What do you think......What would you do.....(Relates to us all)
Here we go.
1st off, people may or may not know that I work for an Indirect dealer who sells AT&T.
I have been with the company for about 3 years and they are decent to work for, I cannot complain.
We CANNOT SELL THE I-PHONE.
With that said, I have found many ways to sell "around" the I-Phone, and many things that I personally do not like about the phone. Recently I have accepted the relevance of the I-Phone, and how many sales I am actually missing out on.
So, (Here Goes)
Within the last week, I have had about 30 people, (8 in one day) come into my store and want the I-phone 3G or to talk about the New one commming out.
I am a HUGE unlocked Nokia & Sony Fan, as well as a great supporter of the B.Berry Bold. I have a p...
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1st off, people may or may not know that I work for an Indirect dealer who sells AT&T.
I have been with the company for about 3 years and they are decent to work for, I cannot complain.
We CANNOT SELL THE I-PHONE.
With that said, I have found many ways to sell "around" the I-Phone, and many things that I personally do not like about the phone. Recently I have accepted the relevance of the I-Phone, and how many sales I am actually missing out on.
So, (Here Goes)
Within the last week, I have had about 30 people, (8 in one day) come into my store and want the I-phone 3G or to talk about the New one commming out.
I am a HUGE unlocked Nokia & Sony Fan, as well as a great supporter of the B.Berry Bold. I have a p...
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I don't work for ATT, but I agree it's a really crummy deal.
I could see maybe the first generation being corp only if they had some strange training... but if you can get the phone at WALMART of all places, not letting retailers sell it is kind of a slap in the face.
I don't blaim you for finding ways to sell around it. I'm not a fan of the phone (I love apple products, but as a phone it doesn't impress me) either. But people are into trends, so no matter how good that Bold may be they will still want their toy.
What reasoning were you given for not being able to sell the phone?
I could see maybe the first generation being corp only if they had some strange training... but if you can get the phone at WALMART of all places, not letting retailers sell it is kind of a slap in the face.
I don't blaim you for finding ways to sell around it. I'm not a fan of the phone (I love apple products, but as a phone it doesn't impress me) either. But people are into trends, so no matter how good that Bold may be they will still want their toy.
What reasoning were you given for not being able to sell the phone?
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The Reasoning is up to AT&T and Apple, the people around this forum know the deal.
It is just strange how apple operates, but I am a free market supporter and uderstand thats what keeps money in peoples pockets.
It is going to be a long Hot summer amongst some of these dealer locations. We are going to have to find some-way or something to offer people.
It's been a rough ride, but I enjoy being able to teach people what they need to know about their phones and find ways to save them money on their bills..
Not sure how much longer I can last though..
Not to mention the internal politics of my little company I work for...(Which is Expanding during and economic recession)
It is just strange how apple operates, but I am a free market supporter and uderstand thats what keeps money in peoples pockets.
It is going to be a long Hot summer amongst some of these dealer locations. We are going to have to find some-way or something to offer people.
It's been a rough ride, but I enjoy being able to teach people what they need to know about their phones and find ways to save them money on their bills..
Not sure how much longer I can last though..
Not to mention the internal politics of my little company I work for...(Which is Expanding during and economic recession)
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I agree 110%
As a delaer principal of locations here in Dallas, myself and the other 8 dealer principals in the Dallas market cant wrap our heads around it. I would be very surprised if apple indeed gave we agents the green light to sell it. If we did, the subsidy would be rediculous.
I too have expansion plans this year. Why not? It seems now the only way to grow my business is with more doors. You cant pay the bills on upgrades.
For iphone query activations, what I have been doing is porting their number in, or giving them an easy number, activating the line on a zero month contract, adding text, etc. Then send them to walmrt who will not churn my activation. As long as you set the expectation that they will hav an activation fee...
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As a delaer principal of locations here in Dallas, myself and the other 8 dealer principals in the Dallas market cant wrap our heads around it. I would be very surprised if apple indeed gave we agents the green light to sell it. If we did, the subsidy would be rediculous.
I too have expansion plans this year. Why not? It seems now the only way to grow my business is with more doors. You cant pay the bills on upgrades.
For iphone query activations, what I have been doing is porting their number in, or giving them an easy number, activating the line on a zero month contract, adding text, etc. Then send them to walmrt who will not churn my activation. As long as you set the expectation that they will hav an activation fee...
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I work for an indirect as well and this subject is a very tough one for us to accept and deal with on a daily basis. Not only are we one of their premier indirects but were also the only dealer they have that's also an Authorized Apple Retailer so this is really insane to us. Just as you said were fully trained on everything AT&T, were experts on all the phones and their system but yet the little old lady that had trouble ringing me up for a DVD player at Walmart can sell the iPhone but I can't?!?!?! It just doesn't make sense...
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No it Doesn't.....
& You know exactly how it feels....
What to do though? Something has to give....
What are the rumblings around your company if I may ask? Ideas, thoughts....
It's Been 3 Years.......Time is up
& You know exactly how it feels....
What to do though? Something has to give....
