Commission Only Careers

I have spent the better part of my adult life in some form of sales. I have been fortunate enought to be quite successful, however each of those past jobs contained a base salary (some times a small one, but one none the less) plus a commission structure. I am currently looking at two possible jobs that are commission only. One of the jobs is in a field that I am familiar with, the other would be in a new industry. I admit, a commission only job is a scary thought right now, however, the right commission only job is better than my current situation. Has anyone been in this type of position before and if so, what are your thoughts?

I worked in car sales for a little while; that was 100% commission. I hated it, but that's because I was no good at it.

I've known a number of people in commission only sales jobs who I asked this very question of about a year ago when I was considering one. They emphasized these things:

• You either need to have some cash built up going into it or have your employer agree to give you a loan on your future commissions. Even if you are experienced in sales, a new position always is just a little different so you most likely aren't going to hit it big right off the bat.
• Do the math. Make sure the income level you need is attainable on the comission structure. If possible, ask people in that position currently what is a realistic number/dollar amount of sales for someone in their first few years there.
• If you do take the job, you are going to have big months and bad months. When you have the big month, DO NOT go spending like you will continue to make that because a bad month could be right around the corner and the bill collectors don't care.

Hope that helps. Good luck!

I've worked in a position that was commission only and those with small salaries. I assume it is some type of sales job. At the end of the day you can slice the payplan however you want, but all that matters is earning potential interms of comp structure, management support, product, etc. I would rather work at a job where my position is targeted at $8k a month with no salary versus one targeted for $5k with $1k coming from salary.