What's the better option?

[Gentle Lamb]

Is it better to stay in a job with a low base pay and a high commission potential (no guarantee that commission will remain available or be taken by someone else) or to take a job with a higher guaranteed income and no commission?

 

[Sabertooth]

That would depend on your personal strengths...

 

[Freth]

I agree with Sabertooth. If you're good at sales, you have the potential of making much more than you would without, but the higher guaranteed income is a sure thing, where the commission is not.

 

[mama2one]

I'd go with guaranteed pay esp. if you have bills to pay

 

[Brother-Mike]

Gentle Lamb, my vote would be go for the higher paying job. Or at least consider the dollar-amount difference between the two and then ask yourself if it's likely that you'd make up the difference in commission.

Is there any chance the commission is being dangled as an enticement? Do you have any track record of achieving that difference? Another point in favor of the higher paying job is that it would set your new "bar" higher, impacting subsequent jobs down the road.

Either way, this is what I'd call "a good problem to have" so congratulations either way

 

[com7fy8]

One consideration is the value of what you would be doing, not only how much you would make.

And can you test the commission job, for some period of time, to see how it really works out?

 

[Sketcher]

Is it better to stay in a job with a low base pay and a high commission potential (no guarantee that commission will remain available or be taken by someone else) or to take a job with a higher guaranteed income and no commission?

I hate sales, so I'd go with the latter.

A natural salesperson could come out ahead with the former.

 

[crixus]

I'd go with guaranteed pay esp. if you have bills to pay

Many years ago I had the option and I went the guaranteed pay route. And in retrospect, I'm glad I did.

 

[timf]

A high commission situation is usually a motivation to go to extraordinary effort to complete a task. This often tends to make people say or do whatever they can achieve an objective. In a sales environment this can get people to lie, bully, or manipulate customers to make a sale.

One also has to ask where the money comes from to pay the commission. Is what is being sold so over-priced that there is "extra" money? Is that fair to the customers?

A job where you are paid a fair wage sounds a little more practical.

 

[JohnC101]

The only jobs that I know of that have potentially high commissions are car and home sales. If you have the talent to do so, they are rather lucrative.

Keep in mind that the potential for good commissions would go down if the economy starts to go south, because people have less to spend. I personally stick with guaranteed income because, while I'd still be struggling, it wouldn't be as bad if I had to rely on lower commissions in a bad economy.