AUBURN — Great Falls Marketing is looking for people to answer its call.

The in-bound call center started a training class for 24 new hires on Monday, has plans to hire 20 to 25 more in the next few weeks and is looking to expand, Steve Mondor, in business development for GFM, said Thursday.

The company had 168 sales agents in February, he said. Adding 20 to 25 a month, it’s now up to 223.

“We’re very fortunate that the pipeline’s good,” Mondor said.

Open 24 hours a day, Great Falls’ sales agents mostly answer calls about health and wellness products advertised on the radio, TV and in direct mail. On top of an hourly wage, the rest of the pay is commission-based. The key, he said, is up-selling and cross-selling, suggesting more or different products.

“‘Instead of one bottle, how about three bottles,’” Mondor said. “We’re a pay-for-performance center. Our clients don’t pay us unless we get a sale.”

The average agent earns $14 an hour. For every new 20 people, about five leave, deciding it’s not for them, he said.

The company’s been able to grow, Mondor said, after hiring outside sales staff last year to pursue more accounts with vendors and product owners.

“We’re aggressively going out there and prospecting,” he said. “A lot of call centers don’t do that as aggressively as we do.”

It’s looking to add a second location this fall, currently scouting from Biddeford to Oxford. A site will be selected in August and have 30 to 40 seats, according to Mondor.

He said new applicants have run the gamut from people who’ve been out of the job market and people looking to supplement their incomes. Training lasts two weeks before going out on their own with calls.

“We could have well over 300 agents combined by the end of the year,” Mondor said.

kskelton@sunjournal.com