Working at Vector Marketing prepares you for life.
Working at Vector has helped a massive number of students discover who they are and what they’re good at, all while gaining hands-on professional experience and making money.

Jacob Gordon, a Vector Marketing Assistant Manager (CK), shares about his experience:

"Because of this job, I’ve met all kinds of people, from all walks of life. I’ve seen new and exciting parts of the city I grew up in and reconnected with a huge chunk of my distant family. I was able to pay my way through school, and I had the opportunity to teach and develop reps of my own. Today, I realize what it truly means to be independent of the environment around me."

Cameron Brown, son of former Cavs head coach Mike Brown is another success story. Watch him share about his CUTCO experience below:

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Vector is a platform for opportunity.

Your child doesn’t really want to sell knives; they want to grow professionally and earn while they learn in-demand skills.

They want to do well in school and succeed and be happy with their professional life. They want to make something of themselves, but they just can’t find the help or training they need to jumpstart that process.

That’s why selling knives isn’t so bad to them—it will get them closer to who they want to be. They see it as an invaluable stepping stone.

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What’s the story behind Vector Marketing?

To understand the story behind Vector Marketing, you first have to understand the story behind CUTCO.

In 1949, two companies (ALCOA and Case Cutlery) started a joint-venture with the goal of producing the absolute best houseware knife on the market.

They succeeded, and the result was the first CUTCO knife, created with the help of Industrial Designer Thomas Lamb.

Two things made CUTCO’s knives particularly special.

For one, it has the perfect handle, custom designed by Lamb.

Two, its knives are made in America and come with a “forever guarantee,” meaning, at any point in time after purchase, you can send it back, and CUTCO will polish and sharpen it. If it’s defective, send it back, and they’ll replace it.

This is how the mantra: “Buy once; use everyday; never replace,” came to be.

So CUTCO had this phenomenal product, now, they had to figure out how to sell it.

At the time, the encyclopedia direct sales model was a popular way of selling products because it was very convenient.

You had a product expert visit your home, where you could try the product before you bought it, and the expert would answer any of your pressing questions about the product.

CUTCO adopted this direct sales model and worked with a bunch of independent companies that sold its products for them. One company stood out among the rest—Vector Marketing.

Vector Marketing was so successful because of its systems and processes, so CUTCO acquired Vector Marketing as its own direct salesforce.

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My son/daughter can work-from-home (remotely). How does that work?

Certain reps may be invited to interview, train, or work 100% remotely. All they need is a cell phone, an internet connection, and a laptop or computer to work from, as the position will require using (no cost) virtual tools and apps—Zoom, Skype, facetime, etc.

Our virtual programs have been developed over many years (and tens of thousands of hours) of effort, testing, and customer feedback. There is no difference in pay for a work-from-home (remote) rep than an in-person rep.

***UPDATE: With COVID-19 mandates, this is how our representatives are continuing to sell Cutco successfully. Exposure during a virtual presentation (over-the-phone) is non-existent.

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How does Vector Marketing pay?
Reps earn a guaranteed base pay of $20 every time they show Cutco to a qualified prospect, whether that be in-person or virtually. This is NOT an hourly rate. People sometimes think it’s $20 per hour because most appointments take between 45 minutes to an hour. This is incorrect, though. It’s $20 per qualified appointment given.

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Why does Vector Marketing guarantee pay?
Our product sells itself. We don’t need (or want) reps to pressure someone to buy from them, so we offer the base pay as a guaranteed incentive.

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Will my son/daughter earn commission too?
Yes. While the guaranteed base pay is $20 per appointment in our Tennessee Division, commission percentages are the same across the country.

We offer 10 to 30 percent commission with bonus opportunities all the way up to 50 percent.

The percentage you earn is based on your overall career sales. You can see how much you have to sell in order to get each percentage.

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The nice thing about this is once you make it to a certain level—even if you take a selling hiatus—you never earn less than that percentage going forward. Once you make it to a certain level, you stay there until you make it to the next one.

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Is my son/daughter classified as an employee?
No, your child is classified as an independent contractor, aka a freelancer, which 40 percent of America’s workforce will be by 2020(or 60 million people).

Being a freelancer, or independent contractor, your child has the luxury of setting their own schedule around classes and extracurricular activities.

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How do taxes work for independent contractors?
Independent contractors do not get taxes taken out of their regular pay, so they are responsible for handling their taxes at the end of the year.

Because an independent contractor is like a small business owner, they have the benefit of writing off business expenses when tax season rolls around.

We encourage reps to save year-round so they are prepared to pay their taxes once tax season rolls around. Additionally, we prep reps with filing best practices. Learn more about filing taxes with a 1099 here.

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How often is my son/daughter paid?

