Thread regarding Barnes & Noble layoffs

CBDMs and MBDMs are NOT paid too much

Whomever thinks this clearly is mis-informed. I am a CBDM. They tried to hire me in at $36,000. I live in CA. At the time, there was no commission. I didn’t accept that, however can tell you, I do not make more than $50,000 annually and furthermore, the most I can make is 1% off the sales volume. Last year, I made an additional $8,000 on top of my salary. So, less than $60,000 is NOT too much money. In fact, it’s pretty much poverty level in CA.

Last year, they changed our positions to outside sales. Meaning we are to bring in new business. Not existing school account business. We do not do quotes or process orders or run events. We a business development and the stores are account management. If the existing accounts are to grow, it is expected that someone inside the store will be dedicated to do this. We had to sign a contract with the expectations.

You have one quarter of missing your goal. After that, it’s a verbal. Second quarter of missing goal, it’s an IP with 60 days to get it turned around.

The CBDM role is NOT what it was 5 years ago when I started. There is so much pressure and NO HELP form corporate by ways of tools. We are expected to find our own leads, figure out what to sell a company, and do so in bulk. There is NO TRAINING in the education industry.

BN has moved to only wanting sales people. If this is who they want, they need to hire people with an education background that can speak the language of curriculum and curriculum supplemental products. Otherwise, CBDMs all over the country will be fired for not bringing in the sales when they have had no formal training. It’s not as easy as people think. I’ve never missed my annual goal - still not easy and I work 60 hour weeks from mid March - end of fiscal year just to keep up with the uptick in business.

Well said, @XRszerX-6mlm.

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| 971 views | | 5 replies (last March 18, 2019) | Reply
Post ID: @OP+XXCthcZ

5 replies (most recent on top)

Can’t believe this jerk is complaining about making 60k a year. Considering a bookseller makes minimum and can’t get many hours, his complaining makes him look like a spoiled brat. Never met a CBDM who was ambitious or did all their own work. One day ours asked me to bring 2 hand trucks of boxes to his car. Told him I was busy looking for a book for a Cust. He said “ this is more important. Do this, then look for your one book”

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Post ID: @btul+XXCthcZ

Our store’s CBDM is pretty great. As a kid’s lead, I love working with her. Customers love her, she works way more than anyone else in the store. She works every event even though she’s not technically supposed to. She drives business to the store and then has taught the booksellers how to spot a corporate/educator lead. Most of the booksellers in our store and assumably other stores are living at home with their parents and/or in college. As someone who is college educated and living on his own, $36,000 is peanuts! You should be making that fresh out of college or within a few years of graduation, not as a mid-30 year old. Let’s be real - the starting pay at BN is considerably low compared to other companies. We don’t work here to get rich! Sounds like all if you need to be more appreciative of the business development team, who right now is keeping this company afloat.

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Post ID: @2jlm+XXCthcZ

Should’ve dumped them and kept our Receiving Mgr. Who did most of their work for them anyway !

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Post ID: @unz+XXCthcZ

Our CBDM is pretty lazy too. Won’t even take boxes of books, that are ordered, to the car to be delivered. Gets some bookseller to bring them out for him. He’s a joke.

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Post ID: @omd+XXCthcZ

Even when schools and in store events were part of CBDM’s domain. The 3 CBDMs I had the displeasure of working with would pawn most of the work on booksellers. I personally gave a lead to our CBDM for a major corporate sale. He took full credit , including the bonus. When I asked about it was told. You just gave me a name. I did all the work. No.

You’re complaining of 36,000 plus a commission, if you do your job. That’s a lot more than booksellers, who sell, everyday.

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Post ID: @izt+XXCthcZ

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