VZW Agents and iPhones
How are VZW agents going to feel if you get shaft like at&t agents and are denied the ability to sell the iphone when VZW starts carrying it? I hope they let you guys sell it. It really hurt our business when 50% of new contracts on at&t all were iPhones.
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We have a pool at our office (AT&T authorized retailer) about who will get the iPhone first, us or Verizon.
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with Verizon's premium retailer agreements I don't think they could refuse agents access. Maybe some of the big box retailers and resellers but anyone who is a premium retailer and has a huge Verizon Wireless sign on the front of their store should get it... I don't see how they could deny them
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at&t has premium agents too and they all got screwed I see the same happening. After all it as apples choice not the carriers. Just another reason apple can suck it
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2.2 million net adds without the iPhone.
It isn't Apple's choice anymore. Besides, it has been opened to select dealers with AT&T (pending the lawsuits being settled) or maybe even all of them.
Verizon may want the iPhone but they have positioned themselves not to need the iPhone.
It isn't Apple's choice anymore. Besides, it has been opened to select dealers with AT&T (pending the lawsuits being settled) or maybe even all of them.
Verizon may want the iPhone but they have positioned themselves not to need the iPhone.
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Wasn't the main reason Authorized Agents didn't sell the iPhone more about the crappy kick backs with them?
If I'm not mistaken... and I only heard these numbers once at my particular store... After all the numbers were said and done, the reason my store chain doesn't sell the iPhone is that the money we'd make per iPhone is like $50.
$50 isn't worth the effort, compared to other phones that give $250-500+.
Apple's cut played alot into it.
Again... just old information I half remember saying it just isn't profitable to sell the iPhone itself.
If I'm not mistaken... and I only heard these numbers once at my particular store... After all the numbers were said and done, the reason my store chain doesn't sell the iPhone is that the money we'd make per iPhone is like $50.
$50 isn't worth the effort, compared to other phones that give $250-500+.
Apple's cut played alot into it.
Again... just old information I half remember saying it just isn't profitable to sell the iPhone itself.
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In Verizon land $50 is good compared to what we make on some phones. I'd gladly take a $50 profit over not being able to sell it at all.
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Nope, wrong.
We can't sell the iPhone at all right now and its got progessively worse. Here is a timeline as to what happened to us.
iPhone 2g- If a customer came in asking about the iphone we could tell them about at&t's rates, sign them up on service, give them a free phone and send them to the apple store to get the iphone. Since it wasn't subsidized it was the same price either way. This was great for us and the customer since they got a back up phone for when they went boating/camping etc....
iPhone 3g- iPhone is now subsidized so we could no longer do what we were doing with the iPhone 2g. All agents saw a hit on their activations from this. But, if someone bought one used or was given the device they could come in and we cou...
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We can't sell the iPhone at all right now and its got progessively worse. Here is a timeline as to what happened to us.
iPhone 2g- If a customer came in asking about the iphone we could tell them about at&t's rates, sign them up on service, give them a free phone and send them to the apple store to get the iphone. Since it wasn't subsidized it was the same price either way. This was great for us and the customer since they got a back up phone for when they went boating/camping etc....
iPhone 3g- iPhone is now subsidized so we could no longer do what we were doing with the iPhone 2g. All agents saw a hit on their activations from this. But, if someone bought one used or was given the device they could come in and we cou...
(continues)
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The reason Authorized Retailers dont carry the Iphone is because Steve Jobs walked into an authorized retailer in California as a mystery shopper. His rep rubbed him the wrong way and he did not like the experience so he said all authorized retailers could not carry it. One bad apple ruined it all. Personally, I dont care if my store ever gets one. Yea, alot of people ask for it but I am about 80 percent successful switching them to a Blackberry or something else. Its easy considering when you ask why they want it, 80 percent of people dont know why they want it. I cant help but laugh everytime someone says, "I dont know".
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I love getting that answer too lol. Its either that or " I don't know why I want one, it seems like everyone has one" or when they say "I want it for all the apps" and I ask them which apps looked appealing to them and they answer "I don't know"
I wish my conversion rate was as high as yours! Seems like once people want the iPhone thats what they end up getting 80% of the time.
I wish my conversion rate was as high as yours! Seems like once people want the iPhone thats what they end up getting 80% of the time.
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I just show them my blackberry. I show them certain apps like pandora, score mobile, drive saftely, vlingo, the demo video on it, pics I have taken with the phone and printed out. I also demonstrate the quality of the mp3 player like the volume and layout of the player. I also ask LOTS of questions like where they work for example. I can normally find an app that would make there work easier. I also demonstate how much easier a physical keyboard is over a touch screen and that it is nice having expandable memory and that being able to do a battery pull is handy.
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The main reason why the iPhone was restricted to corporate channels (AT&T or Apple) was because of the price protection. Apple doesn't want independents cutting into their commissions to lower the price of the phone (i.e. undercut the strict corporate pricing structure). I imagine that Apple would have to go to just about every participating reseller and independent dealer to have them sign some sort of contract preventing them from selling a device at a lower price, hence the simplicity of signing a contract with the carrier limiting sales to only corporate sources.
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Verizon would just MAP the price. It wouldn't keep us from selling it for less, but we couldn't advertise it for less. Heck depending on what the profit was we probably wouldn't want to sell it for less and make no money! lol
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Ummmm not really.
It had nothing to do with Price Protection. It had everything to do with Apple feeling dealers were "beneath" the product and AT&T completely caving to that belief. Then came Best Buy which somewhat fit that theory (due to having Apple reps in most stores). Then came Wal-Mart which insulted everyone who put in efforts to build the agent distribution channel on which AT&T made their fortunes. Enough big dealers threaten to leave or threaten antitrust lawsuits and AT&T changes their stance with Apple.
VZW will most likely restrict the phone to their "Premium Retailer" channels. VZW learned their lesson that it isn't good business to screw your dealers when they limited the Voyagers distribution.
It had nothing to do with Price Protection. It had everything to do with Apple feeling dealers were "beneath" the product and AT&T completely caving to that belief. Then came Best Buy which somewhat fit that theory (due to having Apple reps in most stores). Then came Wal-Mart which insulted everyone who put in efforts to build the agent distribution channel on which AT&T made their fortunes. Enough big dealers threaten to leave or threaten antitrust lawsuits and AT&T changes their stance with Apple.
VZW will most likely restrict the phone to their "Premium Retailer" channels. VZW learned their lesson that it isn't good business to screw your dealers when they limited the Voyagers distribution.
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