scissors, but damn how often do you use scissors to cut coins? More than you would ever suspect... :shhh: :paranoid: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyansRangers Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 Originally posted by Liberty By several thousand do you mean 2-3 and do you mean while you were in management or while you werre actually selling their goods. I can't imagine anyone making that much money even if you get the 30% commission. Either way I would feel dirty selling things that I know people neither need nor want. So much for my career in marketing/sales. I worked for CUTCO/ VECTOR for 2 summers one as a salesman and one as a manager. Its not a scam it a no base sales job... Same as any sales job.. If you dont make the calls your not going to get the business. I am still in sales Albeit on the commercial lending side. But Cutco taught me a lot. I made about 8k my first summer and as a manager I acutally made a the same. Invaluable experience...... If you cant pick up the phone and call people you dont know then they job is not for you. If you can you can make a lot of money.. Its not a scam or a pyramiad scheme its a legit company that you can make serious money if you are willing to actually do the job. Most people I managed got hired and did nothing and sold only to thier familiy who the felt comfortable calling. Sales is what it is in any kind of sales job the phone is your salary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prosperity Posted May 12, 2005 Author Share Posted May 12, 2005 Those guys said it isn't door to door or telemarketing, even though that is exactly what they want people do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaceman Spiff Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 Originally posted by Liberty Those guys said it isn't door to door or telemarketing, even though that is exactly what they want people do. Telemarketing involves trying to sell a product over the phone. Door to door means going to random neighborhoods and knocking on random strangers doors. Cutco is done through personal referrals. Example, you go to your parents friends, they see the demo, then call their friends and ask if they'd take a look. If they say yes, you've then been given permission to contact them and set up an appointment. Just cause you have to use the phone to set up appointments and go to their house doesn't mean it's telemarketing or door to door. :doh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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