Arcedia Group

[ChrisAITY]

This is nothing to do with starting a business, but I have a job interview with them, and I was just wondering what sort of work they do? He said it would start as Sales, this wouldnt be door to door would it? He said he would go through it all with me tomorrow, but I juist wanted to know in advance..

The company name is in the title...

 

[ChrisAITY]

Or any Marketing/Sales/Promotions company... what exactly is the job tasks? Not just for Arcedia, they proberbly are all reletively the same sort of thing..

 

[SusanP]

Why haven't you looked the company up on the internet? You will need to do your homework before going for the interview if you are going to get anywhere.

If the company you are talking about is arcedia.co.uk, then from a quick look at their website I imagine you will be phoning people up trying to get them to change their electricity supplier (one of their clients is Scottish Power). It is a direct selling company.

Read all their pages to impress the interviewer tomorrow. The Careers page tells you that the company is expanding and due to open eleven more branches. The Case Study page lists previous projects. Read the news pages so you can drop some facts into the interview tomorrow eg I read that you have just been awarded the contract for XXX ....

Good luck at the interview!

 

[Bri]

Yup I looked too
http://www.arcedia.co.uk/about.htm

 

[ChrisAITY]

Its not that I have not looked at there website.. How do you think I found the job in the first place. Just wondered if anyone could help me with possible job roles I would do. Dont worry guys its fine, forget the thread exists lol

Cheers

 

[Connections_Media]

Is this position commission only ?

 

[Connections_Media]

Its not that I have not looked at there website.. How do you think I found the job in the first place. Just wondered if anyone could help me with possible job roles I would do. Dont worry guys its fine, forget the thread exists lol

Cheers

well these types of companies operate on a commission only usually and will promise the world to you. Unless your an extraordinary salesperson then you will never get rich from a position like that. 9/10 you will be based in an area whatever the weather is and told to just knock doors for whatever contract they have got at the moment as I recall further up the post someone mentioned Scottish Gas. But the product changes from time to time and you could end up selling well collecting for a charity not the most exciting product as you just have to make people feel sorry for other people.

They will try and impress the life out of you in the interview (and they give interviews to everyone) and promise the world to you in the interview.

All in all I would never go and work for one of these marketing companies as they just lie constantly but it's up to you.

 

[ChrisAITY]

Connections Media, thank you for the helpful advice. I will take your comments on board, and when I go to the interview, I will remember what you said. I didnt think these sort of companies were like this, I just thought it would be a really good job to get myself up the rankings in business. Clearly not. I will go along to the interview, have a chat with the company, and I will get back to you later in this forum to tell you what they offer, and then you can tell me if its worthwhile, or whether its basically a "scam".
Regards

 

[Chris Ashdown]

definatly not scams, BUT ethical in how they sell is maybe another question.

 

[Deleted member 61074]

let us know how you get on....

lets hope it isnt selling power supply door to door, i seem to live in a street that gets heavily targetted, and immediately say no thanks and close the door. I even had 3 alternative suppliers knocking on my door in a week, the salesmen simply dont get it when i say if i were to change each time someone comes a knocking my supply would be permanantly in the process of being changed. I guess i could use this as an excuse not to pay any bills as it would be like spaghetti trying to unravel who to pay for which date ranges.

3 days to southern electric, 2 weeks to npower, 1 week to british gas etc etc

 

[Connections_Media]

Yeah they aren't a scam well there was a a couple of offices that were part of the Cobra group which does pretty much the same thing that got closed down because they were operating well out of line with the contract with Cobra.

But usually as i say if you don't sell you don't get paid.Make sure you listen carefully and have a list of questions about their current product and does it have decent USP's.

 

[ChrisAITY]

Mainly power, charties and other small firms. Did not promise me anything, and I refused the call back as its not what Im looking for in a job.

