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I am coming at this from a slightly different angle.

My company needs sales reps, but because of the taxes and liability involved, we cannot afford to hire them as employees. We pay generous commissions, but cannot afford “benefits.”

We have track records from previous reps, and industry reports, showing that $50K in the first year is a reasonable expectation. It could be more. Additionally, there are many positives about being an independent contractor - scheduling flexibility, tax breaks, etc. - that should be inviting to the right person.

What I am seeing is a bunch of whiny, lazy middle aged men who find themselves unemployed from their $80K+ job and who truly expect to get another $80K+ job handed to them. They also expect fully paid health insurance, a matching retirement plan, and two weeks paid vacation in their first year. Their delusions are being aided by nearly two years of unemployment compensation which encourages them to keep looking for jobs that aren’t there and turning down opportunities that are available today.

While extension of “unemployment compensation” may be compassionate, it is not helping small business find employees.

Man, I hate to tell 'ya, bit with the present business environment (just as described in this column), taking a 100% commission job is a risk (especially if you expect that "contractor" to use his own vehicle to get around). Track records from previous reps. and industry reports are nearly meaningless, unless you have data from the last recession.

Good luck finding someone, but lamenting that the "market has changed" while not responding to the change in the market is a little . . . optimistic.

I have worked straight commission sales and I know from experience that hiring someone who can and will make a go of it on commission can be tough. It doesn’t help matters any that there have been so many scam artists telling people how they can make a great living with their great deal when the truth is that one person out of one thousand might be able to survive on it. It throws a cloud of doubt over the honest people who actually do have a legitimate contract to offer.

I have made three hundred dollars in one day and a thousand in one week back in 1970 when a hundred and a half a week was pretty good pay. I also have slugged away for a three week stretch between sales. Straight commission is not for the faint hearted.