What can a company expect from an independent sales rep?
June 15, 2017 12:59 PM   Subscribe

I have a gig selling ads for a magazine, and am paid 100% based on commission. They pay me a commission on every sale I make, but that's it - I don't get a regular paycheck, they don't withhold taxes, I'm not reimbursed for travel or expenses of any kind. What can they reasonably expect from me? If you are a commission rep, what kinds of things do you have to do for work other than sell?
posted by lyssabee to Work & Money (5 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
You aren't a commissioned sales rep. You are an independent contractor. You don't work for the company. You are self-employed, selling their stuff. All they can expect from you is whatever you agreed to when you signed the agreement.

If you are making any sort of significant money at this and don't understand the tax consequences of self-employment, you need to get to a CPA yesterday. Quarterly tax payments, expense tracking, etc. are all 100% on you.
posted by COD at 2:12 PM on June 15, 2017 [7 favorites]


I think they can expect you to sell ads. I'm not sure what else they are expecting of you, but if they're paying you zero salary outside of commission, I don't think they should be able to ask you to do anything other than sell ads (and, of course, follow company policy and represent the company well while doing the selling -- like, if they said "Don't call people on our do not call list" or "Please don't make more than 3 calls to one office per week" I think you would need to follow those policies.)
posted by rainbowbrite at 2:53 PM on June 15, 2017


Yes, as COD said, you're an independent contractor. You determine what you put in; you determine how much effort generates the desired outcome.

Do they provide sales support, e.g., leads, samples or marketing materials? Practices around this will vary depending on the industry. Do you have a territory; who chose it?
posted by shoesietart at 3:22 PM on June 15, 2017


Sales reps at publications I used to work for also were expected to attend and sometimes staff events and chat with clients during those events, attend various other events the publications sponsored to try to make sales and build relationships, go to clients' events, go to local galas, etc. I think they were also salaried with benefits, though—so they weren't paid any extra for doing that legwork, but they were also guaranteed some level of salary plus commissions.
posted by limeonaire at 3:38 PM on June 15, 2017


I wouldn't assume OP is an independent contractor. Getting paid on commission has very little to do with your job classification, which has more to do with the degree of independence you have in doing it. If OP is working from OP's company's office on a schedule fixed by them reading their script to pitch, for instance, OP is probably not an independent contractor. If OP is working from home, using OP's own equipment, without meaningful constraints as to methods, time, or place, then the analysis could be otherwise.

But I don't think that really matters. I don't see how a person getting paid strictly commission can reasonably be expected to do anything except the task that gets the commission. Doesn't mean the company won't try it on, though, and doesn't mean that person couldn't get fired for refusing.
posted by praemunire at 5:41 PM on June 15, 2017 [1 favorite]


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