I also had an interview with a different marketing company, which was sooooo much better, there clients were huge and has budgets of £1.5 million, so alot of pressure on the employees to deliever. They also offered me onto one of there programmes if I wanted to, whereby they will train me to become management, manager director etc.. I thought that interview went quite bad, but I got a call back for a second interview, but I turned them down. Knowing the job role when she explained it in the interview, I discovered that a job in a marketing company is not for me, and like you said every marketing company promises things (this 2nd one did), and I just dont believe a word they say.

Thanks for the advice Connections Media, I really took it on board. They clearly like to blag there way through the interviews saying there the best company for marketing and I can do this and that...

Regards All

 

[Connections_Media]

Yeah they are lying people glad you never bought into their bull****

 

[Bri]

He's recently made redundant and went to one of these so called marketing companies. Took him out and ended up in a hairdressers in the town centre, handed a bunch of leaflets stopping women. 8hrs and 20 sign ups before he was paid anything and there were eight of them in a line selling.

I'm sure you can find better work around.

 

[ChrisAITY]

Yeah they said I would spend the day with them as the second interview, and I would go for "lunch" and I would see what it was like. Im not stupid and thanks to the advice in UKBF but especially to CONNECTIONS MEDIA, without your advice I proberbly would have been foolish enough to go back. Also a thanks to BRI for saving my arse from possibly one of the worst jobs ever. I would prefer to stick to my retail job at the moment to be honest, until I can find something much much much better.

Thanks

 

[Sinimini]

I used to work for this company selling Onetel out of the Manchester office which at the time was on Deansgate. I used to get 20 quid a sale, averaged about 2 to 3 sales a day. Its a pyramid structure inside, at the time I was very young and naive and believed much of what the told us. Things like Richard Jellard had a yacht, Arcedia was going to be bigger than Cobra, we will all be millionaires. Big lies big bulls***. They have a buddy system where the team leader provides lunch for you and bus tickets while you wait for your first paycheck, but its just very clever psycology. You see them as a kind company who care about you and you 'owe' them for that kindness. Learnt a lot about sales and myself, which has stayed with me so there were some benefits to working for them. However working 6 days week (had to work saturdays) and not having the security that you were going to earn money the following week was too stressfull and I actually developed an irregular heartbeat which culminated in me collapsing in a pub while getting lunch! So do yourselves a favour, stay away, the pressure is not worth it and the only way to make loads of money is to lie to the people your selling to, and that changes you into someone you will not like! Its very slick and in the interview the manager will do the whole ' Im 25 and I have a sports car and earn 2k a week, do you want that for yourself ?'
I left when my father showed me their company details and how Arcedia was structured across multiple holding companies all juggling funds to keep creditors away. Your better off working in a callcentre, and that IS saying something!


Always ask, is it too good to be true? The names of the receptionists on the job adverts are usually fake! Beware if they are getting you in for an interview very quickly (some cases maybe that afternoon), and ask them directly is it comission only. If they wriggle out of answering, and they will really try to, ask them for a yes or no answer, 'take control' (as they used to tell us).

 

[kellym82]

I used to work for PerDM which is the same thing. Commission only sales role. I was involved with recruitment and can say from the office side that these companies are the least ethical companies you will ever come across (n.b. I quit because I felt so guilty that I was actually recruiting people in to that industry). Selling make up in shopping arcades for £30 a set, sales reps get paid £5 per set. If you start doing the maths, then you have to sell a fair few to people who most like really don't want them before you even hit minimum wage (but of course this doesn't matter as you count as self employed so minimum wage is null and void). If you look up the companies on the internet you find that there's lots of comments about them being scams. Technically they aren't, but they are cult like and not my sort of company. The rich at the top get richer whilst the sales reps work 12 hour days 6 days a week for peanuts.

Also, they promise training for people who are being promoted to 'management' - when I was hired to do admin and recruitment (the only person on a salary in the whole office!) I knew more about business than my boss by miles. The only thing she knew what to do was repeat the words she had been taught, and sell. And no doubt she was good at the sales, but she wasn't a people person or a manager by any means. Also, promotions are just words, you would still be out being a sales rep for those long hours, and you definitely don't get any sort of payrise. My boss was living in a 6 bed house with 5 of the sales reps who moved from london to help her set up her new office!

