One Day, One Job is about helping college students find great entry-level jobs. We’ve always taken this literally by featuring companies that look like great places to work (we can’t ever be 100% on this, but we do our best). Well, a big part of finding a great first job is avoiding the not so great (or really awful) jobs that are out there, so, today, we are going to look at a company called The Landers Group, which has been identified as a scam by people online and in the media. As it gets later in the post-graduation job hunting season, many new grads become desperate. It makes them easy prey for employment scams like those peddled by The Landers Group.
Yeah, that’s what suckers say. How do we know that smart people fall for these scams? We’ve seen it happen. One of my friends is a freshman at an Ivy League school. He was torn between getting a summer job or an internship, so he was looking at all kinds of options. He told me that he had landed an interview with a really cool sports marketing company. Being a reader of One Day, One Internship, he knew to contact us with questions on how to research a potential employer. He had already scheduled an interview with the company for when he returned home, but he sent us the name of the company (The Landers Group) so that we could tell him a little bit more about it. Within seconds we found a number of Google results that indicated he was in for a learning experience (but not the kind you want to get out of your internship). Our friend is a smart kid. He’s proactive and trying to get a Summer internship even though he’s only a freshman. He was about to get burned.
We’ve never had firsthand experience with The Landers Group or any other company that follows similar business practices, but we’ve found enough evidence through our research to indicate that any time spent in contact with one of these companies is wasted. You will usually find these jobs listed on major job boards with titles like “Sports and Entertainment Marketing - Entry Level Positions.” The job description will go into great detail about all of the wonderful things that await those who apply - excellent pay, travel opportunities, learning experiences, and quick advancement. Take a look at all of The Landers Group’s Job Postings on CareerBuilder. They’ll also brag about their amazing client list. From their website:
One by one The Landers Group has added every major sports team in Southern California to its portfolio. No other advertising and marketing firm in the area can make the same claim… Our unparalleled portfolio includes the Los Angeles Dodgers, the LA Clippers, the LA Kings, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, MLS’ Chivas USA, the UCLA Bruins, and also clients such as Crowne Plaza Resorts, Disneyland, and Sea World. Our unique grass-roots marketing approach has given our clients a valuable edge in the marketplace and it places them front and center in the public eye!
Since it seems that Sports and Entertainment Marketing are extremely popular fields with college students, these job listings must get viewed thousands of times. Many of those who read the job descriptions get excited and apply. We don’t have a reference to back this up, but we’re going to guess that everyone who applies gets an interview.
It’s relatively likely that your “interview” with The Landers Group might be your first ever job interview. Whether you realize that something’s fishy depends on how perceptive you are. We’ve heard that their secretary will not refer to the company by name, probably because they operate under multiple names and don’t want you to realize it. Your first interview will most likely be informational, where they’ll continue the pitch that they started in the job posting. Any questions about what the company actually does or what their entry-level jobs are like will probably get a vague response. You’re also likely to hear, “You’ll have to see it to believe it.” Since scammers usually don’t turn away people, we’re going to guess that you’ll get asked back for a second interview too.
The second interview is where you’ll really get to see The Landers Group in action. You will be tagging along with one of the company’s employees. The story usually goes that you end up in a sketchy car with a sketchy person going to a sketchy neighborhood. Once you get there, you find out what The Landers Group does. They sell coupons door to door. Remember that amazing client list? That’s whose coupons you will be selling. You’ll be given one side of the street, and the employee will take the other. You’ll essentially spend the day working for free. How do we know? We’ve found stories from people who have done it like this and this. If you’re lucky, you’ll just end up having wasted a day. If you’re not, you may end up stranded many miles from home or having had a gun pointed at you and with mud all over your only suit.
Now that you’ve read about The Landers Group, you will hopefully know to avoid these scams. If you’re not sure whether an employer is legitimate, use what we’ve taught you to do some employer research. Our articles How to Use Google to Find a Job and Turning the Tables: Digging Dirt on Employers are both excellent resources that will teach you what to need to know. Often, finding out the truth is as easy as doing a Google search with the company name and the word scam - here are the results for “The Landers Group scam.” Also, remember that these companies use major job boards as their main recruiting tool. Don’t think that because something is listed on Monster, Yahoo! HotJobs, or CareerBuilder it is legitimate - anyone can pay to post their jobs on these sites.
