Risky Move??

braceface

Hi all
I'm stuck in a job that doesn't pay great (30K) but is secure and pretty handy. I've just been offered a sales position that has potential for earning over double my current salary but it's very commission based. And now I don't know what to do!! Do I take the risk now or stay in my current dead end safe position?

Any advice / opinions would be greatly appreciated -
oh and I'm 30, with a mortgage....

beagle001

Take a chance no point doing a job that brings misery for you no matter what people will say to you recession etc
If the job has potential to earn double your current salary and you have spoken to people who do it then if you believe you can achieve this jump at it

godtabh

Do your research and make sure you can do the job

MagicMarker

I personally think you'd be a fool to leave 30k a year to work mainly for commission. Lots of sales jobs on the face of it appear to have a lot of potential, but generally only the very best sellers will make a decent living off of it. Plus if you're not hitting your target then you won't last long and then you'll be left with no job!

miec

Hi Op

Do you think the product will sell in the current economic climate? What are your sales skills like? Could you convince me or others to buy the product? Are you naturally good with people? Are you aggressive (as in push yourself to the limit). I agree with others you really need to research this and genuinely believe you can make it.

If you want to change direction could you invest in further training / education? Oh I forgot, do you like sales? Is it an area you have always wanted to get into or is it just the idea of loads of money.

braceface

Thanks for the replies, they're all the thoughts that have been going round my head!

The product will sell, it's got options that are high end and lower end. I'm in sales at the moment, but nothing as commission based as this. It's certainly not my dream job but I have proved to be good at it (hitting targets etc). Now, if only I knew what my dream job was I'd be sorted!

I have until Monday to weigh up pros & cons

JDxtra

braceface wrote: »

Hi all
I've just been offered a sales position that has potential for earning over double my current salary but it's very commission based.

They key word here is potential. Very often this is not the same as what you will get in reality. If you had zero/low sales in a month - would you get a basic wage that is sufficient for you?

tmax

Very bad time to take such a risk. Can you sell ice to an eskimo?

Wait a least a year before considering such a move - so you'll have more opportunities to fall back on if it doesnt work out (assuming the economy improves by then). A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush!

lifeinireland

braceface wrote: »

Hi all
I'm stuck in a job that doesn't pay great (30K) but is secure and pretty handy. I've just been offered a sales position that has potential for earning over double my current salary but it's very commission based. And now I don't know what to do!! Do I take the risk now or stay in my current dead end safe position?

Any advice / opinions would be greatly appreciated -
oh and I'm 30, with a mortgage....

man i tried it twice ,30k not bad especially in these day,i too would love a change but have 5 years in the job must think of the redundacy if it folds,hope you make the right choice for you,and family if you have one.

leggo

Other sales job sounds massively dodgy. Remember that these are also salespeople OFFERING you the job. And commission schemes can be quite complex...so much so that while it may appear as if failure will see you break even with what you're earning right now...you could genuinely be left with nothing.

You said that this wasn't even your dream job. It's purely for financial reasons. And, even then, the financial motivations aren't guaranteed at ALL. I wouldn't bother with the new job, to be honest. Stick with your current, secure job until you figure out what the dream is. THEN take the risk.

majiktripp

1. Are you nuts?

2. Are you f***ing NUTS?!

Stay in the job.

30k per annum + Mortage = No Brainer.

outta

Big BIG mistake, to take commisson only job. If its selling into shops u might have some hope. door to door is impossible.

If its self employed and u lose u job after U WILL NOT GET welfare.

That should be enough.. But if u do decide to leave u 30k job let me know! I mite take it up!!

Tusky

Every sales job Ive ever worked in has told me the potential earnings were twice what they actually were. They are selling the job to you, in the same way you sell the products to people. i.e bigging it up.

Maglight

Hey OP, couple of questions you should consider.
You say you are in sales at the moment. Are you hitting or exceeding your sales targets every month?
Do you get a basic salary plus commission?
Are you confident that there is a demand for the product?
Is this a new sales role because the company is doing well?
Will you inherit any existing clients?
Will you inherit a database of good quality leads?
Is commission payable on all sales or do you have to reach a threshold first?

If the answers to the above questions are yes, then it sounds like a good move. If more than two of them are no, you should reconsider.

another world

I´d agree with most people here. It looks incredibly dodgy taking on commission based work in this climate, especially when you have monthly bills like a mortgage and you´re not even sure it´s something you would really like to do. I´d stick with what you´ve got and at the same time keep looking for something that you like and if possible with better money. There must be better options out there.

Riskymove

braceface wrote:

Risky Move??

yes?

braceface

Well that's unanimous then!! I didn't take it, just couldn't justify the move, even with a guaranteed salary of 1K per month. Going to chat with my manager here and see what other opportunities there could be for me.

Thanks everyone!! I especially liked from majiktripp:
1. Are you nuts?

2. Are you f***ing NUTS?!

Stay in the job.

30k per annum + Mortage = No Brainer.