Month: September 2012

Congratulations to Wind Mobile for having recently surpassed the 500,000 customer milestone!

It is especially difficult these days for a mobile phone company to prosper in Canada because of competition with the big three (Telus, Rogers and Bell), but Wind has been rapidly growing since its entrance into the wireless telecommunications industry in December 2009.

Wind’s point of difference in comparison to the big three is its cheaper plans that offer more minutes, texting and data. As a matter of fact, I switched from Koodo to Wind in August because I was looking to upgrade to a better plan for university. What caught my eye was Wind’s limited-time plan of $29 for unlimited local calling, Canada-wide texting and data. Also, I wouldn’t be bound to a contract, but instead, I would have part of my phone bill put on a on a monthly tab.

The look of Wind is also something that makes it stand out. Its consistently bright orange ads not only attract customers’ attention, but makes the colour orange associated with the company. The ads of Bell and Telus are quite plain compared to those of Wind; Rogers’ is a bit better with the deep red. What do you think?

Vector Marketing is the sole distributor of Cutco Knives, which its sales representatives market to others through in-home demonstrations.

I chose to blog about Vector because a friend referred me to Vector in June 2012. At the interview, I learnt that I would earn $17 per in-home demonstration, starting at a commission of 10%. A three day unpaid training session is required, and sales reps must deposit $100 for a package of knives for the demonstrations.

The reason Vector Marketing has been targeted for unethical practices is its marketing strategy. It is mainly multi-level marketing, with new reps hardly making sales, and few at the top making $100,000 a year (Gunn, Wall Street Journal). Usually, college students are pulled into interviews without knowing much about the details of the job. Sales reps must build their own clientèle, attend weekly meetings unpaid, and pay for their own transportation.

I chose not to continue with Vector because of the company’s reputation. However, according to Marie Artim, Enterprise Rent-A-Car recruitment assistant vice president, Vector Marketing can develop “communication skills, discipline and a work ethic, knowledge of customer service, sales and marketing, and the ability to work on your own” (Gunn, Wall Street Journal).