Enough of my rantings, I'm sure some people would love it, but as far as I can tell the majority don't, and if I heard of anyone going for a job with any Cobra or PerDM companies I would definitely advise them against it. Just google 'Cobra marketing Scam' or similar to see the stories!

 

[kellym82]

Always ask, is it too good to be true? The names of the receptionists on the job adverts are usually fake! Beware if they are getting you in for an interview very quickly (some cases maybe that afternoon), and ask them directly is it comission only. If they wriggle out of answering, and they will really try to, ask them for a yes or no answer, 'take control' (as they used to tell us).

Oh yeah, and the staff turnover is so high - keep an eye on the job adverts. If the receptionist name keeps changing then most likely it's one of these companies!

And so so true about the comission only question - as a previous receptionist for LMS (and it seriously shames me to say that!) we were put under the most strict instruction to never mention it was commission only. The 'owner' or most senior person who interviewed them would wriggle out of this as well, until they had agreed to come work! It's a horrible deceitful system.

 

[ChrisAITY]

Glad I didnt accept my second interview, they would of offered me all sorts of rubbish, and I would proberbly have been gullable enough to go ahead with it.

PHEWWWWW RELIEF!!

 

[cozlw]

Was about to respond, I had an interview with them a few years ago and received the exact some response, go out with them for the day etc. I spent the day in a small town (no idea where) miles away from home knocking on doors with no lunch as there were targets to meet. No fun and certainly not worth it. Glad your sticking at your current job, Im sure other options will come up.

 

[rich.new87]

I am glad I came across this thread today. This post is collated from my observations plus backed up from information from the receptionist in the Bristol branch. I have now rejected my first meeting with them.

Immediate interview: this means that there is no specific position - just rolling hiring

Companies they work on behalf: charities (non-profit; unethical forcing people to donate money) and utilities (only cold calling type sales) - with 11 new branches and looking to international work, they have no major clients and therefore little budget and little opportunities for networking, progression or recognition (i.e. no FTSE 100 etc companies).

Website: 5 years out of date which for a company running only for 13 years is shocking!!

Pay: COMMISSION ONLY! which provides many problems if you actually want to pay your bills plus its unethical work

Training: I believe that no professional training is given therefore provides is pointless doing as other companies would not recognise it. May as well do David Beckham studies and call your self proficient in marketing and business.

All in all - its awful and too many companies are doing these scams. Its unethical and unfair to provide 'excellent' work but being false advertising - especially when you have Psychology degree and have been unemployed for the last 6 months! With a degree we are taught not to take things at face value and to think critically - I am not wasting my money for a company to take advantage of me!! This marketing company is not very good at marketing themselves - I wouldn't get them to represent my company (if i had one....).

If you wish to follow this up please search arcedia scam (admittedly article from the Mirror - no offence.....)

Regards.

 

[SOPHIE29]

i had a job interview with these people today and i have my second one tomorrow from what i heard on the first one it sounded all good and now i have researched more it seems a "scam", and i am thinking of ringing them up in the morning and cancelling it. has anyone actually had a job at this place and if so can i have some advise please? thanks

 

[forummember09]

This is nothing to do with starting a business, but I have a job interview with them, and I was just wondering what sort of work they do? He said it would start as Sales, this wouldnt be door to door would it? He said he would go through it all with me tomorrow, but I juist wanted to know in advance..

The company name is in the title...

I worked for arcedia the marketing company. For the job, I had to go door to door promoting onetel. It was a commission only job. I wasnt good at it so I left.

