jerrydock said:
I have been either #1 or #2 for 3 years now...any more snide ass comments from a "company man"?

You would do well in the military.

Ah the internet...Where all claims have an aura of truth.... 🙄

No one who does not respect each and every person entering a business, buyer or not is doomed to mediocrity.....Number One or two referenced to what? The best of the worst?

Such is the wireless business in general...All number one claims are just the best of the worst public industry perception polls.....
Your customer attitude reflects that very fact.

Oh well......just a thought from a lowly Cingular Customer.

Hey hows it going, havent seen you for a few months in the other forums, just saying hi! 😎

wfine81 said:
Hey hows it going, havent seen you for a few months in the other forums, just saying hi! 😎

Sold the Vegas house. Building a new one in Mytle Beach SC. (SUNCOM territory)

Been pretty busy. But am in Vegas waiting for the closing so I have lots os time on my hands. Spent a lot learning how to use the MPX220...neat phone. The BT is phenominal. I leave the phone pluged in in the bedroom and just carry around the ear piece in my pocket. The range is much better then the my T637/Jabra combo. Now if it could only make voice dial calls from the BT like the T637.........

it means a big paycheck maybe?

It means a big paycheck for me...It also means a bigger paycheck for my manager, the manager's regional boss, his boss and so on up the line.

If you are in a sales environment and want people to leave you to selling...be good at it...that means selling a lot. It does not mean getting a high score on some BS marketing tool dreamed up by some cubicle dweller.

You have totally missed the point of secret shoppers and my point of being a good seller. Yes it means pibber paycheck, but it doesn't make you a good salesman.

I guess we just don't have the same definitions of what "good" is.

In my mind a good sales person makes a LOT of sales; has very few deactivations; does not leave "clean up" work to his/her colleagues; does not waste time with time wsters.

everything you said is correct- except your "time wasters" theory. why would someone be in a wireless store if they weren't interested in wireless products? lots of people like to look around and get options. who are you to say that they're wasting your time? i think that is the misunderstanding here. I'm sure you make alot of sales, but im sure there are a lot of sales you aren't making. clearly there are 2 sides to this debate and we can all post over and over and talk until we're blue in the face and we are not going to see eachother's side- but you are not even trying to see the point. you state the same thing over and over, repeating yourself every post. The only reason I am repeating myself is the fact that you fail to even comprehend...
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You are right on all that. But it also includes treating customers fairly and not being partial. There should be no difference in your mind between a customer who comes in for an upgrade or new activation and a customer who has an issue with their bill. It sucks, but THAT is good customer service. I have more people come in to add lines or upgrade because I was so helpful with a bill or something like that in the past then I do just random people.

exxxactly.

jerrydock said:
It means a big paycheck for me...It also means a bigger paycheck for my manager, the manager's regional boss, his boss and so on up the line.

If you are in a sales environment and want people to leave you to selling...be good at it...that means selling a lot. It does not mean getting a high score on some BS marketing tool dreamed up by some cubicle dweller.

Do you work for corporate or a dealer? I'm wondering how much that big paycheck really is. I used to be a blue corporate rep and was pulling in big paychecks consistently. I was at a busy store. All my old coworkers now on cingular's commission structure are making crap, maybe max $2500 gross with good numbers. You talk big, but I be...
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haha sounds like me.. 😁 aint buying then .. later

Shh,,,don't tell corporate you can spot their pathetic little "tire kickers"...lol.

Truth is we are in SALES...as long as your #s are high, you can do it YOUR WAY.

It is only the marginal players who get crap and they deserve it.

