Sweetwater reviews

4.0

77% would recommend to a friend

(540 total reviews)
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Mike Clem

88% approve of CEO

72% positive business outlook

Sweetwater has an employee rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 540 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Sweetwater employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Retail & Wholesale industry (3.4 stars).

Reviews by job title

540 reviews
3.0
May 22, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Cafeteria and building facilities are quite nice

Cons

- Coding room is small and dark with too many people. - 2nd level of management has effectively neutered direct supervisors. - There is a lot of technical debt on the 4d platform. - Management believes that coders lack the skills to speak to end-users

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Sweetwater Response
7y
We're sorry this IT employee felt the way they did. Since this employee departed we have put in place what we call Business Analysts to serve as a communications liaison between departments and our hard working IT professionals. Jeff McDonald, Senior VP of Human Resources
1.0
Aug 26, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Discounts on Music Gear After 3 months.

Cons

Small company in a small town pretending to be a big corporation. At least 55 hours a week there in your first year. Judgmental atmosphere that rewards bad sales behaviors. Your managers/coaches who are telling you what to do HAVE NEVER EVEN DONE YOUR JOB. Zero mobility.

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Sweetwater Response
6y
Thanks for your feedback. The Sales Engineer position is both challenging and rewarding for those who are truly passionate about helping customers make music and we are alwasy very transparent about this during our interview process. In addition, we've proudly promoted hundreds of team members across the company, so we'd respectfully disagree with a perspective that there is zero mobility within Sweetwater. Of course, in some cases we've hired new managers from outside Sweetwater when they can bring to the table years of experience in the music industry and an outstanding knowledge about our products and ability to serve customers well. Thanks again for the feedback. We'll leverage your perspective to help us keep getting better.
3.0
Jul 11, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

-The Smartest people you'll ever meet, with genuine hearts, for the most part -Vendors take great care of sales staff -Gear at wholesale keeps being a musician with a full-time job worthwhile -Coffee shop on site allows for a nice break -401k plan is still decent -On-site amenities with health club, clinic, salon, spa, diner. If you're going to live here, might as well be treated like it's home.

Cons

-unnecessary meetings lead to long hours, coupled with late shifts -concern for statistics goals water down customer and employee experience, often -no dedicated sick days, and health insurance coverage isn't that great -no real opportunity for career advancement, You'll be in sales likely until the day you leave

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Sweetwater Response
6y
Being a Sales Engineer is a challenging position that isn't for everyone. We are very transparent about that in the interview process and consistently throughout Sweetwater University and beyond. A Sales Engineer is running their own business, which at its core means you are personally communicating with customers to be sure all their needs are met. That requires phone calls, and the typical number of calls required each day is made very clear before anyone signs on for the job. We're in the retail business, which means we need to be here when our customers need us, so yes, you will work some evenings, which is also made clear before signing up. Being fully engaged is important but we are far more apt to advise our team members to stay home to refresh than insist they stay late. Though it's true that the company continues to be blessed with very healthy growth, there is not a focus on the company growing to $1 billion in revenue--- the focus is rather on constantly making improvements for our customers, which is a key to our success. Because we are always striving to improve, the notion that we don't read these reviews or listen to our employees is incorrect. In fact, we very closely pay attention to all input we receive from both customers and employees, and then act prudently to improve. We can't think of a reference that's been made to "what have you done for me lately?" The truth is that a Sales Engineer to a large extent determines how successful they will become, not just in terms of compensation, but more importantly the great feeling that comes from forming satisfying relationships with our customers and helping them achieve their musical dreams. Being a Sales Engineer is not a "stepping stone job" but rather a long term career with the opportunity to earn a great living, become a true expert in your field, and for many to combine your vocation with your passion for music and gear. Jeff McDonald, Senior VP of Human Resources
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