What are the rumblings around your company if I may ask? Ideas, thoughts....
It's Been 3 Years.......Time is up
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Rumor has it that AT&T has given us the green light to sell it but Apple is being Apple and holding their precious money maker tight and saying no to us selling it. You know its exactly like you said, I have my best PDA sales months when a new iPhone is released but when I hoestly think about most of those people I couldn't talk out of buying an iPhone still end up going out and buying one. My new activations goal would be a walk in the park if I could sell the iPhone. At least the Bold came down in price last week though... If it wasn't for that damned cramped keyboard the E71x would be such a great PDA...
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It's a tough one...
The E71 is cool because it is showing the American Consumer what Nokia Is Capable of, until now, they had no clue...Just the Beginning.
THE BOLD IS THE BEST PHONE I HAVE EVER CARRIED, and I have carried them all....
The Bold smokes The I-Phone in task capablilities and they have made it Entertainment friendly as well...
Something has got to give though...Apple will allow walmart but not us?????????????
Once again....WTF
The E71 is cool because it is showing the American Consumer what Nokia Is Capable of, until now, they had no clue...Just the Beginning.
THE BOLD IS THE BEST PHONE I HAVE EVER CARRIED, and I have carried them all....
The Bold smokes The I-Phone in task capablilities and they have made it Entertainment friendly as well...
Something has got to give though...Apple will allow walmart but not us?????????????
Once again....WTF
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It's been beat over our heads. Apple will never let us sell the iPhone. It's retarded I know and its Apple that doesn't realize we do a better job then Walmart ever will. I try and sell against it with the Bold as its the best PDA on the market. I also try and sell around it with FAN discounting since PDA plans all get discounted but the iPhone plan does not.
When all else fails I tell them to come back and to get accessories and I also tell them that we are the only place to offer FULL COVERAGE insurance for the iPhone. I know some of the posters here work for this same agent so its good to be able to sell.
When all else fails I tell them to come back and to get accessories and I also tell them that we are the only place to offer FULL COVERAGE insurance for the iPhone. I know some of the posters here work for this same agent so its good to be able to sell.
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The only iPhone plan to not get the fan discount is the first one for 20 dollars for unl data and 200. The current 30 dollar plan does get the discount last time I checked my bill. I think one of the reasons that apple is hesitant is because of the fact that it is harder to get a few thousand dealers on the same page than it is for a couple of giant companies.
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I work for the same company as chrome member and am as baffled as he is as to why we can't carry it.
There are a few things that might get agents the iPhone. In order for at&t to maintain exclusivity they need to reach sales targets. There is a small percentage of would be iPhone customers that walk in our door who end up getting something different due to us selling against it. The only way to increase sales numbers outside of axing the exclusivity is to reach more vendors.
As far as the wal mart thing...I don't know why your suprised. Wouldn't you want your product available in the largest retailer in the world? Wouldn't you want to only deal with one account that reaches every market in the USA rather than deal with the logistical...
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There are a few things that might get agents the iPhone. In order for at&t to maintain exclusivity they need to reach sales targets. There is a small percentage of would be iPhone customers that walk in our door who end up getting something different due to us selling against it. The only way to increase sales numbers outside of axing the exclusivity is to reach more vendors.
As far as the wal mart thing...I don't know why your suprised. Wouldn't you want your product available in the largest retailer in the world? Wouldn't you want to only deal with one account that reaches every market in the USA rather than deal with the logistical...
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Well, The Years can come and go as far As I am Concerned...
My thing is,
If people want to spend 300.00 Plus on a phone, I could find them a whole slew of Phones that make the I-Phone look stupid.
Guess I should just sell Unlocked phones all day outside of the AT&T Core store in my car.
It is a free market & a free country. Not hard to sell someone on a nice unlocked phone if you give me 20 minutes with him or her.
I Phone Killers Exist they are not a myth
My thing is,
If people want to spend 300.00 Plus on a phone, I could find them a whole slew of Phones that make the I-Phone look stupid.
Guess I should just sell Unlocked phones all day outside of the AT&T Core store in my car.
It is a free market & a free country. Not hard to sell someone on a nice unlocked phone if you give me 20 minutes with him or her.
I Phone Killers Exist they are not a myth
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Sigma Mr Ellis said Apple is the only hold up. God I hate them so much. We were laughing about last summer recently, when the 3G came out everyone wanted a touch screen and we sold tons of VU's, I feel bad for those customers now though...
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Hahaha. The Vu sucks!
I believe him on that. I would imagine of any agent out there we would probably be one of the first to carry it.
I believe him on that. I would imagine of any agent out there we would probably be one of the first to carry it.
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Hahahahaha we told everyone that wanted the iPhone for the touchscreen "Well I have the new LG Vu, this is a GREAT alternative to the iPhone without the $30 data plan".
I could imagine being at the gates of Heaven for judgement time and St. Peter saying I wouldve been let in had it not been for all those Vu's I sold.
I could imagine being at the gates of Heaven for judgement time and St. Peter saying I wouldve been let in had it not been for all those Vu's I sold.
