Free checklist
How to spot a bad remote sales offer before it costs you a month
Most bad offers look fine in the job post. Run every role through this list before you apply, and again before you sign anything.
Red flags to watch for
- A job that asks you to pay for leads, training, or a starter kit. Walk away, and if you see it on our board, tell us and we will remove it from the board.
- Pay or targets that keep changing after you start.
- Pressure to decide on the first call, or a "job" that is really recruiting people.
- Talking to a recruiter first is normal. Paying a recruiter is not.
Red flags
If you see these, slow down
No revenue shown
If a company won't say roughly what it makes a month, be careful. You can't tell if there's enough money to pay you. Ask. A real company will answer.
Commission-only, and you find the leads
Commission-only can be fine when the company hands you warm leads. When you have to find your own, you're cold prospecting for free. Ask where the leads come from and how many you'll get a week.
You pay to play
Buying your own leads, paying for training, or paying for a "starter kit" to work there means you're paying them to work. Walk away.
An OTE nobody hits
Anyone can put a big OTE on a job post. Ask how many reps on the team hit that number last month. If they dodge the question, assume nobody did.
No training and no call recordings
Good teams have recorded calls you can learn from and a script or framework to start with. "Just figure it out" means you figure it out unpaid.
High pressure, MLM, or get-rich-quick pitches
If the job is really recruiting other people, or they push you to decide on the first call, it isn't a sales job. It's a pitch, and you're the target.
Fuzzy payout terms
Before you start, ask three things. What's my cut of each sale? When do I get paid? What happens if a buyer asks for their money back? Get it in writing.
Constant churn
If the same seat gets reposted every few weeks, or every rep you can find left after a month, there's a reason. Look the company up and message a former rep.
Green flags
What a good offer looks like
- Revenue is shown, and it's enough to support a sales team.
- Warm or inbound leads, with a real number per week.
- Clear pay: the commission rate or per-call fee, payout dates, and refund rules, in writing.
- Recorded calls to learn from, and a manager who reviews yours.
- Reps who've been there 6+ months and will talk to you.
- A product you'd be fine defending to a friend.
On the interview
5 questions to ask them
- Where do the leads come from, and how many will I get a week?
- What did your top rep and your average rep make last month?
- How and when is commission paid, and what happens if a client refunds?
- What do my first two weeks look like?
- Why is this seat open?
A good company answers all five without squirming.
Score it
Count the red flags
3 or more red flags: pass. 1 or 2: ask harder questions before you go further. Mostly green: go for it.
Next step
Skip the bad offers. Start with good ones.
Most roles on the job board show the pay, and most show how much the company makes, so you can size up an offer before you apply.