I worked for this company for over 13 months, I started off by attending an interview and was surprised when I was called into the office to discuss a position as "an executive trainee marketing manager" with the managing director (Mr Dave Marchant). I was told my CV was very good and that I was "shortlisted" out of 80 candidates and was competing against a final 20 for a position. After my first interview, I felt as though I had failed and lost the job; however much to my surprise later on in the day I get a call from Dave himself saying I did brilliantly. I was called for a second round interview and Dave said I would be able to "learn more about the business", however, this second interview day turned out to be a clever trick to disguise a days training and work as an interview.
I was taken out to the middle of anywhere with someone I had not met in my life and was told to start cold-calling on doors, the area was a run-down area and I felt as though I had been lied to, nevertheless I carried on throughout the day. During lunch the individual I was cold calling with explained that he was a team leader and then began to divulge in the "business development programme" in which he stated that I would start off as a distributor (door-to-door salesman, then move up to accounts manager and earn £300 - 400 per week and then to assistant manager in which I would sit in the office and earn £500 - £1000 per week and finally reach managerial position in which he stated I would earn in the region of £100, 000 - £150, 000 per annum.
Intrigued I carried on the day, he then told me to go back to the office and meet with the managing director for a final interview, I don’t know why, but even though deep down I did not want this job, curiosity drove me back to the office and seated in front of the managing director he explained again the programme and told me I would become a manager in 10 months. He then hired me! I went home spooked by the entire experience, something drove me to go back the next day, I continued with the job for a few days and completed 5 days of training. All the while I noticed how aggressively the company was recruiting; they explained that this was because the company is growing at 2500% during the recession. The fellow team leaders did not appear to be what one would assume "normal", they suffered from mood swings and could be very authoritative, aggressive and to be honest; idiotic at times, they seemed entirely driven by the managerial position and explained how they had left loved ones to live with fellow team leaders in flats etc and how all they wanted was to "retire by the age of 30". They explained to me how "they liked me" and told me that I would make management easily; what I did not realise is that team leaders were desperate for people like me to stay long enough to make team leader myself. The people I worked with explained how they had often gone weeks earning as little as £50 a week, they explained about bad debts, life problems and how all managers of the organisation had been through the same thing and are now earning in upwards of £150, 000 a year.
As I progressed I noticed the level of turnover here, people would come in the business and walk out after 5 days, most people walked out on their first day; we had meetings with the head manager or VP or whatever, a man called Tai Hussain; this individual, would use the same past experience stories on different sets of individuals in the organisation again and again, he would continually emphasize how other professionals such as doctors, lawyers, dentists and accountants had to work as hard as they do, and that it takes 10 years to become either of the major professions, but that this was an "easy way out".
If there is one individual who should be investigated in this company, I believe it to be Tai Hussein; I progressed through my time and after my 4th week I was making on average £120 per week; I had not reached team leader and was invited to attend an opportunity meeting in which some leaders and managers all met up and told me about the business, they asked me what I wanted from life and talked endlessly about vice presidents and how much I could earn as a manager. After this meeting I knew I wanted to stay with the company until I got to management, I would become close to my leader and learn his entire sales pitch, I was driven, I hit the law of averages everyday and ensured I was working my territory everyday, I worked so hard, I would come home and my mother would be in near tears trying to understand what I was doing with my career; I was spending so much, hundreds a week on transport, food and shelter for road trips etc yet making £50 - £150 per week and working 11 hours per day, I had to succeed, I told my mom what the managers told me, I told her to believe in me. She explained how rent was due and she could not get overtime at Tesco, my father was also suffering at work due to the recession.
I went to work every day with a positive attitude yet dying with pain and question on the inside, I was spending so much on his job with the belief I would gain it all back when I got to manager, after 2 months of working I had still not reached team leader. But I persevered, with all the spiel of the managers and team leaders I somehow had it drilled into my mind that one day I would be a high flying marketing manager, hands behind the head in an executive seat looking out at New York City with dreams of expanding into China, India and the like. Of course this attitude was most welcomed by the organisation, and the team leaders were enthralled when I informed them of such intentions. I was in the grip of the DS – MAX mindset which, from my perspective now, could easily be understood as a brainwashing cult designed to exploit the virtues and aspirations of young, gullible graduates whom have just entered the job market.
After pursuing the career for a further month, attending many costly road trips in which I would be required to pay for all costs incurred I was finally informed that I had made team leader, such news thrilled me and I quickly had ideas of what to call my crew, how large it would be and how much extra money I could make with this new promotion. Of course becoming team leader was not all it was cracked up to be, I was required to employ new recruits into my crew, train them, take them out on the field and show them the ropes, this almost always happened on a regular basis as most new recruits would leave on the first day. So on top of trying to get my sales, I was also trying to train salespeople; to which most of my efforts would be fruitless, although I was told I would earn more as a team leader I was earning less. Management soon “invited” me to another opportunity meeting in which I was told again the same lies.
What a load of rubbish, I dropped out after realising the whole thing was a rehash of the scam American DS-MAX corporation, the company puts its employees into a brainwashing state cult in which they believe they will all become managers, load of rubbish, you have more chance of winning at Vegas I was told by a failed manager.
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