Kill 100% Commission Jobs

The Value of Free Decoded.

A person walks into a cellphone store looking for the “free phone.” What are the odds that customer will leave the carrier early due to non-payment? Remember the “free puppy” shopping cart outside Wal-Mart? Are the puppies really free? How many of those pups end up in foster care because the owner didn’t have the time or money for appropriate care. If someone gave you a free computer, are you going to treat it the same as a device you spent $1,000 of your hard earned money on? I once had a company offer me “free” cloud storage if I became a customer. How can I say no to that? It’s free AND I can’t see or touch it.

I once had a company offer me “free” cloud storage if I became a customer. How can I say no to that? It’s free AND I can’t see or touch it.

“Free” is a four-letter “F-word” that means, no value. It is used to entice someone to make a purchase. We then hope we will recover our cost over time. Customers stay committed to something longer if they make an investment in the product. If you pay full price for your cell phone, even if it’s over the course of two years, you are still making an investment. I heard a cell phone store manager say, “Free tablets come back all the time. They have no value associated with it.” If you believe in the product and it carries value, you are comfortable paying for it.

I know what you’re saying employers, “Boo ya! He gets it!” Not so fast. I’m going to turn the tables on some of you. At any given time, I can open a job board and read hundreds of ads with buzzwords like “entrepreneurial spirit, be your own boss, immediate hire for the right person.” Translation: “We will take anyone, and only pay you if you work out.”

Let’s examine a car salesperson. I spent six months of my life selling cars in my youth. The dealership, (I wrote about it once,) was, and is still, always hiring in sales. Why is it hard to keep people? Easy, the company makes no investment in the employees. No paid trainings. No benefits such as a cell phone allowance or paid vacation. Not even sick days. You miss work; you miss the opportunity to get paid. You are given a small up-front wage, and at the end of the month, the amount you were advanced is pulled from your sales, and you are paid the difference. If you don’t sell enough, and end up in the hole, you are often shown the door.

If you pay your employees 100% commission, do you value them? Are you investing in your people if you really are not paying them any real salary? You’re the customer here. What will you get for free? Will you treat the product as if it were something you paid a great deal for?

You ask your customers to make an investment in your products for the long haul. Invest in your people the same way. Give them what they need to live. Turnover will be low. Morale will be high. Productivity will increase. You will be the preferred place to work, and qualified candidates will come to you.

Be the one that starts a movement Mr. and Mrs. Business Owner. Kill the 100% commission role and invest in your people. Invest in your growth. Invest in your community. Fuel an amazing economy.

Who will be first?

Cheers.