do you agree or disagree with the discussion and what do you like or dislike? $-$I don't feel the compensation package is an effective one. To much upfront fees and little commission. I think there should be a base pay as part of the package, minimum wage, based on hours. That's a relatively low sales commission. "The average sales commission in the US is between $20-30\%$ of gross margins."They should recieve compensation based on the wholesale price. Collegiate Promotions could hand out a merit bonus at the end of the year for exceptional sales.

$-$I think a sales represntative would sell high if demand was high and supply was low. Collegiate may have produced a limited supply of coffee mugs, then, all of a sudden everyone on campus wants one. Opposite with the low price range, a sales rep may have an abundant supply of $"$T$-$shirts" that aren't selling, so they need to off load them: what better way than to lower the price. I think any sales rep is going to try and make as much money as possible, so they will probably start high in pricing, get a feel for the market, then adjust prices from there.

$-$I think having a lack of geographically protected sales areas will generate a "cut$-$throat" market. $"$It is very important to create sales territories that are balanced. When a sales territory is out of balance, there are two things that can happen. If a territory is being under$-$serviced, the sales team or salesperson is spread too thinly and it leads to sub$-$optimal levels of activity. Those responsible for the territories will seek out too few leads, identify too little prospects and spend too little time with customers because they are overworked. This leads to customers going to competitors and you losing sales." "Unbalanced territories can cause many problems. Some of these include the unfair distribution of sales potential amongst the sales force, distorted compensation amongst sales reps and, reps leaving the company to seek out better balance and compensation elsewhere."

$-$I have a feeling that most, if not all the sales representatives for Collegiate Promotions are students or alumni of a University, and are fairly committed to the company. The independent contractor status saves Collegiate money. No health insurance to pay, no pension funds. no workers compensation or unemployment insurance. $"$ Independent contractors can be brought on as needed$$and when the project is complete, the independent contractor moves on$.$ There is no need to fire someone when workloads change. Additionally, if you discover that the independent contractor is not a good fit with the organization, simply don$$t bring him or her back on board after the contract ends. This also helps you easily address seasonally specific work needs." As an independent contractor, you are your own boss, which for some, is the main reason why they decide to become a freelancer or independent contractor. You have greater control over the work you accept, and you might earn more money as an independent contractor. I wouldn't expect sales representatives to have a long$-$term association with the company $($maybe in a part$-$time capacity$)$ I feel this would be a "stepping stone" type of job for a young person, looking to get experience in the world of commerse.