Has anyone else had a bad experience with Vector Marketing. Here is their website:

[www.vectormarketing.com]

They are often at college campuses where they sign people up to attend a mass interview. My experience was that they won't tell you anything about their company unless you sign up for a follow up interview at their office. The lure, for college students at least, is a purported upper teens hourly compensation.

However once arrive for your appointment, you end up sitting with a whole room full of equally clueless applicants. Based on on how they treated us it actually felt more like supplicants.

Even wasting an afternoon to attend this "interview," they were still frustratingly vague. And worst of all, after sitting through the whole thing in the vain hope that it might actually be legitimate, the male interviewer had the audacity to tell me that I had to pay for the training before I even had a chance to make some of the so-called money.

At their website I've since found out that they want you to become a private contractor selling cutlerly, on a commission basis only naturally. I just want to say that I REALLY didn't like the vibes and behavior of these people. I strongly suspect that such a company is the last place you want your good name associated with when even the receptionist gives you *ATTITUDE* for merely asking for details and more clarification. Clearly this is not a company that has the best interests of its sales people in mind. Clearly it's yet again another "opportunity" to lose time and money in my opinion.

At their website's FAQ they obliquely refer to some supposed problems people in the past have had with Vector. Vector doesn't seem particulary concerned about these people or their problems, rather it sounds more like lawyer-ese. I strongly suspect that there will be plenty more of the same where that came from since they probably think that it's easy to manipulate young naive college types.

CNFT

As a former rep, I had no problems with them. I can say that it is certainly not for everybody. With Vector/Cutco, you are an independant agent, not an employee. You get paid commissions based on your sales, no steady salary. It requires a lot of discipline, hard work, and self-motivation. If you can't do it, then you will not succeed. And as I learned, most people don't want to work a job like that, especially a college student. And most people don't find it fun to make cold calls and ask for an appointment in someone elses home.

Today, I am a financial advisor, in a sales/commission based job. I have no boss to answer to, so I have got to be self-motivated. I like what I do, it was VERY tough at first, but with hard work, I got through it. It was much the same as Vector.

I also noticed that different offices have different standards, and I think this is where some of the more serious problems occur. I have heard some stories about legal action being taken for misleading applicants. In our office, we never straight out said that they will be selling knives (well, not on any of the initial literature). But as soon as somebody walked in the door for an interview (usually in the summer is when there would be a mass interview as you described), they read some liturature about what the job entailed (it was pretty straight forward). If it was not a mass interview, then the office manager explained what was in the literature. After that, they performed a mock demonstration (similar to what a rep does in somebody's home). After that was Q&A. The entire process took about 45 minutes. If a rep decided to come on as a rep, they knew what they were getting into.

I would be more than happy to answer any questions. I have not sold Cutco for years now. Not everything they did I agreed with, but it is a great oportunity for somebody who is willing and able to make a serious go at outside sales.

Blaming those who lose money on such business schemes is not a meaningful response.

Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) is plagued with complaints, lawsuits and financial losses.

It is most often the system itself and not the participants, which causes failure within many MLM schemes.

See [www.vandruff.com]

This research paper explains the inherent structural and marketing flaws that cause so many MLM participants to lose money.

Also see [www.mlmwatch.org]

This is a Web site that monitors such schemes.

Quote
rrmoderator
Blaming those who lose money on such business schemes is not a meaningful response.

Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) is plagued with complaints, lawsuits and financial losses.

It is most often the system itself and not the participants, which causes failure within many MLM schemes.

See [www.vandruff.com]

This research paper explains the inherent structural and marketing flaws that cause so many MLM participants to lose money.

Also see [www.mlmwatch.org]

This is a Web site that monitors such schemes.

Thanks, I, at least will check these out.

You know, maybe after my close call with Landmark and the now "Primerica", maybe I've become far too suspcious and cynical, but this quote below sure sounds a lot like apologist stuff that is often posted here by other for-sure questionable organizations. Regardless, I surely got the impression that there an implicit messages (IE) in the following quotations "" which I'll precede with the following symbol IE: with its text in brackets []:

"As a former rep, I had no problems with them. I can say that it is certainly not for everybody. With Vector/Cutco, you are an independant agent, not an employee. You get paid commissions based on your sales, no steady salary. It requires a lot of discipline, hard work, and self-motivation. If you can't do it, then you will not succeed. And as I learned, most people don't want to work a job like that, especially a college student. And most people don't find it fun to make cold calls and ask for an appointment in someone elses home.

