The Shake and Bake

Originally Posted by Galandrius

yes in one side of it your right about the comp we make on accesories, but i guess since your not a cor you dont care about the metrix we have to be at with each sale, since we got also have 10% spiff on bluetooth its a good tip for cor reps to use for selling it, thats all brother. no need to bash

Originally Posted by Galandrius

yes in one side of it your right about the comp we make on accesories, but i guess since your not a cor you dont care about the metrix we have to be at with each sale, since we got also have 10% spiff on bluetooth its a good tip for cor reps to use for selling it, thats all brother. no need to bash

Originally Posted by SPARADISO8116

As a customer the shake and bake wouldn't work with me...
Sal

Originally Posted by itsmillertime

Ummm.....why are you in here? This is an agent/employee forum only.

Originally Posted by JP Whoregan

I get a 10% nothing for selling a bluetooth in my market...damn, I'd love to see some of your guys' commission plans, because if I could get 10% on BT, I'd rake it the hell in.

Originally Posted by SPARADISO8116

As a customer the shake and bake wouldn't work with me. I went too ATT corp store yesterday to get to Razr2 V9. I went in told the girl I needed phone and a belt clip. She gave me the 2 items. I was fully expecting to pay 499 for the phone because I am only 12 months into my 24 month contract. She goes ahead and overrides an upgrade charging me 299 for the phone and 14 bucks for the belt clip. Saved me 200 bucks off the phone. She didn't try to up sell me or anything because I already had the unlimited media bundle with 200 messages. She was great. I have been a cell customer for 14 years ( 5 years with ATT/Cingular), I go in and I already know what I want.

It was great she was able to upgrade me and save me money. This was the smoothest transaction I have ever done with a cellphone. Kudos to the girl who helped me, I'll be back in the future.

Sal

Originally Posted by JP Whoregan

I pretty much ask "Do you want a case and car charger for your phone today?" If they say no, then I don't push the issue. I finish the sales process, get them out the door, and get to the next customer and the next upgrade/activation/feature opportunity, since that's where 90% of my paycheck comes from.

Originally Posted by cingman66

We get 20% on everything we sell...features, activations, accessories...etc. But you guys must get the dumbest customers in the world. Let me ask you this: How the heck do you cram these accessories down customer's throats without them balking? Your price tags are all $80 higher than the actual phone price due to the accessory bundle, right? What happens when the customer says "I don't need any accessories...I just want the phone."?

For example...customer walks in and wants the v3 for $49.99 like it is advertised (or any phone for that matter at the "advertised" price). The advertised price is strictly for the phone...no accessories are included, right? So the customer walks in and sees your price tag reflecting a price that is substantially higher than the advertised price. Do you mean to tell me that this customer just hands over the extra cash without ever objecting? Maybe I'm missing something, but almost every customer we deal with is smarter than that. They won't even get a 50% off car charger some times, let alone an $80 bundle pack. I just can't believe that people don't object to this and simply ask for "just the phone."

So...how do you guys (COR) handle this and get people to buy these bundles?

Originally Posted by BillPinga

Part of the job is to handle objections. Though many people do know exactly what they want it is imperative to tell them, after qualifying them, why they need certain accessories. For example:

Scenario 1
Customer: I don't need a car charger

Employee Response 1: Mr. Customer, if you are driving and get a flat tire, and your phone is dead, you have no phone. Its a safety issue and we want to make sure that will never happen. (Yes they can say well what if I don't have service but isn't it worth $29.99 to save them even once in this situation?)

Employee response 2: The other day I forgot to plug in my charger at night and needed to rush out the door. Having a car charger was great because I was able to plug my phone in and check my voicemail which had an important message from another employee about a meeting being cancelled. This really saved my a lot of time because that is exactly what I was rushing out the door for

Scenario 2

Customer: I don't need a bluetooth headset

Employee Response 1: We suggest that we set up a blueooth headset for you now because we want you to be a safe as possible on the road and have both hands on the wheel. And we actually have a special on our safety package. Bluetooth, car charger, and case for xxx price saving you xxx.

