Working For A Home Security "Sub Dealer": Career Opportunity, Or Pitfall?
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On the short drive to the office, I replayed the conversation I had with the receptionist that morning. I had answered a cleverly worded ad in the local newspaper’s jobs section by emailing my resume to the listed address, I couldn’t believe my luck when a call came in and the voice on the other end of the phone explained, in a very secretive and mysterious tone, that there was one more interview appointment available that day if I could make it, as though she was committing espionage by releasing that valuable information. I soon came to find that she wasn’t the only one at this company with an overactive sense of melodrama.
I was a little down on my luck at this point, stuck in a dead end, low paying job; under-stimulated and under-paid, but this seemed like an opportunity I could really sink my teeth into. The ad, which in retrospect was an obvious misrepresentation, was a call for potential sales people who wanted to earn serious money with ADT. No experience was required and they were offering paid training. Upon seeing the ad, I figured with my background in security and law enforcement, and my experience in middle management, they might consider me for a sales management position, or at least have opportunities for growth in short order.
As I arrived at the address I had been given by the Bond Girl receptionist over the phone, I noticed that the office was located directly across the street from the ADT Security Centre in my little berg. More than that though, I noticed that this office appeared to be a service centre for a transport company.
Somewhat confused, but no less eager to seize this opportunity, I entered the front door and was greeted by an 8x10 paper sign taped to the wall, which read: SALES INTERVIEWS UPSTAIRS.
At this point my unfounded confidence in the situation was somewhat restored; I figured the folks at ADT were just renting space from the resident business due to a lack of space in their own building, though I soon found out differently.
I was a little down on my luck at this point, stuck in a dead end, low paying job; under-stimulated and under-paid, but this seemed like an opportunity I could really sink my teeth into. The ad, which in retrospect was an obvious misrepresentation, was a call for potential sales people who wanted to earn serious money with ADT. No experience was required and they were offering paid training. Upon seeing the ad, I figured with my background in security and law enforcement, and my experience in middle management, they might consider me for a sales management position, or at least have opportunities for growth in short order.
As I arrived at the address I had been given by the Bond Girl receptionist over the phone, I noticed that the office was located directly across the street from the ADT Security Centre in my little berg. More than that though, I noticed that this office appeared to be a service centre for a transport company.
Somewhat confused, but no less eager to seize this opportunity, I entered the front door and was greeted by an 8x10 paper sign taped to the wall, which read: SALES INTERVIEWS UPSTAIRS.
At this point my unfounded confidence in the situation was somewhat restored; I figured the folks at ADT were just renting space from the resident business due to a lack of space in their own building, though I soon found out differently.
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We were eager to know - is working for one of these "fly by night" companies really that bad? Why do employees leave so quickly? And what sort of qualifications and experience are required? After a lengthy search, we found an investigative reporter who actually worked for a medium-sized alarm sub dealer. The following is a detailed account of his experience, and encounter with one of the worst sales trainers we've ever read about (certain names have been changed):
He continued on about how ADT is the global standard for home and commercial
security products, and how the technology practically sells itself, and then he came
out with it.
“…and when you start with Weston, you’ll soon be in a position to write your own
ticket in this business.”
I had to stop him there.
“Wait, start with Weston?” I questioned, “What is Weston?”
“Weston Security Inc.” “An authorised ADT Dealer.”
“Oh.” I said, a little stunned and somewhat confused. “The ad made it seem like
this was a job with ADT.”
“It is really, we’re so close with their business team that we’re almost one company.”
security products, and how the technology practically sells itself, and then he came
out with it.
“…and when you start with Weston, you’ll soon be in a position to write your own
ticket in this business.”
I had to stop him there.
“Wait, start with Weston?” I questioned, “What is Weston?”
“Weston Security Inc.” “An authorised ADT Dealer.”
“Oh.” I said, a little stunned and somewhat confused. “The ad made it seem like
this was a job with ADT.”
“It is really, we’re so close with their business team that we’re almost one company.”
"My enthusiasm may have been slightly misplaced, and the small fact he revealed next should have, in hindsight, sent me running."
"All was quite normal, until he stood and sat on the corner of the desk in front of me, this was the beginning of his sales pitch."
At first glance around the room, I noticed that I was somewhat overdressed in
my favourite blue suit and yellow silk tie. Two of the people with the clip boards
were in jeans and t-shirts and a third wore shorts and flip-flops, though the woman
at the desk, who I assumed was the ADT equivalent to Jane Moneypenny, was
dressed in a nice pant suit and was well put together.
My earlier assumption was confirmed when the woman spoke:
“Are you here for the interview?”
“Yes” I replied, “but I’m a little early.”
“That’s ok, have a seat and Mr. James will be with you in a minute.”
my favourite blue suit and yellow silk tie. Two of the people with the clip boards
were in jeans and t-shirts and a third wore shorts and flip-flops, though the woman
at the desk, who I assumed was the ADT equivalent to Jane Moneypenny, was
dressed in a nice pant suit and was well put together.
My earlier assumption was confirmed when the woman spoke:
“Are you here for the interview?”
