Rock Solid Associates Working for Rock Solid Associates. All the hidden secrets and lies they don't want you to know! Silver Spring, Maryland

Here is it everyone. I know there a lot of job seekers out there right now getting requests from a company called Rock Solid Associates. The only problem is, like myself when I first got the call after applying for the position on Craigslist, I could not find a single review or anything about the company. If you are reading this, then consider yourself lucky. I am about to detail everything about this company for your guys benefit so you don't get sucked into this from it's deceptive hiring practices to its unethical business practices. 

The first question you probably ask is what is Rock Solid Associates? What Rock Solid Associates is exactly is a door to door commission only sales job. They are affiliated with an organization called Credico, which specializes door to door sales for various fortune 500 companies such as Verizon and Home Depot. Rock Solid Associates specifically works right now with Verizon Fios and if you are offered a position there, you will be going door to door selling Verizon Fios. Now that you have an entire background on the organization, I will go over the hiring process. 

First Interview: The candidate is brought in for a early afternoon interview with one of the two managers that runs Verizon there. The interview lasts 10-15 minutes and the candidate wont be able to get many questions addressed during it. The manager will mainly talk about Verizon and use marking principles like "Face to Face Marketing" to get you excited. You will be told if you get a call back that you will be invited to a second all day interview with one of their top guys.  

Second Interview: Assuming you made it to the second interview, you will indeed follow one of Rock Solid's top guys all day that day. They will walk you out to the car and ask you for your resume. Upon filling out a useless candidate information sheet that they carry around to make it look like an official interview you get into the car and the real fun begins. The "Corporate Trainer" will read you word for word a script he has memorized that they like to call the "Car Ride Out". He or she will ask you questions about Verizon and then make you guess what you guys are doing today. The idea is to make you say "door to door sales" so you cannot object to it, because the manager used the term "Face to Face" in the first interview. You will be forbidden from asking questions about the Compensation, Corporate Structure, or Upward Mobility until the Corporate Trainer breaks it down for you. So you stop and eat lunch first at an unknown location, somewhere in Maryland. After lunch you go out to "The Field" and follow the Corporate Trainer around all day as he or she tries to sell Verizon Fios to unwary people. If the trainer successfully makes a sale during the day, he will right away break down the compensation, upward mobility and corporate structure for you. This people, is all a LIE. The Corporate Trainers are encouraged during training at the office to lie to candidates to make the opportunity seem more than it is, so that they will feel more inclined to start. The CT will say that Account Executives make 300-500 dollars a week and CT's make 600-1000 dollars a week. In reality, only 1-2 CT's make over 400 dollars a week working here and AE's make about 50-100 dollars a week starting out, but more on that later. So the day ends and the CT in the ride back again reads off a script to you called the "Car Ride Back", which explains what is going to happen when you get back to the office and not to be afraid of the loud music and bells and gongs going off. 


Final Interview: After some time filling out a questionnaire a manager will call you in for a third and final round interview. The manager will occasionally call in the CT you shadowed today to sit in on the interview also. Based on what the CT said about you you get offered the position. Congrats! You are told to come in early first thing tomorrow and your new career will begin. 

A day working for Rock Solid Associates
CT/Leaders Meeting 11-11:30  This is where the CT's go into a secret meeting every morning about how to lie and deceive people to working for this company. 
Peer Presentation 11:20-11:30  This is where all the AE's are responsible for teaching back the sales and marketing principles they have learned
Campaign Meeting 11:30-11:40  This where you crowd in a tiny room and listen to the manager talk about news from Verizon
Workshops 11:40-12:10  This is where the AE's learn a new sales/marketing technique from a certified CT or manager
Pitch Circles: 12:10-12:15  This is where the AE's practice their sales pitch with other fellow CT's. Or new CT's will practice their "Car Ride Out" with each other. 
Impact 12:15-12:20   This is where a CT who did the best the day before will give a motivational short speech in front of everyone to pump everyone up for the day. 
Morning Meeting 12:20-12:30  This is where a manager will stand in front of everyone and deliver a speech to pump everyone up for the day. 
Hit the Field 12:30-9:15  Drive as much as 1 hour away from the office to go knock of some doors for the day. If you make no sales for the day, then you made no money that day and drove out there for nothing. If you drive you will be responsible for paying for your own expenses, such as gas. 
Leave work 9:15  Finally a long 10-12 hour day it is over. If you made no money that day, then you feel like crap. Don't worry though, because you have Monday-Saturday to make something happen!

Some small things about the company

Pay: Strictly commission. Even after you get promoted to Corporate Trainer and Assistant Manager. If you do not make any sales off going door to door you will not receive a paycheck. For any new people you will not receive your first paycheck until 3 weeks after you closed your first sale. The first paycheck will be 100 dollars or less if you're lucky. After the first month, when you have closed some sales you will start getting paid every week. 

Hours: You will work from 11 a.m to 9:15 p.m Monday-Friday with Saturday being optional for the new guys, but being required for Corporate Trainers. The time you spend in the office training and learning you will not be getting paid. 

Drivers: There are very few drivers who drive to the field in the office so if you so happen to let them know that you drive, then oh are you in trouble now. You will be required to drive up to four people everyday up to 45-1 hour away from the office. The CT's in your car are supposed to pay you 5 dollars each for gas, but it is never enough and some claim they are so broke that they cannot afford to pay you. Gas comes out of your pocket, as well does the car maintenance to drive 700-800 miles a week in your car. 

Upward Mobility: While it is possible to get from Account Executive to Corporate Trainer in two weeks or less, Hardly anyone makes it passed the Corporate Trainer stage. The Corporate Trainer stage consists of you being forced to lie to job seeking candidates so that they will hopefully start and be sucked in so much that will get promoted and get more people to start. Thus building your "Team" and eventually getting you promoted. The hard part is that a lot of people can see through this right away and it's hard to find people to suck in. 

Please be aware before applying to positions that promise quick money and career advancement. As well as entry level marketing and sales. Hopefully this gets around to a lot of potential job candidates and hinders Rock Solid Associates for good. Any questions at all? Just post below.