Employee Response 2: Where do you travel? Oh you travel in this state, well imagine an important phone call comes in and you start talking. Then you get pulled over because of a hands free law and get a $100 ticket. Right now we can make sure this never happens for the price of less than that ticket.

Employee Response 3: You mentioned, when I asked you where do you work, that you are employed by so and so. Do you use a computer while at work? Oh you do, well with this bluetooth headset you can multi-task by still typing while your on that important phone thus making you more productive

Emplyee Response 4: You mentioned that your thanksgiving was great but you had to do so much cooking. How many phone calls did you get during your food preparation? Oh 5, now imagine if all you had to do was push a single button to answer your phone and were still able to continue your preparation.

Scenario 3

Customer: I will just use speaker phone

Employee Response 1: Let me show you the difference between speaker phone and a bluetooth headset (Rep demo's this) Now since you've heard the difference imagine large trucks around you and then imagine how bad this speaker would sound? Do you want the person to hear you, or hear what's going on around you?


Now do not rip this all apart because I know this is not every scenario but the point is that during your sales process, you should have gathered enough information to make 2 or 3 reasons why this is worth it to them. If you haven't, then you are not doing your job right. What's the worst that can happen? They say no. And I do not lie to a customer, but there have been tons of times where a bluetooth headset or car charger has helped me out and I love to tell customers personal success stories of my headset or car charger.

We roll play a lot and the reason is not to torture reps but to practice handling objections and that is exactly why we are over $50 per opp in accessories. The customer does not feel shafted because you have both agreed as to why these accessories are important. It won't work every time but if you truly want to help a customer, you must understand their needs and meet the expectations that you will do everything to make their cell phone experience the best it can be. As cheesy as it is, think about the sales process, its probably on the wall of your store somewhere, and give it a try, you might be surprised.

Originally Posted by smg1976

A few more suggestions about selling accessories-make the customer aware that if they just get a $10 charger from Wal-Mart, they will likely have to replace it multiple times, and that ours carry a 1-year warranty. Ours quit giving juice to the battery of the phone once it's fully charged. I had one guy tell me he could buy 3 chargers for the same price as one of ours. I said, "you could, but here's why you need ours." I also make customers aware of the fact that after-market chargers that are "universal" will likely cause the battery to swell, thus voiding the warranty and not allowing them to swap out for a replacement battery within a year, if they need to.

With cases, we push the fitted cases over the holsters, as they come back way too frequently, and are broken too easily. The benefit is, in addition to Handset Insurance, they are protecting their phone from possible liquid damage. However, women do sometimes prefer the holster, as they clip it to edge of their purse, making it easier to get to.

Bluetooth is becoming more affordable for most everyone, and is sometimes the driving force behind upgrades, and even new activations, believe it or not. For example, I had a senior citizen who came over from Alltel because she just bought a new car that had BT built-in, and all of her friends were on AT&T. I also mention whenever there is resistance on a BT sale, that the police are issuing tickets for people DWT. I don't use it as a scare tactic, but rather to make them aware that it's not just NY and CA that are concerned with driver's safety.

Originally Posted by The Champ

How long ago did you get out of training?

Originally Posted by itsmillertime

Ummm.....why are you in here? This is an agent/employee forum only.

Originally Posted by classylady78

Kudos to the WOMAN that helped you. We are not girls after we hit 18.

Originally Posted by BillPinga

Part of the job is to handle objections. Though many people do know exactly what they want it is imperative to tell them, after qualifying them, why they need certain accessories. For example:

Scenario 1
Customer: I don't need a car charger

Employee Response 1: Mr. Customer, if you are driving and get a flat tire, and your phone is dead, you have no phone. Its a safety issue and we want to make sure that will never happen. (Yes they can say well what if I don't have service but isn't it worth $29.99 to save them even once in this situation?)

Employee response 2: The other day I forgot to plug in my charger at night and needed to rush out the door. Having a car charger was great because I was able to plug my phone in and check my voicemail which had an important message from another employee about a meeting being cancelled. This really saved my a lot of time because that is exactly what I was rushing out the door for

Scenario 2

Customer: I don't need a bluetooth headset

Employee Response 1: We suggest that we set up a blueooth headset for you now because we want you to be a safe as possible on the road and have both hands on the wheel. And we actually have a special on our safety package. Bluetooth, car charger, and case for xxx price saving you xxx.