Don’t forget that The Landers Group operates under a variety of names. There are also many other companies that use similar business practices to recruit unsuspecting college students into bum jobs. The stories are often different, but the end result is usually the same. Although The Landers Group is focused quite heavily on selling an actual product, some of these companies are even skeezier. Instead of selling, you’ll be doing their bidding by recruiting more suckers to work for you recruiting more suckers. In general these types of operations are known as Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) operations, and they should be avoided unless you are completely comfortable with what you’re getting into. Here’s a post from the Consumerist on other operations that are using tactics similar to those of The Landers Group.
A List of Companies Known to Have Similar Practices
This is by no means a comprehensive list. If you know of other companies that should be added, please leave a comment with the company’s name and a reference or personal story telling us why they should be included.
Links to Help You Begin Your Research
This was obviously a different kind of post for us. What do you think? Leave a comment. We love to hear feedback.
Do I Know Anyone at The Landers Group? - Check LinkedIn | Check Facebook
Tags: entry-level jobs, events, marketing, nationwide, sales, scam, sports
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About three days after posting my resume on Monster.com, I received two recruiting emails from well known companies. After rereading them (in slight disbelief) I realized that they showed many of the signs of your typical phishing scam.
These companies are all over many popular job sites. They tout event marketing, public relations opportunities, management training, and more. I worked at SV Marketing in Tampa, Florida (also known as Sloan Vinson Marketing) for one month. I never got stranded, and I never got a gone pulled on me, but I did feel scammed and like I was scamming others.
The deal with this company is ‘updating customer’s Verizon bills’. Basically, it was our job to pull Verizon bills from current customers (or other companies, if you’re really good) and call Verizon to make changes. The job is 100% commission, based on certain changes you are able to make to customer’s bills. A few times this may actually save the customer money, but many times it will in fact be more expensive. The recruiting of other employees is a large part of all these scams. The more people you recruit, the more money you make off their commissions. Once you are in the door and recruiting, they tell you all the techniques they used to get you in. To questions of ‘do you pay for gas’, you either avoid it, or say yes- it’s a tax write-off. Just save your receipts, including those for your suits, shoes, car, etc. and get it all back later!
As soon as you have enough experience and employees under you, you have the ‘opportunity’ to move to another location and start your very own business doing the same thing, or selling something very similar (including Staples.com), hence the sheer number of companies that do this.
Not a fun experience- don’t fall for it!
We found a list of more companies that are either the same as the Landers Group or use similar business practices here: http://www.bigbadmusic.com/scams.htm
We can’t vouch for the accuracy of the list, but here it is anyway.
Evincex Enterprises
Smart Circle International
The Landers Group
Ds-max
Cydcor
Granton Marketing
Innovage
Child Safety Enterprises, Inc
Hyphire
HBH Global Promotions
Bullet Marketing Enterprises, Inc. - Fort Worth, TX
CA Enterprises - Menomonee Falls, WI
CA Enterprises - Fort Worth, TX
Aurora Marketing Group
The Advertisment
Crescent International
SC Marketing Group in Louisville, KY
JSTARR Advertising Platinum Marketing (”they are in the process of changing there name to Madison Marketing”)
Emprise
Arsene-Lee Advertising Group
International Marketing Strategies
MJ Promotional Group/Trinity Advertising, both part of grantonmarketing.com
granton marketing/dsmax has three other divisions in massachusetts: JSJ & Associates, the Kaizen Group, and MPMD, Inc
Gemini Communications in Austin, Texas
Playermakerpromo.com
Lear Marketing Group and Black Diamond Solutions are parts of cydcor.com in Columbus, OH.
“R3 Enterprises” winter park, FL
niko-laos in tampa, fl., Niko-Laos in Tampa, FL.
Northside Marketing
Quantum Marketing Group
Strictly Advertising, Inc. (Miami, FL)
Wentworth Marketing in Denver
“Compass Global Network” in Dallas TX
“Greco Marketing” in San Francisco, CA.
The Yasny Group in Irvine CA
Westward Innovations of Phoeniz, AZ.
MJ Promotional Group of Cincinnati, OH
Jenlyn Consulting in Houston TX
Marketing Sessions (chicago area)
SASMarketing Group (also chicago area)
DeFrancesco Aquisitions, Inc. located in Pittsburgh, PA.
The Advertising Group, Inc in SF CA
Gen X Promotions Cincinnati, Ohio “(the writer thinks there’s also subsidary called Bravo Promotions, but they may be out of Indianapolis)”
D.B. Consulting
J.S. & Associates
Darr Innovations
Top Flight Enterprises located in Pittsburgh, PA.