 

[Deleted member 79446]

Sorry to dig up a buried thread but I felt I had to make a post about this. I have an interview with Arcedia tomorrow in Bristol, I had previous applied to the company in January for an Administrator position (which I didn't hear back about) so they must be really scrapping the barrel if they dug up my CV from six months ago to call me up. Was pretty niavely excited about it first till I did I did a little digging of my own. Their website doesn't seem to tell me anything about the company at all, apart from the fact they do direct sales for Charity Links and Scottish Power. Alarm bells aren't quite ringing just yet but they're getting close, especially as I don't recall the person who phoned me mentioning exactly what position I was going to be interviewed for. Said alarm bells went off loud and proud when Google auto-completed "Arcedia Direct scam" for me, producing at least 10 pages of results. Of which, this thread was pretty close to the top. Let me just say I'm glad I found this place. I'll likely still go to the interview tomorrow, if nothing else it'll be some decent interview practice and I'll get to see my friends again, who live in Bath, but I'll certainly not be taking it overly seriously. Will let you know how it goes anyway, if I remember of course. Thanks again everyone in here for making this thread, I feel I would have walked bright-eyed and bushy-tailed into a corporate trap otherwise.

 

[ex-student]

I worked there last summer in the Bristol office. It was commission only then although a friend of mine has gone back there this year and got a basic so i don't know what that means. I did Scottish Power and he's doing charities so maybe it's different for different campaigns. I wouldn't say it was easy but i enjoyed it. It was probably the funnest job I had in my summer holidays and most weeks i made good money and some weeks really good (admittedly i think i had at least 1 shocker). Not for everyone though - I'd never done sales before but turned out i was quite good at it (who knew?) I saw a few people have a go and work out it wasn't for them pretty quickly but they seem to accept that will be the case. Give it a go if they offer you the chance - I picked up some good skills and am definitely more confident than i was as a result of my time there.

 

[Banner Stands]

I think to work in that type of direct sales job, you need such thick-skin. I for one would not like to do it.

 

[Bigape]

steer well clear of this cowboy company. They lull young people into the nasty clutches through tales of high wages and fast promotions. It is a total and utter scam. My daughter gave up a secure job having got in a rut due to the promises made by these 'Carpet Baggers'.

They use all the motivational techniques similar to time share sales staff. This convince the naive to continue work harder and harder like hamsters on a wheel never getting any where. My daughter works 12 hr days six days a week and last week picked up £40, the team leader is a total t$%t. They make you use your own car to transport the team around but don't pay for the petrol. It is costing her more to go to work than she earns.

This 'Company' is a total and utter disgrace and accordingly I have reported them to the revelant governing body for improper practise.

If you are considering working for these charlatans think again you'd be better off working for Mac donalds at least there you are guarenteed minimum wage.

 

[Kernowman]

I did 7 months door-to-door with Southern Electric. In truth, the job itself isn't that bad to be honest, provided you don't use the appalling script they shove down your throat and provided you like being beaten up regularly for your targets performance. Just one off the total for the whole week and you are in area office for "retraining" driving some distance at your expense, to recite the script you hate. It was a job that I NEEDED to do rather than WANTING to do, if you get my drift.

Still, it taught me an awful lot at first hand how NOT to run a sales force

 

[Mike W]

steer well clear of this cowboy company. They lull young people into the nasty clutches through tales of high wages and fast promotions. It is a total and utter scam. My daughter gave up a secure job having got in a rut due to the promises made by these 'Carpet Baggers'

I don't know this company specifically but I do know the general type.

I was 17 when I gave up my 'secure job', lulled through tales of high wages, fast cars etc etc direct selling.

At 21, I was earning 50k+ as a Regional Manager in the same firm, driving a Merc, first house etc.

Granted it's not for everybody and they do have high staff turnover....but it can happen if you graft and you're right for it.

They use all the motivational techniques similar to time share sales staff. This convince the naive to continue work harder and harder like hamsters on a wheel never getting any where..

If you are considering working for these charlatans think again you'd be better off working for Mac donalds at least there you are guarenteed minimum wage.

Successful or not, you'll get a far better life experience in one of these firms than you ever will at a fast food joint.