Employee Response 2: Where do you travel? Oh you travel in this state, well imagine an important phone call comes in and you start talking. Then you get pulled over because of a hands free law and get a $100 ticket. Right now we can make sure this never happens for the price of less than that ticket.

Employee Response 3: You mentioned, when I asked you where do you work, that you are employed by so and so. Do you use a computer while at work? Oh you do, well with this bluetooth headset you can multi-task by still typing while your on that important phone thus making you more productive

Emplyee Response 4: You mentioned that your thanksgiving was great but you had to do so much cooking. How many phone calls did you get during your food preparation? Oh 5, now imagine if all you had to do was push a single button to answer your phone and were still able to continue your preparation.

Scenario 3

Customer: I will just use speaker phone

Employee Response 1: Let me show you the difference between speaker phone and a bluetooth headset (Rep demo's this) Now since you've heard the difference imagine large trucks around you and then imagine how bad this speaker would sound? Do you want the person to hear you, or hear what's going on around you?


Now do not rip this all apart because I know this is not every scenario but the point is that during your sales process, you should have gathered enough information to make 2 or 3 reasons why this is worth it to them. If you haven't, then you are not doing your job right. What's the worst that can happen? They say no. And I do not lie to a customer, but there have been tons of times where a bluetooth headset or car charger has helped me out and I love to tell customers personal success stories of my headset or car charger.

We roll play a lot and the reason is not to torture reps but to practice handling objections and that is exactly why we are over $50 per opp in accessories. The customer does not feel shafted because you have both agreed as to why these accessories are important. It won't work every time but if you truly want to help a customer, you must understand their needs and meet the expectations that you will do everything to make their cell phone experience the best it can be. As cheesy as it is, think about the sales process, its probably on the wall of your store somewhere, and give it a try, you might be surprised.

Originally Posted by SPARADISO8116

As a customer the shake and bake wouldn't work with me. I went too ATT corp store yesterday to get to Razr2 V9. I went in told the girl I needed phone and a belt clip. She gave me the 2 items. I was fully expecting to pay 499 for the phone because I am only 12 months into my 24 month contract. She goes ahead and overrides an upgrade charging me 299 for the phone and 14 bucks for the belt clip. Saved me 200 bucks off the phone. She didn't try to up sell me or anything because I already had the unlimited media bundle with 200 messages. She was great. I have been a cell customer for 14 years ( 5 years with ATT/Cingular), I go in and I already know what I want.

It was great she was able to upgrade me and save me money. This was the smoothest transaction I have ever done with a cellphone. Kudos to the girl who helped me, I'll be back in the future.

Sal

Originally Posted by JP Whoregan

COR gets paid on tiers, with your monthly numbers dictating what tier you get paid at. Features is a flat "at risk", and accessories only pay out 4% of the total accessory sale. If I can get Johnny customer to come off of a c-note for a BT, case, and car charger, I get a whopping FOUR DOLLARS. I know that's four dollars I didn't have before, and I can already hear the blue and white company joneses telling me that I have a bad attitude about accessories. But I'm sorry, I feel 4% on MASSIVE PROFIT MARGIN items is somewhat of an insult.

Example:

$30.00 leather case
$2.60 is the net cost to AT&T from the supplier (look it up in OPUS)
$1.20 is the commission paid to me (4%)

That's a total of $3.60 net cost to AT&T. That leaves $26.40 in total PROFIT to AT&T on one leather case.

$26.40 divided by $3.60 is a gross profit margin of 733%. That's SEVEN HUNDRED AND THIRTY THREE PERCENT profit margin. And they can only afford to pay me enough to buy a Diet Coke? Please. Tony Soprano would be jealous of those margins.

And please don't lecture me about "well the stores have overhead costs, so the margins have to be that high". Bull ****. Agent stores have overhead costs too, and I seriously doubt Agent employees are getting a measly 4 points on accessory sales. So yes, I'm sorry if I don't always feel like "Shake and Baking" customers for Accessory sales.

