Pros
I have been an employee at Abacus Technologies for the better part of 8 years. I began as a sales assistant/shipping dept. and a year later became a sales executive, am now a senior sales executive. Like any sales position, some months are more lucrative than others and some more stressful than others but months become more predictable as the sales rep and accounts become more seasoned. Part of that can be attributed to repeat business coming in from customers, additional rapport and trust being built, comfort levels that come with familiarity and a job well done time and time again. Abacus is a fantastic company to work for. The base salary pays well and sales reps are compensated additionally via a generous commission plan which fluctuates depending on the Gross profit shipped the previous month. The better you do as an account executive, the more you will make the following month. There are also opportunities to give yourself a salary raise contingent upon Gross profit goals being met. In addition, there are sales contests which allow for some extra pocket money throughout the month which is always appreciated and keeps sales reps focused on daily numbers. Abacus has paid holidays, 401k (the company matches 100% of a generous percentage- double previous companies I've worked for) and health insurance. I've enjoyed my coworkers throughout the years- everyone gets along well for the most part. Salespeople are grouped into teams, each with a manager that they answer to but that manager has the same job that they all do so it's more like a "mentor". Each salesperson is responsible for meeting their own individual quotas which are agreed upon by the salesperson and manager. In my experience, salespeople who do what they are asked to do, and follow the "system" laid out for them and are consistent in their efforts, are almost 100% of the time successful and the company supports those who are on the right track or on their way there. Once you reach your "flow" and find your system that allows for you to achieve all that is expected, this is an extremely rewarding job. All in all, I think very highly of Abacus Tech and would highly recommend to motivated individuals with a passion to make money.
Cons
Because a book of business isn't handed to you, and you have to build your own (contacts are provided but not "accounts"), it takes a while (a year or so) to reach the point where you're shipping the gross profit monthly that a seasoned sales rep should be shipping but each month is an upward slope towards that point and the team managers help to keep you on track and hit your goals. Sales techniques can be learned and mastered as you go. There are some years I've made $125K and others where I was at $80k+. It does take a year or two to get to that point but once you do, it's just maintenance and continued hard work. . There are rules/regulations that all employees must adhere to- for example: PTO requests and daily end of day reports must be submitted formally via an intranet site in addition to support requests. All call log activities must be logged into the company system, etc. The corporate system took a little getting used to for me and was a bit annoying at first but once it clicked, it became second nature, seamless and allows things to run more smoothly and efficiently in the long run throughout the company- everything is easily trackable via the system and can be referred to. . If you don't follow directions well, aren't great at juggling several things at a time when needed, or holding yourself personally accountable, this probably isn't the best career for you.