 

[360interactive]

Successful or not, you'll get a far better life experience in one of these firms than you ever will at a fast food joint.

I guess that depends on what you call life experience.

I personally don't see how much life experience you can get from trawling around the street selling utilities door to door, often using questionable methods to get a signature. In many fast food brands these days if you want to succeed, they can offer you some fantastic opportunities.

Most of these so called 'marketing' companies deliberately dress their job roles up in fantastical ways, while never actually saying what it will involve. Then drive a group of around 10 'applicants' to a designated area and drop them off, telling them to return to a pick up point 8 hours later. In that 8 hours they are told to sign up a specific number of names to whatever it was they were selling.

It's a shame there isn't a body that regulates job advertisements to protect people from these sort of operations.

 

[Mike W]

I personally don't see how much life experience you can get from trawling around the street selling utilities door to door, often using questionable methods to get a signature.

What an awful generalisation.

The experience I was referring to was being tested in a tough environment. Selling isn't the easiest in most businesses, so being tested in the toughest is a great way to learn. If it's right for you, you'll earn decent money and give yourself a good platform to build on. If it isn't, most things will seem a doddle after

In many fast food brands these days if you want to succeed, they can offer you some fantastic opportunities.

Not so sure I'd agree with the word 'fantastic' ....and certainly wouldn't agree that the better opportunities are open to many. All depends on your aspirations I guess.

Most of these so called 'marketing' companies deliberately dress their job roles up in fantastical ways, while never actually saying what it will involve. Then drive a group of around 10 'applicants' to a designated area and drop them off, telling them to return to a pick up point 8 hours later. In that 8 hours they are told to sign up a specific number of names to whatever it was they were selling.

There you go generalising again. What piffle.

But even if you're right, I'd just refer you again to my first paragraph.

In at the deep end, they'll soon sink or swim ...and where's the bad in that? We all learn from the mistakes we make.

 

[Kernowman]

I personally don't see how much life experience you can get from trawling around the street selling utilities door to door, often using questionable methods to get a signature.

Let me tell you as concrete fact that door-to-door selling is THE hardest of them all, bar none. You have to make instant rapport with your prospect who is more often than not extremely hostile towards you even being there, never mind in the frame of mind to be sold to. You go out working from 10.00am to 8.00pm on a cold dark windy winter's night and come back to tell me it isn't "character forming".

Harder still if you want to do the job 100% ethically and honestly, because your integrity tells you to walk away if you are not going to be doing the right thing for the prospect, but that's not the real problem which makes the job tough, it is the humiliation and de-motivation you get from your colleagues and line managers, plus the financial hardship you suffer by being that honest salesman, that hurts the most.

 

[360interactive]

Mike,

My comments were aimed at the likes of those companies mentioned in this thread, I have no doubt that there are many door to door marketing companies out there doing it by the books and honestly advertising their roles.

However I see no defence for the types that dupe, at times desperate people into a so called 'marketing' positions with high salaries and promises of the world. Then don't mention the door to door part until they are in front of the applicant. I'm amazed that you're defending them quite frankly.

With regards to life experience, I go back to my comment. I guess it depends on what you call life experience.

 

[360interactive]

Let me tell you as concrete fact that door-to-door selling is THE hardest of them all, bar none.

Don't disagree with that at all, and I imagine that those that can make a living door to door selling have a skill that is not found in most.

 

[MASSEY]

So to summarise, the jobs with that company are a pile of sh1t and working in mcdonalds is probably better paid?

 

[Kernowman]

Don't disagree with that at all, and I imagine that those that can make a living door to door selling have a skill that is not found in most.

The ones that have the real skill at door-to-door like me never can make a decent living out of it because we are/were honest and that really angers me. It's the amoral ones that cruise a district deliberately looking out for bungalows because it's pretty certain there are pensioners living there that present the lowest resistance to these shysters and tricksters. I know, I worked with some of those and the sales managers feted them constantly, because they had stunning sales figures. It mattered not either that most of those people that were signed up under duress cancelled a week later and my sales didn't, so which of us made the biggest nett gain in new business sales?

