Re:Groupon Fires Sales Rep Who Threatened Bad Reviews for Bu...
by ececconi on Monday August 19, 2013 @04:36PM
(#6239637)
He's also deleted his linkedin, twitter, and instagram. This guy had no ability for recourse after this story broke. Let's hope that he doesn't have this kind of lapse of judgement in the future.
Re:Groupon Fires Sales Rep Who Threatened Bad Reviews for Bu...
by beedogs on Monday August 19, 2013 @08:14PM
(#6240779)
Something tells me he won't be working in an Internet-related field in the future, at least as long as this story sits around the top of a Google search for his name.
Re:Groupon Fires Sales Rep Who Threatened Bad Reviews for Bu...
by a5seo on Monday August 19, 2013 @09:22PM
(#6241070)
Given that he listed SEO as a skill on Linkedin, perhaps he'll have an easier time than most at "managing his online reputation," as a certain NPR sponsor likes to describe the practice.
Re:Groupon Fires Sales Rep Who Threatened Bad Reviews for Bu...
by spdy on Monday August 19, 2013 @05:25PM
(#6239968)
Sounds plausible to get more deals, all those sales persons
are only accounted for deals per day/week/month. And if you are not
performing as needed you can look for another job elsewhere.[1]
Getting payed minimum wage + extra on deal volume (which is not that high anymore) you encourage people to use shady moves like this.
Re:Groupon Fires Sales Rep Who Threatened Bad Reviews for Bu...
by bdcravens on Monday August 19, 2013 @05:57PM
(#6240183)
As it went down, even the bad reviews really don't reward the sales process. He received very firm no - he didn't say he'd post bad reviews if he didn't receive a sale, but retaliated after the fact. Additionally, it doesn't seem that he used bad reviews priorly posted with future leads ("don't let this happen to you ...") All in all, his actions were those of a bratty punk, and didn't directly come out of the base + commission model.
You see this model everywhere: hire young kid who'd be lucky to work in a mailroom or as a waiter, and give them opportunity to earn big $$$ via results. In Houston it may be oil-related; Florida vacation properties; SF, Internet companies. Some achieve success through thick skin and tenacity. Immature response, especially when it has nothing to do with achieving sales objectives, is not a foregone conclusion.
i challenge the comment above - that this reflects groupon hiring people who are "lucky to work in a mailroom or as a waiter".
if anything, they are over-hiring for their roles - this guy is a UC Berkeley grad, which implies a certain level of intelligence. making sales like this could easily be done by a boiler room in manilla.
Re:Groupon Fires Sales Rep Who Threatened Bad Reviews for Bu...
by bdcravens on Tuesday August 20, 2013 @05:48PM
(#6246815)
I wasn't necessarily targeting Groupon, but what's makes them different than any other company?
The fact that he has a degree doesn't mean anything. Check out that LinkedIn profile you linked: sports, sports, sports, in both his personal life and background. If some of his other reported past-time activities are true, I'm sure he partied hard in college. He's a typical college kid if he partied, played, and walked across the stage rocking a 2.7 GPA. Nothing extraordinary about getting a degree, other than to say you crossed the finish line. That in no way suggests you have the persistence to succeed - rather than performing daily, plenty in college cram enough during finals to get their C. Maturity: college can help with this, but I know plenty of jock bros who're little more than a 15 year old inside when they receive their bachelor's degree.
Plenty of kids graduate and continue their college life: Playstation and beer, living at home with their parents instead of the dorm. They search for a job, but with no experience (didn't get a job in college, that would take time away from the frat) and little maturity, they often end up waiters, or at an entry level gig like the mailroom.
Re:Groupon Fires Sales Rep Who Threatened Bad Reviews for Bu...
by nolok on Monday August 19, 2013 @05:54PM
(#6240161)
I agree with your point, but sadly I would like to add that this is the case for a large amount of companies hiring sales people for similar jobs, it's not restricted to groupon.
Having worked in the "mass web site production for soulless company" at one point in the past, this is also why you can end up with terrible un-doable projects with ridiculous timelines that the sales department sold, they're not dumb, they get their commission and now it's your problem if it fails. If they did not sale, then it was their problem for failing a sale.
Didn't realize how terrible of a job it was until I left. Yippee
Re:Groupon Fires Sales Rep Who Threatened Bad Reviews for Bu...
by liquidcool on Monday August 19, 2013 @05:25PM
(#6239960)
"Threatened?" If you read the comments in the original HN story, you'll see he made good on his threats and kept reposting bad reviews after they were taken down. He was pretty vindictive about it.
Re:Groupon Fires Sales Rep Who Threatened Bad Reviews for Bu...
by greenyoda on Monday August 19, 2013 @04:29PM
(#6239571)
If he's a sales rep who cold calls people, he's probably experienced dozens of hang ups a day in the year he's been at that job. Something must have pushed him over the edge that day. Either that, or he's done this to many other people, but this is the first time someone called him out on it.
Re:Groupon Fires Sales Rep Who Threatened Bad Reviews for Bu...
by bdcravens on Monday August 19, 2013 @06:00PM
(#6240199)
He could have been well-prepared. That doesn't give him the emotional maturity to deal with it. An employer's role isn't to turn a child into an adult. I can be taught about the reality of being rejected when I ask a romantic interest for a date, but in the end, my response when rejected boils down to character.
