This is a Live-to-Work Job. Your Life will be to Work. - Sales Engineer Sweetwater Employee Review

2.0
Mar 21, 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

1. The culture truly is amazing. The people I have met through my time here so far have all (mostly) been amazing. Everyone in all departments is super helpful, aside from some minor exceptions. My experience in my neighborhood has be truly amazing and every in it rock! 2. The benefits of having a salon, doctor, and more make it easy to get yourself taken care of. 3. Management is mostly hands off, giving you the freedom to perform at your own pace. 4. Internal systems are mostly really solid 5. The ability to grow and learn is unlimited. Constant opportunities to learn and grow during your tenure here. The Office Hours are a great opportunity for this. 6. Sweetwater University is an amazing experience for not only learning, but for forging lifetime bonds with your classmates which extends well after you roll out. 7. Hour long lunch is incredibly useful (at the cost of leaving at 6 and not 5?)

Cons

1. Constant and long meetings almost daily which overstay their welcome where knowledge is rarely retained. 2. Other SEs can be toxic when trying to defend their commission and referrals. On a similar note, some SEs will leave opinionated and borderline toxic notes on a customers files, which isn't helpful to anyone. 3. Not rewarded for hard work spent on other peoples customers. Some SE's are generous enough to split, but not others. 4. A majority of your time after you roll out will be spent taking calls for other SEs. Unless your time is managed properly, you will rarely have time to work on your own database. Many of these SEs will not being logged into the phone. 5. Too many reasons to not grant someone commission. For example, changing an entire order to suitable and even better in-stock alternatives, and not receiving a penny for it unless you exceed the amount of profit of the initial invoice. 6. Long hours on top of the meetings, don't get out until at least 6pm. By the time you get home and eat dinner, your day is practically over and you have to get to bed early for the next meeting.

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Sweetwater Response
5y
Thanks for your review with the many "Pros" and constructive feedback. I really appreciate your statement that "Overall this is a fantastic company to work for." There certainly can be an intensity to the work on the sales floor (along with the opportunity for outstanding rewards for those who stick with it). We work hard to inform all candidates and new hires right up front about what the experience will be like for them - including the need to be at work during our primary business hours until 6pm (if that's what you're scheduled for). I'm sorry that you haven't found the sales meetings to be worthwhile. Of course, there is always opportunity to improve these and the team will value your feedback - though we also get solid feedback from many others on the value these provide to them. Regarding your other feedback, if you haven't already, I'd highly recommend you share your thoughts with a member of the sales management team. While it won't likely be possible to change everything you mention here, they certainly would be open to hearing your experience and could also provide you with some alternative perspectives as to why certain processes function the way they do. Also, they may be able to help you sort through how to achieve better work/life balance or connect to our other free employee wellbeing resources that could be helpful. We have plenty of team members who are living a very balanced life while also being wildly successful at Sweetwater and I believe this can be possible for you too. We'd love to see you continue as part of our team and hopefully will have the opportunity to work with you to see how you can thrive both personally and professionally. - Jeff Ostermann, Chief People Officer

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5.0
Jun 19, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
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Pros

-Structure for private lessons -Create your own hours -Pool for new students -Food discount -Benefits

Cons

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4.0
Jun 5, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

If sales and music are your drives, Sweetwater is as good as it gets. Management in my experience has been very supportive and development-oriented, creating a positive culture around the company. They have a fantastic training program (albeit intense) that trains on both products and sales methods, so even if you're lacking experience in a given category there's plenty of coaching and training to get you ready for the role. Over time, the position can also be quite lucrative which compliments Fort Wayne's low cost of living well. They also offer relocation assistance since all positions are on-site, and a great benefits package. I've been fortunate to become great friends with many of my coworkers and honestly some days don't even feel like work. Ultimately, with this job you get what you put in, and making a solid living to geek out over music gear all day is a pretty sweet gig.

Cons

The job is very demanding - it's a fully commission sales job that revolves around constant customer outreach via call, text, and email. This means starting out is tough financially, and days are usually long. Try to have a savings cushion before you start, especially if you're moving from another city/state. You also work nights, holidays, and rotate through weekend shifts which won't be new for those who have worked retail before, but it's still a tough adjustment. Starting out I struggled from a social aspect as well. Fort Wayne is a cool city, but it's no LA, NY, or Chicago. Long hours at work make going out and making friends or getting involved in community groups/organizations difficult.

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