That seems very rediculous. Alot of people who have never had a cell phone before are going to want to look around at different companies, see different offers and see how the phones work. Would you buy a new car without test driving it? I highly doubt it. Would you want to buy a car if a dealership wouldn't help you or show you how it worked, because you are not 100% sure if you want to buy it yet? If you treat sales like that you are going to get alot of people cancelling in buyers remorse or alot of people thinking you don't care enough to help them and they will just go with another company. I am a rep over the phone, so I don't make new sales, but I just don't think that makes sense what you're doing. People that go into your store to ...
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rep12345 said:
That seems very rediculous. Alot of people who have never had a cell phone before are going to want to look around at different companies, see different offers and see how the phones work. Would you buy a new car without test driving it? I highly doubt it. Would you want to buy a car if a dealership wouldn't help you or show you how it worked, because you are not 100% sure if you want to buy it yet? If you treat sales like that you are going to get alot of people cancelling in buyers remorse or alot of people thinking you don't care enough to help them and they will just go with another company. I am a rep over the phone, so I don't make new sales, but I just don't think that makes sense what you're doing.

...
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I understand where you're coming from as well. But isn't there a medium? you can't bring out 5 phones and show every feature, but say an 18 year old kid comes into the store really interested in one specific phone and wants to know all about it- you're the best source of information for that kid, and chances are he'll bring mom or dad into the store the next day to get him that phone. Maybe sales work a bit differently in Canada though. I got my first cell phone that wasn't pre paid about 6 months ago. I had just turned 19. I have no credit and I was in the store just looking, not even sure if I really wanted a phone that day, a month from then or even with that provider. The rep helped other customers, let me look around the store, and whe...
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Exactly...The customer who is not buying today but gets treated with the same respect and importance as a more impulsive buyer will come back when he or she is ready in the mean time , those kids and people have a lot of friends who are ready to buy and word of mouth is EVERYTHING in repeat business and referrals which is really what makes a LONG term successful sales career.

Many of today's young reps are penny wise and dollar foolish in shooing out the non buyers. That element is not lost on the customer and you will NEVER gain their business or any of the people they talk to...Its like baseball.....a non buyer can be a single if treated well....he can send other buyers , more singles and maybe a double. People know when they have been...
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I agree with you, I compare wireless devices to cars. You may ask why? You touched on this a bit earlier. I am a rep aswell (Keep this in mind) Now if I was a car salesman, and I said this car has everything you want, the price is right, everything seems perfect. You say to me, "OK, send me that car!" I show up the next day in your car, that is in that colour you just can't stand to look at. Arrrgh!!! Are you going to like this car. Maybe so, but you won't be able to look at the eye sore in your driveway! Same with a phone, if you don't go to the store, and take that first test drive. I could tell you that the phone does everything but pour your coffee in the morning, but if I send you the phone cause the price is right, great, but I ...
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jerrydock said:
# 1 in sales last month///56 # 2 this month 52

Been selling since I was 12 y/o. Am damn good at it and even better at spotting BSers who are just time thieves.


I qualify early. Not ready to fill out an application? See ya later.

Asking about equipment we do not sell? That is what google is for.

Demoing? We do the complete demo AFTER we activate the device.

If you become MY customer, you leave the store knowing your device, your plan, additional features, pitfalls of the service and the plan.

If you are just in my store to jerk my chain and waste my time...bye bye. Yes...that would be the "mystery shopper".

Now if the company ever sent in a mystery shopper who bought somethin

...
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I am a medium seller. I make quality sales and have very little returns and chargebacks. The guys who do sell a lot of phones I usually have to spend a lot of time cleaning up their messes. Their customers usually come back on the employee's day off. Go figure.

i have always been number one in my store when it came to new activations, or money made (which is what really matters) i scored an 84% on my shop. i disagree with one thing that they reported, but overall i think i did well. i did less that the company asks for, 85%, but not as bad as what i've seen. the secret shoppers is just quality control. cingular isn't the only company that does something like this and it is a good program. you can do your job, every point of what they want and still help alot of customers.
demonstrating a feature? do you not have live phones in your store? did cingular not give you a free company use phone? it is very simple to demonstrate a feature. the secret shop will probably ask for a camera phone, at that poi...
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Too bad you don't know what "feature" refers to. It shows you are NOT in sales.

