Draw/Commission Position

[angelcollector1]

My current employer is under Chapter 11 and closing offices around the country. Things do not look good. At to that, I'm out of work on FMLA due to the stress and anxiety I'm having because of it. It is almost guaranteed that I will not be going back to work at this company due to my mental health status and it's effects on me.

I have an interview with a company next Monday that is looking for what I do and they offer a draw from commission position. I have never worked that type of position in the past due to financial obligations.. which I do still have however my children are now adults and I don't have to support them, just myself. I'm not sure what the requirements are for sales yet, or how their draw/commission works, but will find out all the details next week. I am still very leary of these types of positions because I do need to have a certain amount of $ to live on monthly.

Would you accept this position if it were offered based on the information listed above if I felt that the draw was going to cover my monthly expenses?

Any specific questions you would ask?

Thanks.

[surrogate]

x

[angelcollector1]

I've been doing the same exact type of job for 4 years and I love what I do, however the unemployment rate and economy effect it considerably. The "product" being sold is a tad bit different but in the same industry...so there'll be a tiny learning curve and I'm ok with that.

[Om Girl]

DH has a draw/commission job.

When it was just DH he was fine...because his draw covered all his monthly expenses and then his commissions were 'icing on the cake'.

The draw is a safety net, you're guaranteed to get paid xxx amount of money each month...but you aren't guaranteed to make any more and when you do finally make commission, you must pay back all the draw payments that have been paid out.

It's not for everyone...you have to really work hard to make those sales and guarantee yourself commissions.

[angelcollector1]

My current employer offers a base salary of 37k, of course they have eliminated many benefits and we've had to take temporary cuts in pay up to 15% in the past year ... so we don't know what'll happen going forward... and then I was given a commission on the sales I made of 10-20% depending on whether I handles the product and the client or just one side.

I need to know that there is a guaranteed draw... I don't mind paying it back from commission.. and I know that I'm very good at what I do or I wouldn't still be doing it and be the at the top the department for the past year in sales. I just worry about working with that type of position and how long I will be able to have to collect a draw before I do a sale as the average turn around time in a sale is 3-6 months with a guarantee period of up to 90 days, and sometimes more.

[zebra15]

I did work 'draw' for a very short while. The stress, worry and anxiety put me right back out on medical leave. (similiar to what you are currently experiencing). I just can not work in a call center or commission environment. 2 years of therapy and I learned that much about myself LOL. Well I learned some other things too.
Sometimes the CO will put you on contract and have you pay back the draw if you do not stay w. them for X months, even if you make $$ etc.

Draw can be confusing.