“Yes” I replied, “but I’m a little early.”
“That’s ok, have a seat and Mr. James will be with you in a minute.”
After climbing the dirty stairs, I entered a makeshift foyer, lined with cheap office chairs, and equipped with a large metal desk in the centre, at which a nice looking woman in her mid 40’s sat quietly, and several other people sat around the room writing on clipboards and apparently trying to remember long lost information for their job applications. This seemed to be a central hub for the office, as there were several rooms leading off to three sides of the building, and I could hear people talking loudly behind two of the closed doors.
Choosing the seat farthest away from any of the other candidates, I wondered why she wasn’t having me fill out an application, but my concern was cut short as a tall slender man in a nicer suit than mine stepped out of the office across the room from my seat. Without so much as a change in his stride, he walked right over to me, holding out his hand.
“Mr. Clemens?”
“Yes” I said, rising from my chair to shake hands.
I briefly wondered how he knew who I was without an introduction, but then remembered that he and I were the only ones dressed for the occasion. It must have been an easy assumption.
“I’m Jeff, thanks for coming in today.”
After some polite banter about the cool weather, and if I had been able to find the office ok, he invited me to follow him into his large office. The first of many flags went up for me at this point, as I walked past the open door to the office next to his and noticed a small cot and some dirty dishes sitting on a desk. It struck me as odd right away, but full realisation didn’t sink in until quite some time later.
Mr. James’ office was decked out nicely, an oak desk, a large hutch filled with technical manuals, leather chairs and an expensive leather briefcase sitting in the corner.
Now, I’ve been interviewed for many jobs in my career, in many different industries. I’ve been grilled on deportment and procedure; I’ve done panel interviews which left me feeling as tall as Tom Thumb. I’ve even had simple meetings at the local coffee shop that turned into lucrative business arrangements, but what I was about to experience was something entirely new.
“Mr. Clemens?”
“Yes” I said, rising from my chair to shake hands.
I briefly wondered how he knew who I was without an introduction, but then remembered that he and I were the only ones dressed for the occasion. It must have been an easy assumption.
“I’m Jeff, thanks for coming in today.”
After some polite banter about the cool weather, and if I had been able to find the office ok, he invited me to follow him into his large office. The first of many flags went up for me at this point, as I walked past the open door to the office next to his and noticed a small cot and some dirty dishes sitting on a desk. It struck me as odd right away, but full realisation didn’t sink in until quite some time later.
Mr. James’ office was decked out nicely, an oak desk, a large hutch filled with technical manuals, leather chairs and an expensive leather briefcase sitting in the corner.
Now, I’ve been interviewed for many jobs in my career, in many different industries. I’ve been grilled on deportment and procedure; I’ve done panel interviews which left me feeling as tall as Tom Thumb. I’ve even had simple meetings at the local coffee shop that turned into lucrative business arrangements, but what I was about to experience was something entirely new.
Seated in the large leather manager’s chair behind the desk, Mr. James began by asking how familiar I was with ADT products and services. To which my answer was quite long and thorough.
We built up a simple rapport between us as we talked; he fired the usual interview questions at me, enquiring about my previous positions and my experience, he asked about my home life and queried me on my management philosophy. All was quite normal, until he stood and sat on the corner of the desk in front of me, this was the beginning of his sales pitch.
He started out by telling me that he had been a facilitator-trainer for ADT’s sales force for nearly six years now, he boasted about his track record of creating sales teams that bring in record revenues and how he had helped so many people start their own businesses after relatively short careers in the alarm sales field. I had been given a company by-line sales pitch before, so I wasn’t overly surprised, yet.
We built up a simple rapport between us as we talked; he fired the usual interview questions at me, enquiring about my previous positions and my experience, he asked about my home life and queried me on my management philosophy. All was quite normal, until he stood and sat on the corner of the desk in front of me, this was the beginning of his sales pitch.
He started out by telling me that he had been a facilitator-trainer for ADT’s sales force for nearly six years now, he boasted about his track record of creating sales teams that bring in record revenues and how he had helped so many people start their own businesses after relatively short careers in the alarm sales field. I had been given a company by-line sales pitch before, so I wasn’t overly surprised, yet.
At the time I didn’t know any better than what he was telling me, but it did strike me as somewhat concerning. Mr. James continued with his pitch, which further explained the relationship between the ADT Corporation and its authorised dealers. By now I was becoming more than a little put off by the confusion, which was about to come to a head.
I sat quietly, listening to Mr. James as he extolled the virtues of ADT technology over the competition, he explained their tried and true sales process, which included a team of call centre operators who worked feverishly to generate sales leads in strategically identified suburb areas around town. Following up on those sales leads was the responsibility of the sales staff, which were tasked with converging on the identified area as an ADT promotional force.
Sitting and reading the explanation of this sales process may lead you to a different conclusion than the live version did for me. Mr. James did a fine job of holding my hand as we walked down the garden path. At the conclusion of his monologue, I was convinced that his was a team of elite security professionals, whose sole purpose was to secure every home in every neighbourhood across the country. My enthusiasm may have been slightly misplaced, and the small fact he revealed next should have, in hindsight, sent me running.
