Cydcor The Advertising Group DSMAX

[andrea127 (andrea127)]

One more thing.... If there has been some sort of illegal activity at a business you have worked for, REPORT IT!

[aburak (aburak)]

Enough of this BS. I worked for Cydcor Portland office for 2,5 years. I made money. Not 100K a year, but enough to save, live in downtown Portland, go to my country back and forth and learn a great variety of experience in selling and assisting/managing people. Are there sales jobs better than the one Cydcor offers? Yes... Off course... Many manager's at cydcor will try to keep people at the company. That's their job. Keep people, take them to the next level and have the office generate more and more sales. This is sales guys. Be smart!!! If you don't like it, quit and find a better job. I did and now I am a manager at a merchant processing company, managing 12 people and getting paid a good salary + bonuses. Do you know why I got hired directly as a manager? The VP of Sales at the company I work at at the moment knows much about cydcor and he only hires ex-cydcor people. We all know that the conditions at cydcor are harsh and really out of boundries from the work hours and ethic standpoint. However, once you can good at Cydcor, there is nothing else you CAN'T do.

[sticknmove (sticknmove)]

Aburak: I disagree with so much of what you say, but you at least seem to have common sense in your approach to your time at Cydcor. This is evident by the fact that you don't blather on & on in a child-like way of the millions you're going to make at Cydcor. By your own admission "There are better jobs than Cydcor" and "conditions at Cydcor are harsh and really out of boundries from the work hours and ETHIC standpoint . . .". So, on those last two points we agree.

So . . . that leaves our old friend CRYSSY. IF (and granted I'm saying IF) she's still at Cydcor, she's now been there 8 months - the amount of time she earlier wrote that she would become a "manager of her own office" by (see earlier posts). CRYSSY is our permanent case study on Cydcor, so let's see how her new office is doing, shall we?

CRYSSY, oh CRYSSY . . . YOOOOOOO HOOOOOO!! CRYSSY!! CRYSSY?

Well, it looks like the cat has CRYSSY's tongue . . . cat and stacks of credit card debt and parking tickets she's accumulated if she's like most Cydcor / DS Max employees.

In the meantime, here's a funny article written by a former Cydcor employee. This is by one Ryan Lipscomb - a featured writer for miscmedia.com. I do not know Ryan, but his experience at Cydcor will give you a GOOD depiction of life there. Much more realistic and typical than the deceptive CRYSSY, and even the more realistic Aburak. Make note of this guy's earnings for the time he spent there - and see if you can pick up the not-so-subtle things they do to foster a cult-like environment and "lock people in" (a Cydcor / DS Max term, not mine). He has a funny writing style, so I'm sure you'll enjoy . . .

MOST DEGRADING JOB:

Feel free to disregard this, but I must vent.
I worked for a company called DSMax. They call themselves an advertising and marketing firm. They are lying. I could probably write a book about what was horrible about this job, but here's a handy list instead.

1. 4:45 a.m. Wake up, shower, put on mandatory shirt and tie.

2. 5:45 a.m.-7 a.m. Commute 1.25 hours to DSMax branch office in Norristown, PA.

3. 7 a.m.-9 a.m. Engage in motivational cheering sessions and spirit-building exercises with fellow "representatives." ("Where we going?" "To the top!" "WHERE WE GOING?" "TO THE TOP!" "When?" "Now!" "When?" "Now!" "WHEN WHEN WHEN?" "NOW NOW NOW!!!" And other humiliations too numerous and depraved to list. Let me just say there was "hand jive" involved.) Listen in quiet horror as co-workers enthusiastically discuss pro wrestling/soap operas/fanatical, cultish commitment to DSMax/plans for all the money they'll make once they get promoted to branch manager. Take note of surprising number of co-workers who've quit since you started. Envy them.

4. 9 a.m. Commute back to Philadelphia in order to walk door-to-door in the run-down ghetto business districts of West Philly. In December. Peddling long-distance phone service to local small business owners (i.e. hair salons, corner stores, dive bars (people drinking straight vodka at 10 a.m.), garages, endless parade of delis and other ****hole restaurants, etc.) Do this until 5 p.m. Return to "office" (really just one large rumpus room) during rush hour.

4a. Locate potential client &#40;e.g., sucker&#41;. Check soul at door. &#34;Pitch.&#34; Trudge, defeated, out door OR &#40;rarely&#41; attempt have customer sign multiple contracts and make multiple phone calls to complete sale. Trudge forlornly out door when customer informs you that he/she &#34;don&#39;t have time for this <font color="ff0000">•</font><font color="ff0000">•</font><font color="ff0000">•</font><font color="ff0000">•</font>.&#34;

5. 6 p.m. Return to office. Ring small bell, large bell, or gong, according to your sales performance for the day. Calculate commission. Choke back tears at realization that commission will not pay rent and there is NO BASE PAY. Gather round for another session of cheering and practice pitching &#40;just follow your five steps and your eight steps!--DSMax&#39;s keys to success, in addition to trite little coffee mug aphorisms and the sort of pithy acronyms that Judge Judy would find clever: KISS--&#34;Keep It Simple Stupid&#34;&#41;. Fend off barrage of entreaties by over-zealous co-workers to attend post-work DSMax get-togethers at nearby Applebee&#39;s.