IE:[It's certainly not for anyone who's not as good and worthy as I. The unwashed masses (like most people and college students) could never be as disciplined, hard-working and self-motivated. If you can't do it then you're one of *THEM* and not one of *US.* JUST BEING YOURSELF ISN"T GOOD ENOUGH; you *should* be like me. If I don't approve of you, you should feel bad.]

Today, I am a financial advisor, in a sales/commission based job. I have no boss to answer to, so I have got to be self-motivated. I like what I do, it was VERY tough at first, but with hard work, I got through it. It was much the same as Vector.

IE:[Today I make a lot more money than you--just like those suits on those fancy TV commercials who are always partying, traveling and driving big SUV's and sports cars. And since YOUR WORK IS YOUR WORTH;therefore, I'm smarter and more worthy to judge and, hell, just more *worthy* in general. Accordingly if you're poor or impoverished then that means you must must have "created that reality;" therefore, you deserve to be poor simply because you're less deserving.]

I also noticed that different offices have different standards, and I think this is where some of the more serious problems occur. I have heard some stories about legal action being taken for misleading applicants. In our office, we never straight out said that they will be selling knives (well, not on any of the initial literature). But as soon as somebody walked in the door for an interview (usually in the summer is when there would be a mass interview as you described), they read some liturature about what the job entailed (it was pretty straight forward). If it was not a mass interview, then the office manager explained what was in the literature. After that, they performed a mock demonstration (similar to what a rep does in somebody's home). After that was Q&A. The entire process took about 45 minutes. If a rep decided to come on as a rep, they knew what they were getting into.

IE:[It's not us; it's *always*them who did the bad stuff: A variation on the good cop/bad cop?

I would be more than happy to answer any questions. I have not sold Cutco for years now. Not everything they did I agreed with, but it is a great oportunity for somebody who is willing and able to make a serious go at outside sales."

IE:[I would be more than happy to implicitly criticize you and make you feel ignorant, small-minded, guilty, anxious and disapproved of so that you'll be more pliable and susceptible to my suggestions. It's far more *appropriate* to close your eyes to the dubious aspects of an organization if it means you're being a "team player." Only the elite--like me--are permitted to have an opinion and take a stance. Such for all others is mere insubordination. Begone unwashed masses and take your poverty-level wages with you. And while you're at it shame on you for having an opinion, and worse: Acting on it in a way that the elite-group-think tank feels is inappropriate...and worst of all: unprofitable.]

Thanks, moderator, for pointing out that just because someone is skilled at making us *feel* guilty, it doesn't necessarily follow that we *are* guilty. Thank God for CBT.

While I respect a lot about Eastern Philosophy, nevertheless it's particularly galling how Western opportunists have transmogrified it into manipulation that uses the "we creat our own reality" theory to justify their own greed and blame the impoverished victim for his or her own lack thereby doubly victimizing them. Check out the book "Nickled and Dimed" by the author who was recently interviewed on NPR for more on this if anyone is interested...And if irrational guilt is an issue with anyone out there I urge you to buy or borrow the book "Feeling Good" by Dr. David Burns.

CNFT

Quote
oyster
As a former rep, I had no problems with them. I can say that it is certainly not for everybody. With Vector/Cutco, you are an independant agent, not an employee. You get paid commissions based on your sales, no steady salary. It requires a lot of discipline, hard work, and self-motivation. If you can't do it, then you will not succeed. And as I learned, most people don't want to work a job like that, especially a college student. And most people don't find it fun to make cold calls and ask for an appointment in someone elses home.

Today, I am a financial advisor, in a sales/commission based job. I have no boss to answer to, so I have got to be self-motivated. I like what I do, it was VERY tough at first, but with hard work, I got through it. It was much the same as Vector.

I also noticed that different offices have different standards, and I think this is where some of the more serious problems occur. I have heard some stories about legal action being taken for misleading applicants. In our office, we never straight out said that they will be selling knives (well, not on any of the initial literature). But as soon as somebody walked in the door for an interview (usually in the summer is when there would be a mass interview as you described), they read some liturature about what the job entailed (it was pretty straight forward). If it was not a mass interview, then the office manager explained what was in the literature. After that, they performed a mock demonstration (similar to what a rep does in somebody's home). After that was Q&A. The entire process took about 45 minutes. If a rep decided to come on as a rep, they knew what they were getting into.

