v unhappy with job/employer - help!

fancyfred

i work in a high pressure sales office, selling a "cheaper telecoms" product to businesses. however, our bosses regularly shout and even swear at us when the sales targets arent met. i have also seen forum threads on this site relating to the work i do - not good (to say the least). as an ethical worker, of the "TCF" (Treating Customers Fairly) vein, i feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. i have witnessed first-hand mis-selling and customers i've signed up (in good faith) have been telling me that their experience of our product isn't how it was presented. taking time off to look for jobs is nigh-impossible (people pulling sickies are routinely fired) and the kind of outfit i work for change their name now and then, so who knows what to expect when i ask for a reference? quitting isnt an option, as the dole office wont help me. so for the time being, i have to work with being shouted at when i'm not able to "dupe"/convince prospects into signing up on the strength of a 10 minute phone call. any advice anyone?

Sambucus_Nigra

a - leave
b - stick with it
c - put a grievance in

Not quite sure what you expect us to say to be honest.

chuckley

this must b why sales jobs like that have a high turnover. I wouldnt b able to do it.

fancyfred

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

a - leave
b - stick with it
c - put a grievance in

Not quite sure what you expect us to say to be honest.

thanks Sam. Hope you don't mind me calling you Sam

getmore4less

Ducks back, let them shout and ignore it switch off and think of something else.

While they are shouting you don't have to be on calls.

Work to rule on hours, use your holidays.

DCFC79

You dont need to take time off to look for another job, do it when not at work eg evenings etc, take an hour at least to look for jobs

danothy

chuckley wrote: »

this must b why sales jobs like that have a high turnover. I wouldnt b able to do it.

As I understand it, companies like this are essentially resellers of someone else's services and infrastructure (where the selling cheaper than the original provider is made possible by competition laws governing wholesale prices etc.). This can lead to the situation where the company is only concerned with maximising the customer base (through sales) and be less than fully equipped to provide a good level of customer service.

Since you can't force people to buy things they don't want (especially if the people you are selling to can recognise the risk of using a reseller in terms of potential service levels and whatnot) then the sales staff suffer (potentially in the way described in the OP) as they are the ones blamed for not meeting targets, even if they are targets that are not realistic in real terms. Any workforce that suffers is bound to have a high turn over.

Meeting targets or not (realistic or not) I still wouldn't be spoken to like that though.

blessings3

erh pull a sickie get sacked look for another jib

blessings3

or job - which ever you prefer really

Rainmaker_uk

Look to get yourself with a decent sales recruitment firm - they can do much of the searching for you.

Bear in mind that selling for a reputable company should not be like this. Please do not let it put you off sales as a career. The ability to think about the customer and their needs already means that you are the right type of mindset to move to a decent company.

Start thinking more about selling yourself than selling this company's crap to people. Remember that decent field sales people are among the best paid people in the country. It is not hard to get to a position where you will be earning well over £50k - entry level at a decent company would see you taking home £30k with commisssions etc. You just have to be good at sales and that means resiliant, target focussed and customer focussed.

Early in my career I worked at places like this and used them as stepping stops to better things.

Good Luck!

Strider590

Get yourself fired so you can get onto jobseekers (you get no help if you just leave)
Word your CV so that it looks like you left the company due to their unethical practices (look like a hero)

Sorted!

(almost)