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One thing... I don't know how your commission structure is, but could it be that the phone is more profitable for apple if it is only sold at corp stores/big box stores with no commission?
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Wow, what an ill-informed bunch of sour grape sickers we have in this thread. What we have is a bunch of folks that in reality would love to sell the phone if they could, and would probably carry it if it didn't make them look stupid selling the bold while slamming the better product. Secondly, fan discounts can be utilized on Iphone 3g data packages just not on the original Iphone's data package. I understand where you are coming from in terms of missing out on a great commision opportunity. However, it indirect agents like yourself that misinform our clientele that creates additional churn. How does that help you? The bold is much slower both in application load speed and processing. I can get into 4 apps for every on on a bold. Bet the cu...
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1) I don't sell ATT, so I'm not an indirect like you.
2) I am a huge apple fan, however I believe that as a phone, the iphone leaves a lot to be desired. Applications on a phone are great only if the phone actually works... AS A PHONE.
3) The bold and other smartphones allow you to run multiple apps at the same time, this is important for a lot of customers.
4) You can't insure the iphone, this is a dealbreaker for a lot of people.
5) Blackberries are for business users. Until an iphone can do everything a blackberry/other smartphone can do for business users, you are comparing apples to orangesn when you try calling a phone "better."
2) I am a huge apple fan, however I believe that as a phone, the iphone leaves a lot to be desired. Applications on a phone are great only if the phone actually works... AS A PHONE.
3) The bold and other smartphones allow you to run multiple apps at the same time, this is important for a lot of customers.
4) You can't insure the iphone, this is a dealbreaker for a lot of people.
5) Blackberries are for business users. Until an iphone can do everything a blackberry/other smartphone can do for business users, you are comparing apples to orangesn when you try calling a phone "better."
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The iPhone is the single most morale killing device in the history of wireless.
Apple is incredibly arrogant to believe AT&T agents are either incapable of selling it or it doesn't hurt their sales to keep it out of the channel. AT&T is stupid (and arrogant) to not give agents the choice to subsidize a handset in that fashion. For you AT&T guys in the know a $200 subsidy is pretty huge yet I subsidize a Storm that much everyday. Do the margins suck, yeah. Do I get to make the decision to carry it anyways Absolutely!
AT&T sold their soul to get the iPhone and put it in the a$$ of every self employed agent out there. The Storm has proved that agents are willing to sacrafice margin to sell the high end device if needed.
Give AT&T...
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Apple is incredibly arrogant to believe AT&T agents are either incapable of selling it or it doesn't hurt their sales to keep it out of the channel. AT&T is stupid (and arrogant) to not give agents the choice to subsidize a handset in that fashion. For you AT&T guys in the know a $200 subsidy is pretty huge yet I subsidize a Storm that much everyday. Do the margins suck, yeah. Do I get to make the decision to carry it anyways Absolutely!
AT&T sold their soul to get the iPhone and put it in the a$$ of every self employed agent out there. The Storm has proved that agents are willing to sacrafice margin to sell the high end device if needed.
Give AT&T...
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Subsidizing an Iphone would not be much different than any other PDA phone that ATT carries. For instance, if I sell a Blackberry Curve, either on an Upgrade or new activation, I make a grand total of $2 in commission if I don't add the data package, insurance, GPS, text and MMS messaging and any other features that we can think of to the account. If ATT can set up payment for othe PDAs, they can sure do the same for the Iphone.
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I've asked a few people at ATT why agents can't have it and most say that it is Apple that is the problem. Rumor is that Apple is afraid that the agents will "misrepresent" their brand. I'm not sure that selling the phone and informing the customers how to use the phone properly is "misrepresenting" the brand, but leave it to Apple to be scared to make a dollar the right way.
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That ship sailed long ago (right about December 26th) when they allowed Wal-Mart to sell the phone. I even bought into that argument when Best Buy picked it up since most of their locations have that mini-Apple store.
Just like they hand you a "Palm Pre Selling Tips" those corporate kool-aid drinkers were given a "how to deflect criticism to apple when agents are upset" memo.
Just like they hand you a "Palm Pre Selling Tips" those corporate kool-aid drinkers were given a "how to deflect criticism to apple when agents are upset" memo.
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The iPhone is going to be subsidized far more than any current Smartphone agents carry. Unless your owner is playing games with the comp your highest subsidy is the Bold at only $115 below cost. You are looking at probably $200 below cost for an iPhone.
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i work for an indirect dealer also and have asked a few of our reps and their bosses as well about this issue. they say its because the phone is contracted to the companies and best buy, walmart, cor are big corporations some making more than third world countries. to sell the phone indirectly they would have to release contracts to every privately owned dealer. makes sense seeing that most tech in the iphone is patented by apple like the style of touchscreen and accelerometer i believe.
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Apple would have to do little to nothing different.
You dont have agreements with Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, SE, LG, Palm and RIM do you? No, you buy them through AT&T's distribution center, the same way you would an iPhone.
You dont have agreements with Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, SE, LG, Palm and RIM do you? No, you buy them through AT&T's distribution center, the same way you would an iPhone.
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