I would be more than happy to answer any questions. I have not sold Cutco for years now. Not everything they did I agreed with, but it is a great oportunity for somebody who is willing and able to make a serious go at outside sales.

People like the above quoted poster babysit boards like this to engage in spin doctoring and damage control.

My friends and I who run similar boards make it hard for these zombies to engage in such activities. I am very pleased that y'all defused the inanity of the "blame the victim" response the above poster perpetrated. Maybe it's a good idea to let people like this come here and subject themselves to YOUR collective intellects. But the problem is that they come in numbers and play games.

You have undoubtedly found that people (such as the one who posted above) BABYSIT these boards, and join in multiple IDs. Sometimes, they use one ID, but various members watch the board in shifts. Sometimes they go further than the kind of post to which I am responding. Some of them are NLP practitioners, and are skilled at psychological profiling and passive aggressive verbal barrages directed at those who attempt to bring light to the activities of these vampyric cults.

I have been on numerous boards where the cultists evaded moderation because of the subtlety of their verbal attacks on their targets. I guess I am saying is that the sources of such posts as the one above should be examined, and their posts monitored because they actually intend to not only dispense disinformation, but to disrupt conversations in general which do not go their way.

Thank you for considering my thoughts.

Love,

Os

Quote
oyster
As a former rep, I had no problems with them. I can say that it is certainly not for everybody. With Vector/Cutco, you are an independant agent, not an employee. You get paid commissions based on your sales, no steady salary. It requires a lot of discipline, hard work, and self-motivation. If you can't do it, then you will not succeed. And as I learned, most people don't want to work a job like that, especially a college student. And most people don't find it fun to make cold calls and ask for an appointment in someone elses home.

Today, I am a financial advisor, in a sales/commission based job. I have no boss to answer to, so I have got to be self-motivated. I like what I do, it was VERY tough at first, but with hard work, I got through it. It was much the same as Vector.

I also noticed that different offices have different standards, and I think this is where some of the more serious problems occur. I have heard some stories about legal action being taken for misleading applicants. In our office, we never straight out said that they will be selling knives (well, not on any of the initial literature). But as soon as somebody walked in the door for an interview (usually in the summer is when there would be a mass interview as you described), they read some liturature about what the job entailed (it was pretty straight forward). If it was not a mass interview, then the office manager explained what was in the literature. After that, they performed a mock demonstration (similar to what a rep does in somebody's home). After that was Q&A. The entire process took about 45 minutes. If a rep decided to come on as a rep, they knew what they were getting into.

I would be more than happy to answer any questions. I have not sold Cutco for years now. Not everything they did I agreed with, but it is a great oportunity for somebody who is willing and able to make a serious go at outside sales.

People like the above quoted poster babysit boards like this to engage in spin doctoring and damage control.

My friends and I who run similar boards make it hard for these zombies to engage in such activities. I am very pleased that y'all defused the inanity of the "blame the victim" response the above poster perpetrated. Maybe it's a good idea to let people like this come here and subject themselves to YOUR collective intellects. But the problem is that they come in numbers and play games.

You have undoubtedly found that people (such as the one who posted above) BABYSIT these boards, and join in multiple IDs. Sometimes, they use one ID, but various members watch the board in shifts. Sometimes they go further than the kind of post to which I am responding. Some of them are NLP practitioners, and are skilled at psychological profiling and passive aggressive verbal barrages directed at those who attempt to bring light to the activities of these vampyric cults.

I have been on numerous boards where the cultists evaded moderation because of the subtlety of their verbal attacks on their targets. I guess I am saying that the sources of such posts as the one above should be examined, and their posts monitored because they actually intend to not only dispense disinformation, but to disrupt conversations in general which do not go their way.

Thank you for considering my thoughts.

Love,

Os

Quote
Os Wilkes

Quote
oyster
As a former rep, I had no problems with them. I can say that it is certainly not for everybody. With Vector/Cutco, you are an independant agent, not an employee. You get paid commissions based on your sales, no steady salary. It requires a lot of discipline, hard work, and self-motivation. If you can't do it, then you will not succeed. And as I learned, most people don't want to work a job like that, especially a college student. And most people don't find it fun to make cold calls and ask for an appointment in someone elses home.

Today, I am a financial advisor, in a sales/commission based job. I have no boss to answer to, so I have got to be self-motivated. I like what I do, it was VERY tough at first, but with hard work, I got through it. It was much the same as Vector.

