Boss takes the shiny object for himself.
 

You're a salesman, the lifeblood of your small 5 person company, and making it happen.

You've made due with no work cell for the first 4 months, and were then awarded with a 6 year old Droid pulled out of a bottom drawer, that was always there. ...it doesn't work and is unreliable. Been using that for the last 13 months.

The boss has a business coach, because he bought his seat at the table and doesn't know what end is up...so needs someone who "can" to help him get out of crippling debt, which is why I'm selling, to pay his debt.

Said business coach is treated as a God, as he should be (great/accomplished man), and said God tells boss to get Saucy a cell phone. "You should be embarrassed that your salesman doesn't have a cell phone from this decade!"

Office admin orders iPhone 6 for salesman. Salesman comes to office and is handed bosses old iPhone 5, with great features like slimy screen and sticky home button, and d-bag boss keeps new cell for himself.

Should salesman Saucy be pissed?

How would you react?

Is Saucy making really good money at this job? Could Saucy go someplace else and make as much or more money?

It sounds like Saucy should be working for someone that knows their butt from a hole in the ground.

If that's not an option, I suspect Saucy will just have to suck it up.

The only other option might be to make it known to the god/coach and see if he shames the boss. I think he can, but I don't think Saucy should.

Sounds like Saucy either needs to speak up and make a few demands, or be prepared to find something else, because this tool of a boss will never change his spots.

Perhaps running it through the dishwasher will fix the slimy screen and sticky button?

Saucy will earn into the top 15% of earners this year

Sounds like you're accurate

Saucy has been like an Oreck XL for a long time now

Made a few things very clear to the coach and I believe some where communicated directly. I agree.

My job just pays my cell phone bill up to $75/mo. and it's my responsibility to have a phone that can get company email synched to it. I'm fine with that.

Sounds like Saucy is unappreciated. Maybe with your record you could find an employer who would show you some respect.

^ I used to have that. But, as the lines of personal and professional continue to be muddied, I opt for full differentiation.

Top 15% of all people or top 15% of all folks that sell what you sell. top 15% may be great, or maybe the people that sell what you sell should be making in the top 10%. How do you compare to the other folks who do exactly what you do.

I've worked jobs where I made decent money, but I later found out that the industry had picked up and for a couple of years, I had been making sub-par money for my job.

Hopefully, the coach can set things right for you.

Might not be a bad thing for that phone to have an "accident".

sounds like it's time to move on .. if Saucy is as good as he says,, he can find a better job in a heartbeat..

He is. It might sounds strange, but that is what scares me.

I've found myself in numerous situations where I'm into the interview process so easily and forging my way down the path....only to have to put on the breaks and ask myself "is this what I really want?"

I need to answer that question with perfect clarity before I decide to make my next move.

A lateral move is easy. A vertical move means being willing to change.

Besides, everyone recognizes that when people refer to themselves in the third person, it's an indication of how monumentally awesome they are.

;)

Time to move on, fuch that guy.

Actually, by definition, I'm in the top tenth percentile overall.

Coach is trying to "right" a lot of things, but boss man is also a yes man. Listens dutifully in meetings, always nodding and smiling, but when it comes time to taking action, holding folks accountable and making tough decision...he defers to the golf course or squash court.

Today, he had another coach-type (hired help) fire him as a customer as all employees were supposed to complete an important task...he was the only one who didn't complete it.

Absolutely. Very important to know the answer to that question, and it sounds like that should be ASAP.

Why are you working for a person whom you do not respect and does not respect what you do?

Plan your move. The cell phone is only a symptom of a greater problem.

Best
Les

Salesman Saucy should go sell for someone else.

Should Saucy be pissed? YES!
Should Saucy be surprised? Not so much...

I used to setup computers for corporate America.
The VP's always got the top of the line computer (no surprise) that sat on their desk and collected dust while the VP was in meetings or on the golf course. The VP's secretary (that did all the work for VP) of course had to have a lesser computer.

Or as one of my coworkers said as we sat in a conference room waiting for management to show up to tell us how to do our job. "If we were porn stars our buttholes would be thiiiiiiiis big."

Definitely not a surprise, unfortunately..

Salesman Saucy's major problem is he wants to work in some facet of the auto industry, ideally performance aftermarket...the case study on those in CT is adulterating.