I sat quietly, listening to Mr. James as he extolled the virtues of ADT technology over the competition, he explained their tried and true sales process, which included a team of call centre operators who worked feverishly to generate sales leads in strategically identified suburb areas around town. Following up on those sales leads was the responsibility of the sales staff, which were tasked with converging on the identified area as an ADT promotional force.
Sitting and reading the explanation of this sales process may lead you to a different conclusion than the live version did for me. Mr. James did a fine job of holding my hand as we walked down the garden path. At the conclusion of his monologue, I was convinced that his was a team of elite security professionals, whose sole purpose was to secure every home in every neighbourhood across the country. My enthusiasm may have been slightly misplaced, and the small fact he revealed next should have, in hindsight, sent me running.
“So, once you interview with Mr. Santos, and I’m sure you’ll do fine…”
“Mr. Santos?” I questioned.
“Yes, Ronaldo Santos owns Weston Security; I’m just helping him get set up with training and personnel.”
“So you don’t even work for Weston?”
The effect of this roller coaster was beginning to show on my face for sure, it seemed like nothing here was as it seemed on the surface. My instincts were in such conflict; it was as though I had cartoon versions of myself sitting on either shoulder, each one telling me to do something different, though neither being particularly helpful.
“Mr. Santos?” I questioned.
“Yes, Ronaldo Santos owns Weston Security; I’m just helping him get set up with training and personnel.”
“So you don’t even work for Weston?”
The effect of this roller coaster was beginning to show on my face for sure, it seemed like nothing here was as it seemed on the surface. My instincts were in such conflict; it was as though I had cartoon versions of myself sitting on either shoulder, each one telling me to do something different, though neither being particularly helpful.
My attention drifted at this point; Mr. James went on talking about the training and the commission structure, which he promised would be covered ad nauseum during the week-long paid training session. I was summing all the equations up in my head: misleading job ad, crappy offices, much newer company than I had thought, being interviewed by someone who doesn’t even work for the company; was this something I really wanted to get involved with?
It took me the rest of his quickly unravelling sales pitch to decide that I had nothing to lose by sticking it out and seeing what they might have in store for me. After all, paid training is an appealing idea even in a situation like this.
Wrapping up our meeting, Mr. James handed me a schedule for the upcoming training and said plainly that he was going to recommend that Mr. Santos consider me for Sales Manager, but it would all depend on how well I did through the training. By the time we stepped out of his office (which I was now under the impression was Mr. Santos’ office) all the other potential applicants had left and “Moneypenny” was sitting quietly reading a cheap novel at her desk.
Shaking hands and proceeding with cordial goodbyes, I turned and walked toward the stairwell, when Mr. James blurted out: “Don’t forget, we’re buying pizza on the first day of training!”
It took me the rest of his quickly unravelling sales pitch to decide that I had nothing to lose by sticking it out and seeing what they might have in store for me. After all, paid training is an appealing idea even in a situation like this.
Wrapping up our meeting, Mr. James handed me a schedule for the upcoming training and said plainly that he was going to recommend that Mr. Santos consider me for Sales Manager, but it would all depend on how well I did through the training. By the time we stepped out of his office (which I was now under the impression was Mr. Santos’ office) all the other potential applicants had left and “Moneypenny” was sitting quietly reading a cheap novel at her desk.
Shaking hands and proceeding with cordial goodbyes, I turned and walked toward the stairwell, when Mr. James blurted out: “Don’t forget, we’re buying pizza on the first day of training!”
There was something about the manner of his voice, or maybe just the way he presented himself that made all the condescension and confusion almost invisible, and even though my two cartoon shoulder buddies were still there arguing in my ears, I left the makeshift office above the service center hoping for the best.
"It took me the rest of his quickly unravelling sales pitch to decide that I had nothing to lose by sticking it out and seeing what they might have in store for me."
“No, I work directly for ADT. My job is to recruit and nurture new authorised dealers, to show them the ropes and help them get set up.”
“So, other than being allowed to sell ADT products, what real connection is there between Weston and ADT?” I asked, more than a little annoyed by the posturing.
“There is no direct connection, other than as a distributor / wholesaler, but it’s in everyone’s best interest to make sure everyone on the team knows their stuff.”
“So, other than being allowed to sell ADT products, what real connection is there between Weston and ADT?” I asked, more than a little annoyed by the posturing.
“There is no direct connection, other than as a distributor / wholesaler, but it’s in everyone’s best interest to make sure everyone on the team knows their stuff.”
The home security industry has experienced massive growth over the last decade or so. This is not only due to rising crime rates, but the proliferation of alarm "sub dealers". These types of alarm companies are authorized to sell security products and services on behalf of the bigger national chains. Some of these dealers have thousands of employees and serve a large geographical area, while others could be run from a former installer's garage by one or two
people. Some sub dealers are known for using high pressure sales tactics (i.e. door to door solicitation), and/or have a very high employee turnover. Many go out of business after one or two years.