Aspirations, Inc. in Virginia Beach, VA.
Hilltop Solutions, Inc., located in San Diego.
The Everest Group, or Cambridge Communications (also Premier Marketing Concepts from Melville NY)
Atlantic Consulting located in East Rutherford, NJ
Wincor, Inc., Seattle, WA (actually there office is in Renton)
Woodlynn Advertising, Inc. in Houston TX
The Everest Group, Inc. DUNN HILL ENTERPRISES
Yenkro Enterprises, Inc. Greco Marketing
DeFrancesco Acquisitions
Direct Link Marketing
COR Concepts
JM Concepts
Triple Crown Marketing
5 Point Marketing
Elite promotional Group
THis article is very informational. I have a interview tomorrow but now I’m totally going to blow it.
Rick, don’t go to the interview and blow it on purpose. That’s a waste of everyone’s time. Just don’t go. You’ll be much better off.
Wow I am so glad I found this, I had an interview with them tomorrow but guess thats canceled LOL
Another person whom we’ve saved from interviewing with The Landers Group! I’m glad we could help.
I wanted to add a company to the list called BMF Global. It started off as the Landers Group in California, but they started a “new” company, changed their name, and set up an office in Tigard, Oregon. Just don’t even put yourself through the hell of interviewing, which will consist of a 10 hour day and pissing people off as you walk door to door and interrupting people’s business. They interview about 30 people a day- that’s how bad the turnover rate is. Seriously, NOT worth it!
I had the exact same experience with company in Orange Co. Ca. Scanno Advertising. I was interviewed and hired the same day, and went door to door in the city selling coupons. I also quit that day realizing that it was scam. I actually wanted to walk out that morning realizing that it was a scam, it seemed more like a cult than a business
So, now that I have read the comments-it sucks!! I have an interview tomorrow :O( I’m really interested in getting into the advertising industry- any suggestions?
Hi Erika,
Yes, it appears that The Landers Group sucks. You’re best bet is to not show for your interview tomorrow. It is not worth your time. As for an advertising job, we’ve posted about plenty of them here: http://www.onedayonejob.com/tag/advertising/
M.A.X.I.S. Consulting is across the parking lot from BMF Global in Tigard.
Their office felt like it ran very similarly and after doing some research, other people have had the same problem.
Don’t go to MAXIS or BMF Global in Tigard.
I worked for a division of the Landers Group, and was actually promoted to management in 8 months. Essentially it is a business opportunity, not an employment position, which most people are geared for. Though it requires a lot of hard and mundane work, it can lead to a lot of money. It is definitely not the cool advertising gig you see on romantic chick flicks.
Yes, the company is misleading, they have been for years. As the internet grows, so does their business. Now they are getting more into event marketing, which doesn’t seem as shady. It really depends on which division you are interviewing for. Some people go business to business, door to door, or sit in a Costco and pitch home improvement quotes. Basically it’s all direct market advertising.
After getting into management though, I always felt as if I was lying, and I was never okay with that. After 4 months in management, I couldn’t handle it anymore, and I decided to leave. Yes, the money was great, but I just didn’t want to do it anymore.
For those of you looking for an advertising position, you’ll find the good jobs are really cutthroat. You will easily be competing with hundreds of people for entry level positions, but you won’t have to sell anything, and you can carry your Starbucks coffee into the boardroom.
Landers is really more for people with little to no experience, though most people who get into management have advanced degrees like myself. You have to have an entrepreneurial spirit which isn’t inherent in most Americans who are raised and educated to be employees. If you’re looking for something challenging mentally, don’t work at the Landers Group. Out of 100 people that come through their doors, 20 will stay. Of those 20, 1 out of 100 will get into management. Out of those managers, 1 of 5 will stay long term. So the shot of getting into management and actually making it are much less than 1%.
Essentially it isn’t a scam, you can do it, they just aren’t forthcoming with how likely it is that you do make it, and they really don’t have the personnel there, or the support to make sure you do.
J, thanks for adding a new perspective to the conversation. You say that Landers is not a scam, but then you say that they are very misleading. I guess it depends what your definition of a scam is. It’s good to know that there are people who can actually make good money from Landers, but it certainly doesn’t sound like it’s worth it.
I have an interview with the Lander’s Group tomorrow, but after this I am definitely opting out. So glad I googled it before I went! Thanks so much for the heads-up!!
I had an interview set up for tomorrow, thanks to this site I am not going, its hard for recent college grads like to to get a decent entry level job, and it is despicable that there are these companies that try and exploit us, thanks for the information and the onedayonejob.com website, I’ll check it out.