Other strange thing (from my current role) I would love is to become an auto journalist...I love cars, driving cars and creative writing...

I figured this out after I went to college.

iPhone 6? Aren't they like $100 with a contract? Isn't a new iPhone coming out this September?

My $0.42: Let the boss keep the shiny trinkets. If you like your job and are making good $$, then why rock the boat over one person's attitude and behavior?

If the iPhone hasn't been wiped yet, you can always see if there is anything on it that can be used to your benefit in the future (pictures from that wild party boss went to...etc.). Then once you have stored that data in a safe place, you can return the iPhone 5 to boss letting him know "Thanks, but no thanks."

Bottom line: not worth getting your panties in a bunch over a smart phone that will be 'yesterday's tech' in less than half a year...

-Z-man.

The iPhone is a symptom, you don't respect your boss, he reciprocates...

This isn't going to change until something changes...

I agree with this.

Is Saucey hitting his numbers every month? If so ....complain. If not get yer own iPhone6 and write it off every year. You can only complain if your the lead dog and get away with it. Get your own phone and stick it up the bosses ars.

It was once explained to me this way.....
You have the BS factor.
And the compensation factor.
When the BS factor is higher than the compensation factor you leave.
Otherwise you stay.

I use my own cellphone at work and am not compensated a penny. I make good money. My cell plan is $75 a month, I run it through my LLC and write it all off at the end of the year. Not a big deal, I don't want to be responsible for someone else's phone anyway.

yep. When i worked for the newspaper I had had my own phone for years and did as you wrote it off every year. When they finally wanted to give me a phone I was like.."no thanks, got my own". They actually got a bit pissy about it , but being that I was a commissioned sales person I considered it as like being an independent contractor. They eventually said yeah sure do what you have been doing. But the key to the whole thing was that I was the #1 salesperson and hit or exceeded my budget every stinking month. They really didn't mess with me because of that. Once they told everybody that fridays would be "casual day" but you had to wear a company golf shirt and kaki's instead of the usual suit and tie. Of course I complained that it was "uniform day" not casual day. They said that I did not have to participate if I didn't want to. So every Friday from then on I wore a black suit, black shirt, black tie and a pair of red cowboy boots. Nobody ever said a word about it. But then we go back to the hitting your numbers every month thing....

BYOD

Who does the coach work for? The boss or the company? This is key as that is who the coach will report their findings and insights to.

All good points above. I can only add, if you stay (and I don't think you should), learn to manage up.

I did not when I was in Corp America and wish I had.

Get a coach if you have to, but it's a critical skill if you will be working for others, because, basically, everyone sucks.

You get perfect clarity when you are 80 sitting by the fire looking back on your life and your Facebook is the obituary page.
Life is meant to be lived. Jump jobs when you are 60 percent sure -70 if you have a family, if someone is hiring then they are doing well too. Then again I continue to leave solid reputable companies for startups so if that sounds like a recipe for ulcers to you then ignore this.

Saucy, here is another perspective. Why did you use a 6 year old phone for the last 13 months?
Invest in the tools of your career, if you want to be good at it.
When they gave you that junk, you should have gone out and bought your own phone.
You would have also politely declined the iPhone5 and told them I already purchased a real phone out of pocket.

what are you selling? I'm looking for two business development folks in sunny Tampa.

Symptom of a bigger problem, a good leader takes care of his people first. You don't have a leader, you have a taker, and no amount of coaching will change that.

Look up the word "Sociopath" and then decide.

Yup. As a manager for a startup where I worked right out of college, I was responsible for setting up a brand new office. I found one, the big out of state bosses liked it and signed a lease.

When moving in with the staff, they realized there was one very large office and six small ones. They all joked calling dibs on the big office assuming it would be mine, since I was in charge. I made the giant office a community work room and took the smallest office in the back corner.

Funny how little moves can alter attitudes in big ways.

Lee is spot on, that is exactly the same management style I have.

I am rocking an iPhone 5s and could care less. It is a phone. Take it to one of those iDoctor places and they will take it apart and clean it for little $.

If this is true Saucy needs to get his own mobile phone.

Buy a phone you want and go sell stuff. Sheesh.

There you go......