6. 8 p.m. Return home. Microwave taste-free/nutrition-free food because you are too tired, beaten to cook. Complain to sig. other.
7. 9 p.m. Pass out on couch in front of mindless television.

8. 1 a.m. Wake up on couch. Get up and go to actual bed. Cry self back to sleep.

9. Repeat steps 1-8.

I lasted five weeks. I probably made a total of $1,500.
A part of me died that I will never get back

[mkgray69 (mkgray69)]

Three words: Don&#39;t do it.

[pwishall]

I&#39;m really enjoying reading this thread. I was also suckered into a stint with ATG International Marketing in Oklahoma City, &#34;owned&#34; by Alex Mathew. The biggest outright lie they fed me was that once I was one of the &#34;lucky&#34; few to be hired, I was virtually guaranteed I would be starting up my own office after being trained. If any of these companies were honest up front, that only %.05 of those hired would become managers &#40;and that even then it&#39;s questionable if they will make the kind of money promised&#41;, no one would sign on and provide the slave labor the higher ups live on. That kind of lying, if actually investigated, cannot be legal. Thank God I only spent 5-6 months doing this. &#40;Crssy12, where are you?&#41;

[sticknmove]

pwishall, I&#39;m glad you freed yourself from the Cydcor / DS - max scam. One of the hardest things to face in the de-programming process for me was that I gave so much of my time and effort to something that should have been such obvious crap. When you really take a long look at the bottom-feeders that run these offices the truth should be very clear. You&#39;re right, most office owners don&#39;t even go on to earn any more than the &#34;9 to 5 schmucks&#34; &#40;in their words&#41; they look down on. In fact, they have much LESS &#34;financial freedom&#34; than the average 9-to-5 worker - and much less in retirement savings. 4 of the 5 office owners I knew went under - and had some serious debt to show for it. I don&#39;t know what they&#39;re doing now, but I&#39;d guess they&#39;re conning seniors, or something.

Anyway, I wish you luck in putting it all behind you.

and . . . yeah, what ever did happen with CRYSSY12 - our case study in Cydcor? She never did get back to us. I don&#39;t think she expected someone to actually hold her accountable, did she?

I&#39;ll try again . . .

CRYSSY, oh CRYSSY!!!

I think we all know the truth about Cryssy. she fell for the same scam a lot of us did. Truth be told, I hope she&#39;s ok too.

If she were to have the courage to post here again, I&#39;m sure she could help educate any would-be victims of Cycor / DS-max what a scam it really is and even help a few people avoid it.

[stink]

hey there. i just started with cydcor and i see where all the negative could come from. i also see the potential to make money. they don&#39;t promise you anything but they let you know that it is a real possibility. it is definetly not for everyone, nor is it glamourous buy any stretch of the imagination but the money is real. my first week i made $700. not to shabby really. if i were to average this rate that would equate to $36,400/year. mind you i don&#39;t plan on going door to door for a whole year, but if you were to start entry level at most other places they would pay you about $25,000/year. why not. it isn&#39;t hard work. i spent 12 years as a chef and worked the same if not longer hours for <font color="ff0000">•</font><font color="ff0000">•</font><font color="ff0000">•</font><font color="ff0000">•</font> money. now i walk around and talk to people with potential for growth. i advise anyone thinking about this job to take it with a grain of salt. give it a try. you might learn something new. if not look for something else. i&#39;ll give it six months. if i don&#39;t see growth then on to different things, but if i do see growth, good for me. as for cryssy. come on guys. lay off a little. she might have gotten a little ahead of herself but she did learn stuff and she did make some money so good for her.

sorry for the randomness but it&#39;s late and and i&#39;m about to crawl into bed.

ciao for now

[sticknmove]

Stink, I appreciate your common-sense approach to your involvement with Cydcor. You do not seem to be in the brain-washed state most of those involved seem to be in - yours truly included, years ago.

By all means, if you feel you are being adequately rewarded for your time then keep doing it until you are not, which . . . I must tell you is just a matter of time.

In the meantime, keep asking questions and don&#39;t take ANYTHING they say at face value. I would like to suggest you check out this link:

http://wolfram.org/scam/ds_max/index.html

This is a link to an article written by a former four-year leader who worked in many Cydcor DS-Max offices. This is the most in-depth informative resource ever written on this group. It will provide you with a great idea of what to expect in your time at Cydcor and the realities of life as a leader and office owner there.

The fact is only a fraction of a percent of those that make a go of trying to become an office owner ever do it - and most offices fail. If they do survive, most office owners make no more than 30 - 40 thousand a year - and work 80 hours a week. The receptionist at the company I work at makes more than that - hardly the fast track to retirement!

Again though, I appreciate your ability to think clearly and wish you well. I hope you do post here agin.

[curiousbcadda]

I am just wondering if there are any people who knew or worked for Brent Clough in Texas or New York or anywhere or who do now and have anything to say about him or any information on his current location or what kind of employment he is offering now.