Every week. Reps submit their orders and presentation sheets, which includes a list of their appointments, every Monday. They are then paid the following Friday through direct deposit or paper check.

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What will my son/daughter be doing?

Work varies from day to day, but usually involves:

• Scheduling appointments with prospects

• Demoing the product for prospects  (virtually or in-person)

• Submitting order forms and completing presentation sheets

• Reviewing performance and receiving feedback with their local office manager (either virtually, over the phone, video calls, or in-person)

• Attending a weekly team meeting at the office or virtually over Zoom.

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Are there any upfront costs?

No. None.  If your child will be meeting with customers in-person, we’ll loan him/her a Cutco sample set at no cost. IF they want to buy their kit, they can for a massive discount. Sales reps conducting virtual presentations do not need a sample set. They simply use a tablet or computer to walk through product options with customers virtually.

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Do you provide training?
Yes, we’re one of the few companies who provide professional training. Initial training takes place over two days, but there’s also ongoing training opportunities. Currently, all training is being conducted virtually. 

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My son/daughter is studying [insert major]. How will this benefit him/her?
Today, ~50 percent of managers feel recent grads are prepared for a full-time job while 87 percent of grads think they’re more than ready. That’s a big disconnect.

Employers see the biggest need for improvement in the “soft skills” arena. Soft skills are skills that are useful across industries, and therefore sometimes referred to as “transferable.”

Students learn a wide array of valuable transferable skills working for Vector, including:

• Presentation skills

• Public speaking skills

• “People” skills

• Goal setting

• Time management

• Positivity in the workplace

These skills are vital to any professional today, in a world where jobs pay an average of a $8,853 more than those that don’t require “presentation skills.”

Likability matters in the professional world, yet many young people have little to no idea/experience professionally interacting with people in real life situations.

Vector teaches reps everything from how to make eye contact, confidently present themselves, ask questions, and stand up for themselves in a friendly manner. They’ll learn how to effectively network as well, which is so important when you consider the fact that most jobs are secured through weak ties.

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Is training paid?
No. Your child will not be compensated for the two-day training. We believe we are providing a massive benefit to students by teaching them these basic, but difficult to acquire, soft skills that employers highly value yet aren’t training young people for.

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What type of people succeed at Vector Marketing?
Not everyone will succeed at Vector, and we don’t accept everyone.

The right person for this job is someone who can present well, has a positive attitude, is eager to learn, committed, and shows evidence of motivation and grit.

And just because your child is more of an introvert doesn’t mean they won’t succeed in this position. The right people can be coached to succeed very well at Vector.

In fact, Adam Grant proved it’s actually not the extroverts who succeed at sales, but rather the “ambiverts,” which are people who can operate in both modes whether they swing one way or the other.

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How does my son/daughter find customers?
Reps start by practicing demos (either virtual or in-person) with close family and friends so they feel comfortable and relaxed in a safe, low-pressure setting.

On average, each customer refers five people to a rep after the presentation. So while they start with friends and family, they’re quickly introduced to friends of friends. As such, reps are far from running “friends and family businesses.”

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Is Vector Marketing safe?
Yes! We protect reps by having them start with their immediate network of friends and family.

There is no cold calling or telemarketing.

Instead, reps work on referrals offered by their friends or family members and speak with the customer prior to the appointment. This puts the reps in control of who they see and when they see them.

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Will my son/daughter's grades suffer due to working at Vector?

Vector strives to teach skills to students that will inevitably improve their grades.

For example, reps set up their own appointments, learning time management from their first day of training.

The practice of time management becomes a habit, so representatives waste less time because they know how to reliably manage a calendar and schedule.

“C” students often become “A” students simply by acquiring these foundational professional skills.

By becoming more efficient, they procrastinate less, and productivity, parallel to grades, increases.

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Is Vector Marketing affiliated with any colleges?

Eighty-five percent of our representatives are students.

And every year, we donate a total of $40,000 to full-time undergraduate students, who excel at selling CUTCO. In the fall and spring, the top 25 students are awarded, and during the summer, the top 50 are awarded.

We  proudly support and sponsor many colleges across North America. Currently, our sponsorships include: DECA, which prepares students to become leaders and entrepreneurs and Pi Sigma Epsilon.

And we’re also a member of the following organizations:

• NACE: National Association of Colleges and Employers

• CACEE: Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers

• EACE: Eastern Association of Colleges and Employers

• MPACE: Mountain Pacific Association of Colleges and Employers

• MACE: Midwest Association of Colleges and Employers

• SACE: Southern Association of Colleges and Employers

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Can my son/daughter receive internship credit working for Vector?
Yes. Vector offers internships to their representatives, and they are paid. The Campus Recruiting Team is happy to help Vector representatives navigate their school’s requirements. If eligible, the college or university may offer internship credits.