A feature is an "add on" that we make commission on; like text messaging, insurance, internet access, etc.

I only sell "features" to customers. Mystery shoppers are NOT customers. People who sign up for service are MY customers and they get treated extremely well. How many sales associates do you know who keep spare GSM phones in their vehicle so that THEIR customers are not without service while they wait for the insurance company to ship a replacement?

jerrydock said:
Too bad you don't know what "feature" refers to. It shows you are NOT in sales.

A feature is an "add on" that we make commission on; like text messaging, insurance, internet access, etc.

I only sell "features" to customers. Mystery shoppers are NOT customers. People who sign up for service are MY customers and they get treated extremely well. How many sales associates do you know who keep spare GSM phones in their vehicle so that THEIR customers are not without service while they wait for the insurance company to ship a replacement?

again, i would never buy service from you, and if you worked for me i'd fire you.

before i got my cell service i wanted to know what sort of "fea...
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You lost track of the point. I don't deny MY customers anything. I carefully interview them to make sure they are getting the best plans for the least money.

Of course brochures and posters are all over the store with all plans and features highlighted; but I am NOT going into exactly what the "Premium Feature Option" is to someone who is "just looking around".

Pick a plan, pick a phone, pick your features and options.

That is the way the sale progresses.

I will go over all of this completely and thoroughly for my CUSTOMERS....again, "tire kickers" are not my customers and yes; I do know how to spot them.

The basic problem with your logic is that you have NO customers according to you until AFTEr the sale.....You are missing huge opportunity son.

All those tire kickers and thier associates will never become your customers.///Thats a shame becasue NEW customers are really whats driving your business. Anyone can maintain an already bought customer base....duh.

The great salespeople use every tool and edge to gaiin new business. you are hammering nails with a screwdriver. No clue.....and Im not even in the business. But anyone can see the lack of logic in your approach......mediocrity is your life I suppose.

Yeah, I am so bad that I have to struggle to make quota every month...BTW..quota is based on NEW service NOT an already established customer base.

"i would never buy service from you, and if you worked for me i'd fire you."

You would fire the employee who was making you the most money?

Are you that stupid?

if you were turning away possible customers, yes, i would. I consider your attitude towards sales stupid. as many sales as you make im sure there are just as many that you could have but didn't. I believe you missed everyone else's point in this thread- todays "tire kickers" are tomorrows buyers. YOUR customers aren't the only people who want to know feature options. lost of people want to know what the packages offer before they decide to sign up. we get annoyed if the customer calls in all pissed about their bill becuase they didn't educate themselves, and we reply to them with "buyer beware" etc- it's their own fault if they're not informed, which is why im sure they "tire kick" a bit before they purchase service. but like alot of other ...
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You will NEVER get one of those calls from one of my customers. They call me. I have educated them to the fact that I am the problem solver for them.

But let me guess... you either won't, or find it "not your job" to help those who you didn't start the problem for right???

Don't I wish.
One of our other stores is notorious for not explaining the plans and the features; so a big part of my job is going back over the stuff a good sales person does and a slackard does not do.
Of course they then become "my" customers and I get the upgrades and the extra lines of service.
Throughout all this discussion most people have missed the main point..the "mystery shoppper" does not measure any of this. It only measures how well an associate can read the "script" handed down from on high.

There are so many ways to make it your own sales process. You just have to take the time to accept it and do it. That is when you find what yours is. Now that I have used it, I really like it.

and MMS isn't a feature??????????????
you are STUPID. taking a picture and sending it isn't a commission able feature. i am in sales, and if i were in your store i'd sell circles around you.

jerrydock said:
# 1 in sales last month///56 # 2 this month 52

Been selling since I was 12 y/o. Am damn good at it and even better at spotting BSers who are just time thieves.


I qualify early. Not ready to fill out an application? See ya later.

Asking about equipment we do not sell? That is what google is for.

Demoing? We do the complete demo AFTER we activate the device.

If you become MY customer, you leave the store knowing your device, your plan, additional features, pitfalls of the service and the plan.