I pretty much ask "Do you want a case and car charger for your phone today?" If they say no, then I don't push the issue. I finish the sales process, get them out the door, and get to the next customer and the next upgrade/activation/feature opportunity, since that's where 90% of my paycheck comes from.

Originally Posted by droptop97ta

You should have purchased the moto stereo bluetooth headset and a 4gb media card, that would have been around the $200 you were expecting to spend anyways..... shake and bake.

Originally Posted by Malibu21

You really should switch to Agent, my agent pays face value for boltons, if we bypass the bolton discount we don't get charged back if they drop the feature, on top of that if we have an 80% or higher attachment rate we get paid 1 and a quarter of face value, thats 50 bucks for a PDA Connect. For accessories, we make 25% of GP, on a Jawbone, thats 17 washingtons, CLA's are 6.50 at 30 a pop retail. ACC and Bolts are the bread and butter Net numbers are just to get the acc and bolts out the door

Originally Posted by cingman66

We get 20% on everything we sell...features, activations, accessories...etc. But you guys must get the dumbest customers in the world. Let me ask you this: How the heck do you cram these accessories down customer's throats without them balking? Your price tags are all $80 higher than the actual phone price due to the accessory bundle, right? What happens when the customer says "I don't need any accessories...I just want the phone."?

For example...customer walks in and wants the v3 for $49.99 like it is advertised (or any phone for that matter at the "advertised" price). The advertised price is strictly for the phone...no accessories are included, right? So the customer walks in and sees your price tag reflecting a price that is substantially higher than the advertised price. Do you mean to tell me that this customer just hands over the extra cash without ever objecting? Maybe I'm missing something, but almost every customer we deal with is smarter than that. They won't even get a 50% off car charger some times, let alone an $80 bundle pack. I just can't believe that people don't object to this and simply ask for "just the phone."

So...how do you guys (COR) handle this and get people to buy these bundles?

Originally Posted by AppleMac

I got out of training 3 years ago and still talk to my customers like that. Why? Because, it works.

Originally Posted by The Champ

...I don't know what world you're on, but customers aren't video games.

When a customer comes in, you can find out their personality, etc by just speaking with them and seeing how they react to things.

If a customer really doesn't want a car charger, they really won't get it, unless you get very lucky.

I mean seriously, unless you're in a small town, who the **** hasn't heard of a car charger? I've never met one person who who doesn't know what it is.

A lot of the time, they really are going to get one, but just not from you...rather they get it from BB etc...

Originally Posted by The Champ

...I don't know what world you're on, but customers aren't video games.

When a customer comes in, you can find out their personality, etc by just speaking with them and seeing how they react to things.

If a customer really doesn't want a car charger, they really won't get it, unless you get very lucky.

I mean seriously, unless you're in a small town, who the **** hasn't heard of a car charger? I've never met one person who who doesn't know what it is.

A lot of the time, they really are going to get one, but just not from you...rather they get it from BB etc...

Originally Posted by BillPinga

People are obviously more complex than video games but the sales process is specific enough that we all should be asking very similar questions and then using those answers to ask more and then suggest products based on their needs. When a customer comes into the store, they may or may not have already decided what they want.

Have they thought of all the ways you know a car charger could be beneficial to them?

Do you know enough about them to suggest situations where this could be beneficial to them?

We are sales reps and it is our job to know more about our products and how useful they are than the customer. The customer might not know they really need a certain accessory or feature because you have not made the connection between their life and some specific products or services.

If they say they drive for a living, they have just told you they need a car charger and a blueooth headset and it is your job to point out the benefits they might not be seeing. Thing is you have ask the right questions such as where they work to even get there. We are speaking to them, but I would never say "just speaking" because we should be engaging in a conversation and asking the very same 4-5 start up questions that are meant for people who are buying cell phones. After were hear their responses, we ask more questions... then we tell them what they just told us and suggest products based on what we know will benefit them... because we asked the right questions.