Re:Groupon Fires Sales Rep Who Threatened Bad Reviews for Bu...
by mathattack on Monday August 19, 2013 @05:35PM
(#6240027)
Nothing can prepare you for hang ups. But how you react to it shows your character. And if you can't handle it, find a job that doesn't require cold calling.
Re:Groupon Fires Sales Rep Who Threatened Bad Reviews for Bu...
by mathattack on Monday August 19, 2013 @05:36PM
(#6240036)
They were very quick to determine that it was an isolated incident. I'd be interested to see if any more of this surfaces. Of course I'm sure being stupid enough to put extortion into email is isolated.
Re:Groupon Fires Sales Rep Who Threatened Bad Reviews for Bu...
by jacquesm on Tuesday August 20, 2013 @07:23AM
(#6242936)
The sales rep is bad, but groupon is bad too. After all this guy worked there and was not supervised properly, he should have never had the chance to behave the way he did.
Groupon would need to show that they properly supervised this guy and that they instruct their new hires on what is and is not permitted to get a company across the dotted line.
Firing the guy is just an easy way to distance themselves from him and his behavior, hopefully it does send a message to the rest of the groupon sales force.
Re:Groupon Fires Sales Rep Who Threatened Bad Reviews for Bu...
by jtreminio on Monday August 19, 2013 @05:50PM
(#6240137)
I've been mostly on the sidelines for Groupon, and realize most companies that sign up don't realize that it will most likely end up being a negative for their income.
However, I do know a few places that have made very good use of groupons. One example is our local eat-in movie theater. Tickets usually go for $9. Groupon ticket is $5. Customer saves $4, but movie theater makes up for it by selling overpriced (crappy) food and alcohol.
Re:Groupon Fires Sales Rep Who Threatened Bad Reviews for Bu...
by kevin_rubyhouse on Monday August 19, 2013 @04:55PM
(#6239767)
Are you suggesting that Groupon is a scam, or suggesting that people will demonize Groupon because of this one sales rep?
If you do think it's a scam, then why?
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/andy-johnston/41/81/119
Getting payed minimum wage + extra on deal volume (which is not that high anymore) you encourage people to use shady moves like this.
[1] http://www.theatlanticwire.com/technology/2012/08/working-gr...
You see this model everywhere: hire young kid who'd be lucky to work in a mailroom or as a waiter, and give them opportunity to earn big $$$ via results. In Houston it may be oil-related; Florida vacation properties; SF, Internet companies. Some achieve success through thick skin and tenacity. Immature response, especially when it has nothing to do with achieving sales objectives, is not a foregone conclusion.
sigh.
i feel bad for the guy, you just can't escape a bad move made in a consumer-facing market like this.
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:X821DtR...
i challenge the comment above - that this reflects groupon hiring people who are "lucky to work in a mailroom or as a waiter".
if anything, they are over-hiring for their roles - this guy is a UC Berkeley grad, which implies a certain level of intelligence. making sales like this could easily be done by a boiler room in manilla.
The fact that he has a degree doesn't mean anything. Check out that LinkedIn profile you linked: sports, sports, sports, in both his personal life and background. If some of his other reported past-time activities are true, I'm sure he partied hard in college. He's a typical college kid if he partied, played, and walked across the stage rocking a 2.7 GPA. Nothing extraordinary about getting a degree, other than to say you crossed the finish line. That in no way suggests you have the persistence to succeed - rather than performing daily, plenty in college cram enough during finals to get their C. Maturity: college can help with this, but I know plenty of jock bros who're little more than a 15 year old inside when they receive their bachelor's degree.
Plenty of kids graduate and continue their college life: Playstation and beer, living at home with their parents instead of the dorm. They search for a job, but with no experience (didn't get a job in college, that would take time away from the frat) and little maturity, they often end up waiters, or at an entry level gig like the mailroom.
Having worked in the "mass web site production for soulless company" at one point in the past, this is also why you can end up with terrible un-doable projects with ridiculous timelines that the sales department sold, they're not dumb, they get their commission and now it's your problem if it fails. If they did not sale, then it was their problem for failing a sale.
Didn't realize how terrible of a job it was until I left. Yippee
--seems more likely. dude comes off as a bully.
Groupon would need to show that they properly supervised this guy and that they instruct their new hires on what is and is not permitted to get a company across the dotted line.
Firing the guy is just an easy way to distance themselves from him and his behavior, hopefully it does send a message to the rest of the groupon sales force.
As for the rep, getting caught being a jerk has consequences regardless whether Groupon is just trying to save face.
However, I do know a few places that have made very good use of groupons. One example is our local eat-in movie theater. Tickets usually go for $9. Groupon ticket is $5. Customer saves $4, but movie theater makes up for it by selling overpriced (crappy) food and alcohol.
https://www.google.com/finance?chdnp=1&chdd=1&chds=1&chdv=1&...
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/groupons-growth-problem-sal...
http://firespotting.com/item?id=2320
https://www.hnsearch.com/search#request/all&q=grouponzi&star...