Posted on 06/14/2007 5:30:48 PM PDT by rudy45
Our daughter (recent HS grad) received a letter today from Vector, a marketing company. They market knives from a company called Cutco. Apparently, people who work for them do telemarketing to generate leads, then make appointments to visit prospective customers to show and (if possible) sell knives. The student workers have to pay about $140 (as a deposit) for a sample set of knives that they show. The worker gets paid about $15-$18 per appointment they make, regardless of whether a sale occurs. If they do make a sale, they get a percentage as a commission.
I have my suspicions, and have seen some negative press, but wonder if anyone can offer personal insight.
If this organization really is a "scam," how do they make their money?
Thanks.
Cutco makes a great knife, that much I know.
I don’t know about Vector, but Cutco knives are very good. And the only way to get them is via students. Maybe eBay.
Bought some cutco knives years ago I am still using.
how did you buy them? was it from person who came to your home? Thanks.
By posting inquisitive spam like this one on forums where lots of people will see the innocent looking vanity. Once some poor schmo reads the post their curiosity gets the best of them and they end up checking out the company in question. It is the hope of the poster that the subject checking out the company will end up buying the companies product without the company spending a dime in advertising.
Good luck.
Vector has been around for years. Its not a “pyramid scheme” at all, but is PURE sales. If you want a real “trial by fire” as a salesperson, I would recommend the experience.
They make their money selling $140 knife sets to “trainee’s”
Sounds like a scam to me, some other folks agree: http://www.radified.com/blog/archives/000055.html
Yes, I’ve heard of the $140 sample sets. My understanding, though, is that the money is a deposit. So theoretically, if the worker doesn’t like the job, he/she returns the set and gets the money back. In that case, how does the company make money off the samples?
IIRC, that is pretty close to the "canned" sales presentation that I was taught way back in 1967 or 68.
There were (can't comment on now, obviously) the finest knives & shears I've ever seen. The steak knives would cut through 1/2" hemp rope with one cutting action, the shears would cut a penny in half....etc.
Yes, these were the actual demos that I would do with the demo kit/case that I bought.
How did I do "door to door"? Well, that's just say I was happy to later sell my samples to someone to breakeven. I was young, not very confident...hell, I was intimidated by the doors slamming in my face and hearing rejection...LOL
OTOH, it was great training as I went on to raising in the ranks from selling to Sales Managment to Product Marketing to Director of Marketing to VP, Sales & Marketing to President.
My success was more in the "consultative" type of selling which not "door to door".
It takes "Big Brass Ones" to do that and I tip my hat to anyone who can do that.
In any case, it is great experience and the product was really good.
However in some respects it is a pyramid scheme, the same way Tupperware and Mary Kay are, in that your daughter will be calling everybody you and she knows in order to make the sale -- in that sense, Vector is financially dependent on finding new people with new, untapped friendships they can make money off of. That doesn't necessarily hurt anyone involved; after all your daughter will make money and your friends will get new knives. But it's a little strange.
My son tried this one summer many years ago. His only sale was to me, but I still have (and use) the knives. It’s not a scam, and the knives are good, but it’s a tough sale!
I love good knives. What’s in the sample set for that $140?
If she’s any good at sales, she might make some decent dough. $140 is less than starting up with many “home party” outfits.
I wouldn’t be thrilled about sending a young woman out making cold calls though. Too damn many psychos and sociopaths out there.
I have cutco knives. They are very expensive but, they are also the best knives I have ever owned and they have a lifetime warrenty. On top of that they will sharpen them absolutly free for as long as you own them.
I have owned Cutco knives for 20 years and never felt the need to sharpen them however, a cutco salesman came by once and urged me to send them in to be sharpened. I sent a couple that i thought maybe needed it and they came back good as new.
She’d probably do very well selling them in Dearborn, Michigan or northern New Jersey. I hear they’re just fanatics about good knives.
Cutco makes some darn good knives.
Interesting theory, but with leaps like that you should be on the olympic team.
Cutco - when you are crazy-wingnut-Islamofascist enough to behead with the very best.
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