What training is available?
Perhaps the most profound takeaway from a summer with Vantage is the formal training and teaching of sales and communication.
Some of the most successful people you know happen to be the best communicators, and we don’t think it’s a coincidence!
Unfortunately, throughout our ENTIRE schooling career in Canada, we are not formally taught or trained to become stronger communicators. Most universities do not offer any formal education in professional sales, which is truly a shame, since sales is a KEY foundational skill that leads to success - not just in business, but generally in life.
Recognizing this educational gap, we at Vantage have developed a curriculum consisting of hands-on training in communication, sales, and other entrepreneurial/business skills and topics. We carefully execute it during the pre-season training and daily sales meetings (correlations) held throughout the summer. Our CEO, Brendan Quinlan, has extensive formal education in teaching, coupled with 15+ years of experience in growing the best sales talent for multiple organizations.
However, what truly makes this training stand out is the repetition. By doing close to one hundred sales presentations a day, our representatives experience a vast improvement in these skills over the short period of four months. In most cases, this leads to considerable growth in confidence and the ability to communicate successfully. Some of the areas where our reps have also seen an improvement are negotiation, persuasion, and meta-verbal communication.
Afterward, presentations and group work back in school is a breeze!
How much money will I make?
Vantage offers the highest paying student summer job in the country. In Summer 2020, we had a rookie (first year) sales rep earn over $80,000 in four months. In the past, some of our sales reps and student managers earned well over $200,000 in the same period. While this sounds crazy to many, our uncapped commission-based pay combined with hard work makes the sky your only limit!
We’re looking forward to reaching even higher heights in 2021.
Where will I live and work?
Vantage is currently the only summer job that offers a chance to travel across the country for the summer (while working) with FREE RENT in company housing!
We operate all across Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, BC, and Nova Scotia. Sales reps may choose any of these offices to live in and work for the summer, or move around between provinces and experience different markets.
Wherever you decide to work, Vantage provides furnished housing. Besides not having to pay rent and improving the sales logistics, this also means bonding and camaraderie between our reps, coming from all over Canada and abroad!
Traveling and taking advantage of company housing is optional.
Are there future opportunities with Vantage Marketing Canada?
We encourage every rep to reach his/her goals throughout life. If being an assistant manager, sales manager, or regional manager lines up with your goals, talents, and desires, we would love to have you working with us! We are constantly growing and making more opportunities for our talented reps.
What if I make no sales?
We get this question often. The truth is, success and failure in this job are determined by work ethic, self-discipline, commitment, and tenacity.
Being a “natural salesperson” or being able to sell “ice to Eskimos” will only take you so far and we find that effort triumphs over ability every time at Vantage.
So DO NOT be concerned if:
You do not have sales experience
You are introverted
Your communication skills are only average to weak.
DO BE concerned / Do not apply if:
You have trouble motivating yourself
You give up easily / quit often
Lack self-discipline / have poor personal habits.
Sales is a skill, and skills can be taught and developed. We can help you with that if you meet us halfway - by dedicating yourself to the training, doing your best, and working hard.
What is the work culture like?
Working outside with students your age from all over the world > working in a stuffy office with boring old people.
No offense old folks, but a young company = young company vibes. Think cottage retreats, boating, company parties in mansions, golf tournaments, company trips to the tropics, the list goes on.
We work hard at Vantage, but we play just as hard. We strive for a work/life balance for the summer that leads to an unmatched experience and company culture. We feel that by investing money and time into company events, we bring our sales squads together and create close connections and relationships that last a lifetime!
We believe in competing at Vantage, and as such we hold a host of sales competitions, both team and individual. These can get pretty intense, as these things go down to the wire in some of our now famous sales tournaments. We find that treating this job as a sport can be a great approach, so we encourage those with a competitive background in sports to apply!
What do we sell?
We market preventative and maintenance pest control services on behalf of our clients Terminix International (the largest company in the industry) and Insight Pest Solutions to residential homeowners. We offer a unique competitive advantage in that we are the only company of our kind in Canada, with close to no competition! We have found great success in being “first to market”, which partly leads to the success and experience of our summer sales reps!
We get it, it ain’t the sexiest thing to sell, BUT it is a service that homeowners need and benefit from. Both companies we work with perform their services in the most environmentally friendly, green manner possible.
Does Covid-19 affect this opportunity?
2020 undoubtedly threw us a curveball, the likes of which we had never seen before. It caused a two-week delay to our 2020 sales campaign, meaning we only started selling in late May. Although less than ideal, we were able to operate safely and effectively:
Sales reps are now required to maintain a 6 ft physical distance from all customers at all times
Sales reps are required to remain outside of houses at all time
Sales reps are required to wear a mask or face shield at all times while interacting with customers.
In addition to that, our company also provides hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes, disposable pens, and any other safety equipment deemed necessary.
2020 presented a unique opportunity for sales reps to increase their efficiency, and ultimately, their earnings. As many homeowners transition to working from home, we find it increasingly easy to perform more sales presentations in a day. Simply put, people are at home more of the time and they notice more maintenance issues!
We partly accredit this situation to the sharp spike in sales that occurred in 2020 - we experienced a 100 % year-on-year increase in sales volume in a shorter season than usual.
