May the lord save you - Anonymous employee Publishing Concepts Employee Review

1.0
23 Oct 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Honestly, i got to figure out the type of company i never want to work for. other than that i guess drew the ceo seems like a cool guy, but lacks a spine and tries too hard to brainwash the monkeys that make up the majority of the sales force.

Cons

I'm going to leave a completely honest review about my time at PCI. All of the really good 5 star reviews are hard to believe, as NO ONE EVER feels that way at work when we talk to each other. in terms of salary, i was a top performer and was averaging 50k for the year with the pace i went at. Thats because i got away from following the script like they expect you too. honestly i dont even know why i got such good sales. it seems like its just a numbers game. i took more calls, and in return i got more sales. they dont actually train you on how to sell. they train you on reading a script. so the training is garbage and you will have to learn from other people or figure it out for yourself. management is an absolute joke. all they ever do is tell you to keep your pause time low over and over. they never actually help you improve. even when they do their one on one "coaching" they can never actually help you get better because they do not know how to sell. they tell you primarily, "oh you should sound more confident. you should follow the offer flow". by which, it means you have to harass someone who already said no to the initial pitch THREE TIMES, because they think if you harass them long enough, they might give up and say yes. Culture - Im going to be completely honest. most of the people they hire are complete trash. if you are a decent person and you accept a position. the first thing you notice when you step into the floor is that its mostly filled with people who talk like their in a rap song, and are only there because its better than working at mcdonalds. (i dont know if it really is). there are a couple of people who are actually not complete idiots, and if you find them chances are you will rack up your break time talking crap about the company over a cigarette. CONCLUSION Honestly, working at PCI was one of the worst times in my life. you sit in your desk from the minute you step into the office, cold calling people all day long. you dont get breaks other than lunch, and often management asks you to shorten your lunch. you literally feel like you are a slave. the 9 hours you are there really feels like 15. Your constantly harassing people and you have to keep begging them for money even if they say no once or twice. they honestly believe being a good sales person is asking a person 3 times instead of once or twice if they want the same product over and over. the management is literally a bunch of idiots who sit their and micromanage. if you have an education, or some sort of standard, go somewhere else. if you have no other options and you want a job that'll put food on the table for you and you are willing to suffer for it then go ahead and apply at PCI. DONT WORRY, you will get the job. they hire almost anyone as long as you arent a repeat felon. they make the interview seem tough just because they want you to feel like your lucky to get the job. There is a lot of hate at PCI. dont join.

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Publishing Concepts Response
7y
We are disappointed that you did not have a positive experience at PCI. The production of an alumni directory is the best and most cost-effective way for the schools and organizations with which we work to ensure that their database is up-to-date. As part of that process we offer a variety of products to the constituents of those organizations, including affinity items such as t-shirts and sweatshirts, hats and travel bags. Our publications include the information that each school, organization and constituent is comfortable sharing with their fellow alumni or fellow members. While we live in a world where some individuals fear data breaches, we also live in a world where millions of people value community and seek to connect with others with whom they have something in common - who went to the same school, who live in Texas, who are veterans, who are professional bowlers, or who pledged the same fraternity. The vast majority of our calls are inbound, and we are please to share that in 2018 we've created additional recognition plans for our associates and we're recognized as one of the best places to work in both states in which we have offices. Our quality and client experience teams are specifically dedicated to helping ensure we provide a WOW experience to our clients, and we are fierce about our standard of service and the experience we provide on each and every call. We review hundreds of calls each week, scoring them to ensure that we have clearly communicated every time, that we have correctly recorded each client's data and their story, and most importantly that we have been kind and thoughtful and respectful every time. Our goal is for every client to open the final publication and be just as proud of it as we are. We wish you all the best.

Explore other reviews about Publishing Concepts

5.0
25 Aug 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Amazing Culture, awesome co-workers, supervisors that actually care, and uncapped commission

Cons

pace varies wildly, and many clients are unprepared for what the calls actually are.

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Publishing Concepts Response
2mo
Thank you for your review, and your positive comments about our team and culture! We appreciate you.
1.0
1 May 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

weren't many, but recruiter Ally was infectious in the best way with her smile and laugh.

Cons

Notice how all the 5/5 star reviews are all around the same time frame, typically August/September of 2024? Yeah they do that because they are so focused on being "the best" They encourage you to leave a review and share that you did with the HR team. Oh and be aware if you are a conservative here, they will shove DEI down your throat. they had book clubs that weren't inclusive at all and very racially biased. if you were white you had to watch out for the kind of language you used because it is your fault if you offend someone. oh and did I mention that you are pushed to sell this expensive book and garbage to veterans who don't want to talk about their experience, already give what they can to their VFW/American Legion and are living on a fixed income? yeah it sucked. the best part about the veteran calls was honoring them by thanking them for their service or welcoming them home. When i was working there they were celebrating Vietnam vets, which I love but I don't love selling to them.

1
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Publishing Concepts Response
1y
Thank you so much for recognizing Ali - we agree she's pretty great! Some months we launch 15 projects and others we launch 25. Some months we have 400K records to update and others we have 1M. Our work is variable, and so in some areas our workforce must be, too, PCI is a learning organization and we do offer a number of book clubs. We love all people and we believe in the fair treatment of all people. We're disappointed to find that a member of our team did not agree on what is basic humanity.
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