"you said you drive for a living, so your going to be using your phone in the truck a lot, making it so that a car charger is the primary way you are going to charge your phone"

"its going to be tiring Mr. trucker when you have to hold that phone up to your ear for a while and probably not very safe, so this headset will solve that issue. What I have done for you is made a bundle based on what you have told me your wireless needs are....."

"Congratulations on the new born. Let me ask you, if you are carrying the newborn, and your cell phone rings, how would you like to be able to answer it?"

People don't all need the same accessories but its probably true that most everyone, based on the answers to your questions, could use two or three. Whether they buy at that time, sometimes, but there is a reason why sales is sales and good salespeople succeed at a sales job no matter where it is.

Originally Posted by BillPinga

People don't all need the same accessories but its probably true that most everyone, based on the answers to your questions, could use two or three. Whether they buy at that time, sometimes, but there is a reason why sales is sales and good salespeople succeed at a sales job no matter where it is.

Originally Posted by BillPinga

We are sales reps and it is our job to know more about our products and how useful they are than the customer. The customer might not know they really need a certain accessory or feature because you have not made the connection between their life and some specific products or services.

If they say they drive for a living, they have just told you they need a car charger and a blueooth headset and it is your job to point out the benefits they might not be seeing. Thing is you have ask the right questions such as where they work to even get there. We are speaking to them, but I would never say "just speaking" because we should be engaging in a conversation and asking the very same 4-5 start up questions that are meant for people who are buying cell phones. After were hear their responses, we ask more questions... then we tell them what they just told us and suggest products based on what we know will benefit them... because we asked the right questions.

Originally Posted by The Champ

There is a saying, don't set a budget for a customer, so sell away. However, there is a point where you stop and realize they won't buy ****.

Originally Posted by cingman66

That's the part of your quote I like the best. I have been in sales a LONG time and one thing I have realized...you can only sell so much to one person. Eventually they will get "full" and shut you down. We are already selling more than we ever had to--we have to first sell them on AT&T, then on US (the Agent), then on the plan, then the phone, then the features, then the accessories. At some point you have to feel out the customer and realize that enough is enough. They will only buy so much. If you have a hard time getting the sale in the first place, for example, and you upsell the plan and maybe even add 7-7 or a media package...by the time the customer has agreed to all these little extras, they may feel like they've already given in enough and will hold the line when it comes time to tack on the accessories. Alot of times we, as salespeople, have to make a choice--do I want to get the higher plan and features, or go for the accessories and better phone. We are also customers at some point, and we know what the other side of the fence feels like. The minute I hear some other salesperson trying to "sell" me, I shut right down and will often walk away and find another rep. I also know that when I am spending my own money, there are limits...and if I didn't expect to have to upgrade my plan, or add $19.99/month to get that media plan, or add $8.99 to get early nights, then by the time we get to accessories (whether they were brought up at the beginning of the sales process or not), I probably will not spend any more money, because I may feel like I've already "spent" money on my monthly bill.

I know you should try to sell, sell, sell until they say no...but at some point you have to be aware that you may be piling it on, and even though the customer may buy the accessories, that customer may not come back again if he/she feels like you took advantage of them.

Funny thing is though, after all I've written today, I still feel like I could do a better job selling accessories, and will try to learn from all of this. I'm not too proud to admit that I don't know everything and I can always learn something new.

Originally Posted by The Champ

Are you a trainer? Have you seriously been on the floor?

If you're a legit salesman, there is no "sales process." All that is ******** and provides a platform for those new to selling. If you're experienced in any way, you'd know the sales process is just jumble.

I've met managers who have been car salesman that say the sales process is ********, but they just have to go over it because of ATT. It's not a true way to sell things.

For one thing, the sales process is too definitive. I honestly liked Best Buy's CARE model to go by the most...

Contact
Ask questions
Recommend
Encourage

You can break those up and switch it around but those are things you need to do. You can recommend before asking questions to set a bar to where a customer is going to be at. Or encourage as you ask questions...its just all a game.

The ATT structure is ********...I remember the trainer saying oh if it doesn't work, just go through again until they buy something. Are you serious?

Your quotes are ********, and customers aren't stupid and they aren't videogames like I said.