As for these fly-by-night "marketing" businesses that seem to spring up almost every week and recruit youngsters with outlandish promises of high earnings and rapid promotion, they are the lowest of the lot, because so few bother to even control these salespeople they take on to sell energy on the doorstep. Not sure they are even Energysure accredited either.

 

[chenglinda]

What job they offer you at last ?

This is nothing to do with starting a business, but I have a job interview with them, and I was just wondering what sort of work they do? He said it would start as Sales, this wouldnt be door to door would it? He said he would go through it all with me tomorrow, but I juist wanted to know in advance..

The company name is in the title...

 

[ChrisAITY]

Door to Door Sales with a chance for high promotions in 1 year......

OF COURSE I didn't take the opportunity, because of the help from this thread and the research I done. They will try and trick you into anything, like they did with me. "It will be a sales role, in the office and outside the office"... to be honest, if you look at that statement and really think about it, what does it really say about the role... BECAUSE VIRTUALLY 100% OF THE TIME you are on the streets or door to door.

I would personally stay away, unless you are extremely good at pressure, lieing and picking out (as someone mentioned above) the most vulnerable e.g. elderly peoples homes.

LIES LIES LIES LIES that's the best way to describe a business like this..

 

[ahmedho]

here's another one that's sprung up, dunno if there cobra or jsut a spin off recruiter for them [removed by mod]>McMillan and Morton Consultancy Ltd. Txt book commission only door to door [removed by mod]!!!



mcmillan and morton [removed by mod]

 

[Caius_Lothario]

I spent 5 months working for this company and if you have the gift of the gab or a bit of charisma about you! You can make some money I made it to Crew Manager and won awards at their winter ball Award Ceremony but its all there to keep you working. Everyone and I mean everyone will get an interview and then a 2nd interview where you will be introduced to a Team Manager who in Scott Sullivans opinion “Regularly makes £150 a day! (they don’t) they will take you for a coffee and tell you how it’s not door-to-door sales but a manager fast track program”

How you can earn £50k in 6-12 months and have an office anywhere in the UK! You explain how they go from Merchandiser to Team Manager to Crew Manager to Assistant manager and then get your own office. How Winners don’t lose and losers don’t win. To become a TM you need to sell 16 units in a week (sounds easy it’s not) or ring the Bell (4 sales three days on the trot). If you ring the Bell at the end of the day you get to stand up and tell everyone how you did it! (wow)

The Hours are 12pm-8:30pm (plus the travel back to the office to demerge/finish paperwork) for Merchandiser and once you hit TM 9:30am-9:30pm then travel home. The money is normally £25 a sale minus £5 bond and I saw people work a week for £50-£75 your self-employed so you don’t pay tax or national insurance unless you declare it. You’re all wearing suits and acting the big I am and reading motivational books like “Polar Pirates” and “who stole my cheese”.

You go out in the snow/rain & whatever weather out there while the manager sits back and collects £10 for every sale you do! The only people who get rich are the guys at the top Richard Jellard, Simon Morley & Pete King. You get pressure if you want a day of (because the manager doesn’t get his bit of commission)and your relationship will suffer as a result. I regularly use to top the “Who’s Hot” table for my sales but after taking Observations/interviews for coffee and paying train fares (you’re expected to pay for new starters if they have no money) it leaves you with very little.

You’re also encouraged to give your first sales of the day to new starters so they “Earn” something on their first day! (Doesn’t matter to the manager he still gets his £10 a sale) I got disillusioned by selling a fake dream to people who are desperate for a job just to build your team up! Its Pyramid selling & you will learn selling skills like they say knock 100 doors and you’re going to get four sales. It’s all a Scam and I know people who have become managers and then discovered it’s all a veil of lies.

Believe me there all [removed by mod] and even though some of them are charming and really nice it’s dog eat dog! Beware and stay away!!!!!