Updated August 19, 2022 – Vector Marketing is the marketing arm of the Cutco Corporation, which sells Cutco knives. While you can buy Cutco knives online and at a handful of retail stores, Cutco’s main selling channel is direct marketing. That means they need salespeople to sell those knives directly to their families, friends, families of their friends, and friends of their families. Think Tupperware or Scentsy or any other company that uses a network of representatives to sell its products. (NOTE: This is not a multi-level marketing “MLM” situation. You get paid to sell, not recruit a “downline.”)
OK, so what does that mean for you? It means if you get a “job” with Vector Marketing, you will be expected to set up demonstrations to showcase Cutco knives. You give your sales pitch to the potential customer, and you get paid, either a commission on sales or a per-demo amount if they don’t buy. (At least at first.)
OK, I get it. How much do I get paid?
If you complete a demo with a potential customer, which means they are willing to sit through a whole 45-minute or so presentation, you will get paid (usually) $15 for each demo. Pay may be slightly different depending on where you are located. Vector actually says “Our representatives are guaranteed an average base pay of $12-$20 per appointment.”
If you actually make a sale, you could earn a commission that is considerably more, depending on how big of an order your customer makes.
Is there a catch?
Yes and no. Cutco is a legitimate corporation that has been around for many years. Their selling method is not a scam, and presumably their product is of a decent quality.
However, there are a number of things you should understand:
- You will have to go through an unpaid training of 2-3 days in order to learn how to sell the knives.
- The knives are not cheap. Look on the Cutco website and you will see that the knife sets have prices of $300 and up in many cases, and even individual knives are usually $50 or more. You will have to find customers who are willing to spend a lot of money on knives.
- You will have to find your customers yourself. Vector Marketing does not set up appointments for you.
- You are not a Vector Marketing employee. Instead, you are an independent contractor, meaning you are essentially in business for yourself, with Cutco knives being your product.
That’s cool. I know a lot of people who’d let me do a demo. They probably won’t buy, but that doesn’t matter, right? As long as I do the demo, I’m good…
Well, like anything in life, you don’t get something for nothing. At some point, Vector Marketing is going to expect you to actually make some sales. If you don’t, they won’t “fire” you, because you technically aren’t their employee. But they can’t afford to pay salespeople who never make sales, so the $15 per demo arrangement should be seen as a way to make a little money while you learn to sell the knives. If you don’t make sales, though, it won’t be long before Cutco will sever the relationship (so to speak) and you will be looking for a new opportunity.