If you are just in my store to jerk my chain and waste my time...bye bye. Yes...that would be the "mystery shopper".

Now if the company ever sent in a mystery shopper who bought somethin

...
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Jldnr77 said:

captainplooky said:

Been selling since I was 12 y/o. Am damn good at it and even better at spotting BSers who are just time thieves.

Hahah - your lemonade stand hardly counts. Furthermore - as others have clearly pointed out - the people you cast off as time wasters are in fact customers - just not yours.

Asking about equipment we do not sell? That is what google is for.

All the customers know every device that is available for every company? How arrogant this statement is.

Demoing? We do the complete demo AFTER we activate the device.

I'm amazed you even make sales with this attitude

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Although to be scrupulously fair, a really GOOD salesperson can hurry along a tire kicker without seeming to be doing it--it's part of the sales persona to be able to send people on their way while leaving the impression that you're their best friend who'd love nothing better than to chat indefinitely if only... 😉 So it is possible that although reading the post may make the process sound really brutal, in actual point of fact it might be that nobody who interacts with him actually gets offended or feels like they're getting the brushoff... 😕

Exactly! I'm in sales - and I do best with 'soft-selling.' I don't openly 'push' the customer through the transaction the way that some of my coworkers do. I focus on building rapport and getting lots of wonderful referral business - but I STILL do have a few little tricks to get someone to make up their mind if their stalling.

Usually I can figure out what they really want before they know (I know more about my product and how it works than they do), and I can 'help' them make up their mind without them ever realizing it - and while being entirely honest and upfront with them too. I can also get some to leave my store if they are wasting my time - all while being perfectly polite and friendly with them - and I even have a lot of tho...
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Jedi mind-tricks are only in the movies....

One thing for sure about this string, you can spot the people who are in sales and the ones who are in cubicles.

Theories are only good in laboratories and cubicles.

Welcome to the real world.

jerrydock said:
One thing for sure about this string, you can spot the people who are in sales and the ones who are in cubicles.

Theories are only good in laboratories and cubicles.

Welcome to the real world.

I've been in both...and my views haven't changed. I did not, would not, and will not follow a "pressured sale" tactic.

Well Mr.#1 seller, I am in sales and always have been and I think that your views of the sales process are bs. I will be honest with the fact that I dont 100% completely agree with the sales process. But for my sake and my stores sake, I do it anyways. I too can spot a shopper. I make sure to hit every point so that I get a great score. I try to do that with any customer that walks through the door. The only time that I dont is if the customer basically cuts me off with other questions. I have realized that cingular pays people to do the job of figuring out how their services and products should be sold. If you think that you are so much smarter than they are, then get a job doing that. I've realized that it is like that for a reas...
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Yes - but do not forget the statements made.

Asking about equipment we do not sell? That is what google is for.

Demoing? We do the complete demo AFTER we activate the device.

Features? That is what I SELL you AFTER you have signed for service.

Personally speaking - anyone of these statements exhibits to me a complete lack of customer service and willingness to do ones job.

Of course - if you are in the habit of buying something you are unaware of what it does and can do - by all means go ahead.

Example: I walked into a corporate cellular store and asked for a demo of one of the phones. I walked in with the intention to buy the phone - however - after dealing with the representative who was una...
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Is you example of something you actually did? If so, Mr. anti-corporation, why would you not walk into a locally owned and operated store and attempt to give them your business?

Aleq said:
Although to be scrupulously fair, a really GOOD salesperson can hurry along a tire kicker without seeming to be doing it--it's part of the sales persona to be able to send people on their way while leaving the impression that you're their best friend who'd love nothing better than to chat indefinitely if only... 😉 So it is possible that although reading the post may make the process sound really brutal, in actual point of fact it might be that nobody who interacts with him actually gets offended or feels like they're getting the brushoff... 😕

Some people just have that aw shucks innate ability to put you at ease. Those are the folks that I gravitate to.