http://www.travelingsalescrews.info/slaves%20to%20the%20sale.html
Slaves to the sale
Life on the road/Traveling sales agents found it led nowhere/Ambitious teen quickly fell into a deep rut
NANCY STANCILLCopyright Houston Chronicle Publishing Company Division, The Hearst Corporation (the "Houston Chronicle") Aug 19, 1992
Here are the stories of five former traveling sales agents whose experiences include work with crews under contract to the "Texas trio" of clearinghouses that are among the industry leaders. The clearinghouses maintain that they are not responsible for and usually not aware of conditions on work crews, because they are contractors and not employees.
Darrell Rundus at 17 was rebellious, rambunctious and wanted to experience new things.''
So when the Ticoa Corp. of San Antonio advertised for recruits in his hometown of Redding, Calif., Rundus eagerly joined the traveling magazine sales crew.
He hit the road the same day he was interviewed, leaving his worried parents to wonder and wait.
"They take you away from your home and your identity. It's like the military, but instead of making you a soldier, they make you a salesman.''
Rundus missed his family and a year later, looked forward to the crew's stop in Redding. They got to town, his crew manager wanted to take a nap, so Rundus called and invited his mother to come and have lunch with him. But just as she arrived, the crew manager woke up and ordered the sales agents back in the cars.
Rundus' mother pleaded with the crew manager to let her visit briefly with her son.
She was crying and begging them to take five minutes and let her talk with me. But he wasn't going to give in. He said, "Look, bitch, move out of the way or I'll run you over."'
Rundus said he was shaken by the incident, but did not want to lose his job so he departed with the crew. He stayed another year before he got out of the business in 1989. After working for several years in Houston, he recently moved to California to take a job in newspaper subscription sales.
Rundus said his days on the road began with an 8 a.m. sales meeting, followed by breakfast if he had enough money, and five drops'' by car handlers in neighborhoods where he sold magazines door-to-door until 8 or 9 p.m. Then he would be taken back to the motel, where agents would line up to turn in their sales orders to the manager.
By the time you got out, it would be 10 or 11 and if you had sold less than seven subscriptions, you would have to sit through a sales meeting,'' he said.
Agents who weren't selling well also were subjected to punishments, like having to walk back to the motel or having to sit in the pit'' of the van and listen to crew songs ridiculing their performance.
Also, he said, agents who sold poorly would not get enough daily expense money to buy meals and sometimes had to beg food from sales prospects.
Rundus said he was good at sales, but could not get his full commissions from the company. He said he left with the company owing him $4,000 and later rejoined briefly to get some of the money he was owed up front. Then he quit for good.
Rundus said he also won a trip to Europe but never received it.
"The worst is telling them you want to quit. They'd always talk you into staying. At some point in time, I realized I would never get my money so I got a girl in Amarillo to help me do a disappearing act.''
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http://www.livingwaters.com/newsletter/january2004.htm
Scrolling down it reads:
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| Kirk, Darrel and Ray in New York |
Meet the GNN Team Leader:
GNN’s team leader is our friend Darrel Rundus (pictured left with Kirk and Ray in New York). Darrel is the Founder & Chairman of America’s largest newspaper sales & promotions firm -- Circulation Promotions Unlimited, Inc. - www.CirculationPromotions.com.
He loves God with a passion, has a contagious enthusiasm, and has such a leadership gifting we call him “The General.” He loves our teaching, and loves to give away money ($10's & $20's) when he is preaching open air.
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Just another book publishing corporation, disguised as religion and love.
Shameful.
sKally