I also noticed that different offices have different standards, and I think this is where some of the more serious problems occur. I have heard some stories about legal action being taken for misleading applicants. In our office, we never straight out said that they will be selling knives (well, not on any of the initial literature). But as soon as somebody walked in the door for an interview (usually in the summer is when there would be a mass interview as you described), they read some liturature about what the job entailed (it was pretty straight forward). If it was not a mass interview, then the office manager explained what was in the literature. After that, they performed a mock demonstration (similar to what a rep does in somebody's home). After that was Q&A. The entire process took about 45 minutes. If a rep decided to come on as a rep, they knew what they were getting into.

I would be more than happy to answer any questions. I have not sold Cutco for years now. Not everything they did I agreed with, but it is a great oportunity for somebody who is willing and able to make a serious go at outside sales.

People like the above quoted poster babysit boards like this to engage in spin doctoring and damage control.

My friends and I who run similar boards make it hard for these zombies to engage in such activities. I am very pleased that y'all defused the inanity of the "blame the victim" response the above poster perpetrated. Maybe it's a good idea to let people like this come here and subject themselves to YOUR collective intellects. But the problem is that they come in numbers and play games.

You have undoubtedly found that people (such as the one who posted above) BABYSIT these boards, and join in multiple IDs. Sometimes, they use one ID, but various members watch the board in shifts. Sometimes they go further than the kind of post to which I am responding. Some of them are NLP practitioners, and are skilled at psychological profiling and passive aggressive verbal barrages directed at those who attempt to bring light to the activities of these vampyric cults.

I have been on numerous boards where the cultists evaded moderation because of the subtlety of their verbal attacks on their targets. I guess I am saying that the sources of such posts as the one above should be examined, and their posts monitored because they actually intend to not only dispense disinformation, but to disrupt conversations in general which do not go their way.

Thank you for considering my thoughts.

Love,

Os

Thanks(!) :o for having a thought, (or two :D 8) ) *AND* acting on them! :D

CNFT

Ah, Cutco! What former college student does not have a story about them? I knew 2 people who got suckered into selling Cutco cutlery and high-end kitchen products.

Don't get me wrong: it's a quality product! It just happens to be really expensive too: it's not like Avon, where you can buy a couple little token items as a favor for the friend selling it. I don't think Cutco has anything under $100.

And one of my 2 friends had a problem getting paid by Cutco at the end of the summer. They had promised to pay her based on the number of presentations given as well as the amount of items sold. She did a large number of presentations, but then they refused to pay her for all of them because they claimed that she was not allowed to give presentations in her own home! So all of the presentations she did for family and friends that she did in her own home (and did well, I might add - she almost convinced me to buy some of the stuff!) she did not get paid for.

In my opinion, a very unethical company taking advantage of college students and their families!

Boy, tough crowd. I'm not a merchant of disinformation, I'm just a guy that happened upon this lovely site today.

I worked for Vector Marketing for 2 months before I started my first year in college. I believe that they are a legitimate company, but I still wouldn't recommend them.

I don't know who posted about having to pay for training, but my training was free (summer 2002). I did have to pay for supplies, and I think it came to $140. However, what I got for that $140 was stuff we were selling for far more than that. I still have and use the knives.

We were taught various selling techniques at weekly meetings, which were also free. Some of these teaching I still use at my parent's retail store. However, they are nothing that you can't learn from a few minutes of research online or in a book.

They offered up to $12/meeting with someone, assuming that your commissions were less than that. Meaning that if you met with 10 people and made $120 in commissions, you didn't get that $12/meeting. If it was less, they would make up the difference.

The real kicker for me was the way that these things were sold. We were taught to be as intrusive as possible. We were trained in the ways of the sleazy door-to-door salesman. We didn't actually go door-to-door, instead we begged and pleaded with people to give us references. We then dropped their names and names of famous people to get a meeting, where the high-pressure sales pitch came on. I just felt like dirt selling the stuff, so I decided not to continue when I went to college. Over the two months I made just over $300 in commissions, minus the material costs, I was up about $150. Minus gas from travel I didn't really end up making much. I didn't really try as hard as I could have, but they told me that we could make money without trying hard at all. I had two friends that joined with me, and as far as I know they also got paid.

As I said, I wouldn't recommend it, but if you are worried that they are going to take your money and run, I wouldn't be too worried about it.