Best for the retired and bored, just out of college resume builder, or the proven killer outside sales rep
Pros
Make your own schedule (with some guidelines): At my location, we're required to work 1 evening and 1 weekend day a month. But, it's otherwise open. Your not stuck in an office for most of the week: You will have to work some office days a few times a month, but there are perks to that depending on your location. Micromanagement: Since you're not in an office, there's not much opportunity for your manager to be on your back all the time. Money: There definitely IS an opportunity to do well financially. But if you're reading this wondering if that could be you, it's probably not. You would already know if you are driven and salesy enough to make and outside sales career work. Just keep in mind that it generally takes years to get to that point, and top selling designers sit at about $100k/yr. Resume building: Since this is a sales role, bite the bullet for a few years and then move on to a job with a base salary plus commission! I often get messages on LinkedIn for new opportunities because of this job. Creativity: Every once in a while you'll get a client with a healthy budget and complete trust in their designer. These jobs are the most fun and are rewarding.
Cons
Your wages are the first to go if you make any mistakes (and there are TONS of opportunities for mistakes): It's difficult to conceptualize how many errors can be made when building out a system, but it's just going to be the case. The fault could be yours, or it could be production, or it could be the manufacturing facility. But it's YOUR pay that will suffer no matter whose fault it is. You may get a charge back even if you DIDN'T make a mistake, the customer just doesn't like the way it looks in the end. Designers are the only people in the company that are never guaranteed their pay and the company could truly care less if you can pay your mortgage. You will not be paid until the customer pays: While there is a little part of the contract that states the company can put a lien on the property for non-payment, CC rarely exercises that. And even if they did, you're still not getting paid. This happens more than you might think. You WILL have multiple $0 pay checks. THIS IS 100% COMMISSION JOB: As such, you do not have paid vacation and you absolutely do not have maternity (or paternity) leave-- even though this is a primarily female driven company. Your commission structure is broken down in a way to keep money from you: You are not paid a straight 10% for each job. You are paid a certain percentage based on designs, a certain percentage based on uploading all the correct documentation, a certain percentage based on re-measures, etc. This is done SPECIFICALLY so they have the right to garnish your wages for even the tiniest infraction. ALSO good luck getting your commissions after you quit the company... they'll find a way to keep them. The company does NOT have to give you leads: CC considers its company generated leads a privilege, not a right. So, your manager has every right to instruct the office workers to stop scheduling you jobs for whatever reason they deem good enough. In my location, this is used as a punishment. And if you have no leads, you have no work, you have no money. Ethical? I'm not sure. You WILL be responsible for paying for all of your own things: Like I mentioned, every location is different. But in my location, I bought my own computer, pay for my own gas, and pay my own phone bill. I am only repaid for these things if I sell a job. You are going to be basically on call 24/7: There is no room for work/life balance here. These closets demand the same respect as heart surgery. SO YOU BETTER ANSWER YOUR PHONE AT ALL TIMES. The last thing a new home buyer wants to do is buy a custom closet: You will hear it over and over-- they need to get quotes for window treatments, landscaping, water treatments, etc, and whatever is left over goes to the closet (if there even is any money left over). So, if you like being an outside sales rep, go sell something that home buyers NEED to live in their home, not a luxury item. Also consider the implications of selling some of the most expensive closet products in the midst of a recession. Morale: I've now worked at two locations in two different states, and the morale in both locations was absolutely awful. We lose lower level employees often because they feel bullied. And there is definitely a sense of "us vs them" between designers, management, and production. You'll avoid working in the office as much as possible.
