 OLEAN TIMES HERALD
12/10/07
By Brian Lothridge
Olean- Not many 20 year-olds can say they are one of the top sales representatives in the nation for a market-leading company.
But St. Bonaventure University junior Danyle Magiera makes that claim with pride as she nears $50,000 in sales in nearly nine months with Vector Marketing, the sole distributor of CUTCO Cutlery. She was ranked 23rd in the nation out of Vector's 40,000 sales representatives during the summer campaign.
The Salamanca native has only sold CUTCO products since May, but has already fallen in love with her job. She sold over $6,000 in products in her first three weeks and sold over $3,000 a week for 10 weeks straight.
She works for her money but there really isn't anything difficult about her job, Ms. Magiera said.
"I get paid to sit in people's houses, hang out with them, drink cocoa with them, and hang out with their kids," she said.
Her mother encouraged her to find a job at the end of her sophomore year. She found the Vector opportunity through an internet search of summer jobs for college students and decided to check it out.
"I have been working since I was 15," she explained. "I like having my own money so it was very important to me to commit to a full-time job."
She began selling to friends and family and her client base grew rapidly. She was booking 10 appoints a day during the summer, she said. And she usually ends up with 12 more leads after each appointment.
"I still have 600 people I haven't called yet," she said.
Flexibility is a huge plus for Ms. Magiera. Vector allows her to work as much or as little as she wants and she schedules appointments to fit her schedule. Selling was her full-time responsibility this summer, but she only book 5 to 7 appointments a week while class is in session.
Customer relationships are also important to Ms. Magiera.
"Sometimes it's like I'm not even working," she said. "At the end of the day I leave with a customer and a new friend."
And she doesn't have to pressure customers since she gets a base pay just for doing demonstrations.
"I wouldn't do this job if I had to pressure someone," she said.
Vector is great at recognizing employees who excel, Ms. Magiera said. She was awarded a scholarship for placing 23rd in the summer sales campaign. She will soon be flown out to Detroit for dinner with Vector executives as a reward for her high sales record. She is also pushing herself to sell enough to earn a trip to Jamaica.
Justin Neefus, South Buffalo District Manager, said Ms. Magiera's performance has been outstanding.
�For her to finish 23rd in the nation is an exceptional result,� he said.
A hard work ethic and a great attitude is what makes Ms. Magiera so successful, he said.
�Danyle would be successful in really anything she chose to do,� he said. �She has a bright future with us. She would make a great manager some day.�
Business has always come easy to Ms. Magiera. She had prior sales experience from working part-time at Hampshire Mills Retail Outlet in Salamanca during high school. The 2005 Salamanca High School graduate also participated in the Delta Epsilon Chi Association (DECA) for a year and went to the international competition.
�I�m just a people person so it just came natural to me,� she said.
Ms. Magiera is majoring in journalism and mass communications and is working on a marketing minor. Her sales job has helped to build up her resume. Although she isn�t completely sure where her career aspirations lie, she said the job has changed her life.
�I�ve changed so much since this past summer,� she said. �My self confidence has increased and I�m doing tons better in school.�
She has also met a lot of friends and her boyfriend through Vector.
�This is the best company to work for, hands down,� she said.
Ms. Magiera recently went through management training and is thinking about working as an assistant manager in the summer and possibly opening her own branch the following summer. Vector offers employees management training and supports those interested in running their own branch, she said.
Ms. Magiera said she has what it takes to be the top seller in the nation.
�My goal is to be number one next year and there is nothing in my way,� she said. |