Thank you so much! I also had an interview tommrow and I’m not going now.
Please add Dynasty Marketing to your list in Wisconsin. They are the new name for Avalon Advertising located same address and telephone number.
Global Visions Inc. is the same thing in Cincinnati, OH. T.H. Executives is the same thing in Columbus, OH. GDP Marketing is very similar in Cincinnati, OH. I spent a day with Global Visions, and it was the exact same story. Selling coupon books. Smart Circle International seems to be the parent company of many of these businesses, including Global Visions in Cincinnati.
THAX my friend told that it was a scam, i have a interview tomorrow.. THAX John..lol
Recruiting firms: This must be the way to go!
Dynasty in WI is a scam, your right Paula. I did a reverse phone search and found Avalon advertising group!
I like to research a company to be prepared for a productive interview and I guess this one I can save my time on!
Add the Acquisition Group inc. in Framingham Ma. to your list http://www.theacqgroup.com/
I went back for my “second interview” and spent the day shadowing a sales rep who was selling Verizon contracts to business customers. It was a total waste of time and they are very shady in their business practices. A total pyramid scheme.
Just did their second interview and these people are total scammers! I asked several questions regarding their benefits, why they dont leave business cards/numbers, that sort of thing and the woman totally dodged my questions and tried to justify it with stupid excuses. My gut told me to leave, but instead i stayed so this is a warning to young students out there in need of a job, you will be slave labor to them. if you believe that you were one of the chosen few, you are not. Don’t be fooled they are constantly recruiting people to get more people to sell their deals (which by the way they profit immensely from!).
Hmm…I went to a secondary interview recently for a company called “Emerald Concepts” in Houston, but I had to leave early because of an emergency. Now looking back at my experience and this report, I think this company is in the same boat with them. From the beginning I had my doubts, but my suspicions were aroused on the so-called secondary interview. We were cross-selling “Smart Circle” products with highly dubious vacation packages.
I’m glad I’m cancelling the interview!
take this article seriously!!! i relocated from another city and this was the first job i could get. i knew something was shady with how hard the lead manager was selling the job after my “day of observation” (this is when you go door to door with someone who has been at the job for a month or two). but because i was new in town, i had to take the job until i could get something else more stable and less like the “Boiler Room” (great movie about this exact situation) it’s basically a pyramid. you have a team leader and he has 3 people on his team. his boss is in charge of a few team leaders and that guy’s boss is in charge of the firm. if you stay long enough, you can move to the middle of the pyramid.
anyway i did the job for about 7 or 8 days. not sure exactly how long because i’ve tried to block it out to avoid an emotional breakdown
HERE IS HOW A DAY OF WORK GOES: you get to the office at 8:30 and spend the morning working on your “pitch” with other people and get pep talks from the upper management who will spend their day surfing and shopping while you are going door to door (i live in San Diego). around 10am you and a few other people get assigned to a certain territory and each of you is assigned a certain square mile to go door to door. you cover the same houses 3 times during the day: mid morning, 2pm, 5pm. the worst round is at 5pm when everyone is home from work, tired, and pissy. of 100 doors you knock on, you may close 1 person (if you’re lucky). you get a 30 minute lunch break but other than that, you’re walking and knocking all day. at the end of the shift you are taken back to the office and everyone meets to review who made how many sales that day. and if you made more than $100 that day, you get to ring a cowbell and be praised. yes, i’m serious. by this time it’s about 9pm and you get to go home just to come back and do it all over again the next day.
they also encouraged us to work on saturdays too. like others have said, this job is strictly commission.
on my last day, i heard a guy talking about how he had to pawn some of his stuff just to pay the bills. it was around that time that i realized that aside from the heads of the firm, i was the one of the few who had to worry about paying rent without help from a roommate or family. also on my last day there was a girl doing her day of observation. no one would answer her about benefits and the pay but i told her the truth. she had a disabled husband and kids to take care of. it was the worst job i’ve ever had but hopefully i at least saved that one girl from taking the position.
i have so much empathy for those people whenever i see them in my neighborhood now.
hopefully seeing what their day looks like will give you some insight and steer you away from this waste of time job.
Very similar to Easter Enterprises’ tactics. They advertise a bunch of positions, and when you get there, its a big group “interview” and a sales pitch to go door-to-door and sell vacuum cleaners. If you live in Kettering or Dayton, Ohio, watch out for these guys.