"I've created a bundle for you."

No you didn't create ****, it was already created and they're not getting any additional discounts than what is already offered. They KNOW...they'll look at it and ask is there any discount or any sale going on. Then at that point you can lie, etc do whatever...customers aren't stupid.

I can't honestly believe you're a salesman talking with those quotes.

If I walked into a store with a salesman talking like that I'd give a nice jab to the jaw and leave.

Don't try to push ********...the quotes you're giving are only embraced by those few customers you're lucky to run into.

But the average customer?

Get back to earth.

Originally Posted by BillPinga

"Mr. Champ, you say you like to talk on cell phone forums, now let me ask you something. When you are misunderstanding the difference between being a good salesperson and pushing ******, and your phone rings, wouldn't it be great to keep your hands free so you can do two things as once?"

And yes I work the floor all the time and have been in wireless sales for 5 years with great success

Originally Posted by BillPinga

When it comes time to tack on accessories cingman? You should be including accessories during the entire sale. When the time comes to activate the phone for a customer you should have already discussed and come to a conclusion as to basically everything they are going to buy. Tack on accessories sounds like the rep who says "do you want a car charger?" as they are ringing up a customer.

Originally Posted by cingman66

That's why I said 'whether they were brought up at the beginning of the sales process or not' because I know how to sell accessories. My point was that you were being too simplistic, naive and condescending. Aside from that, though, your responses have been quite educational. You should teach Sales 101...you have a good attitude about the whole thing.

Originally Posted by The Champ

Yeah...too bad I already found that solution on my own...a long time ago.

Like I said, a good % of sales are made outside the store.

What store are you at?

Originally Posted by cingman66

I appreciate this response Bill (the whole thing, not just the captioned part I copied)...I know it came straight out of Sales 101 and many salespeople get lazy over the years (myself included) and need a refresher. But to say that most everyone could use two or three accessories...that's absurd. For example...I just had a lady buy a Nokia 6085 and she told me that pictures were important to her, as was having a headset and durable case. Now, I "sold" her on three accessories (BT headset, case and SD card), but she could only "afford" one, so she took the case. No amount of bundling was going to change the fact that she didn't have the money for all three items. Another example from today...customer bought a Samsung a-737 for her daughter (13 years old). I pitched every accessory I have, and she bought nothing. Why not, you say...because her daughter doesn't use a carry case (even though her last phone looked like it went through a war), doesn't drive yet, hates BT headsets (they look stupid!), can't afford to get the SD card yet, and Mom won't let her download anything, so doesn't need a cable. So here we have a perfect candidate for accessories, yet she buys nothing. My point is that in the real world (not in a sales utopia vacuum), people will usually only buy what they want to buy...and NOT what you tell them they need. Unless you have all brainless wonders as customers.

Sorry if I sound crabby...it's been a BAD day.

Originally Posted by BillPinga

I'm not sure how you guys sell and hit your goals with the idea that everyone seems to know what they want when they come into your store. I also do not understand why you imply that sales is something that has been decided before the customer comes in and there is not good "sales" techniques based around the models I have given. What I would like to know then is how do you sell? I believe in selling the whole package and that most customers need accessories. If they don't buy, that's fine, but I find it hard to be in a customer situation where I could not tell them a few solid reasons why they would not benefit their life.

When I made that bundle quote, I was not referring to pre-determined bundles, because where we work there are customizable bundles for everyone which could include any 2,3, or 4 of the 15 or so accessories we sell for each phone. Different cases, different headsets, clips, bluetooth headsets, size of memory cards, etc.

Originally Posted by BillPinga

If they don't buy, that's fine, but I find it hard to be in a customer situation where I could not tell them a few solid reasons why they would not benefit their life.

Originally Posted by waterhurley

what this all boils down to for us COR reps is hitting your matrix's. doesnt matter what they want at the end of the month if your not on track you hear about it. theres a rep in my store whos at $55 per opp on accessories and $45 for feats. yes hes in excelence nad hes the one who im learning the most from. the guy is good and his paycheck reflects that. yes IM NEW and im all hyped about stuff but heres a guy thats been with cingular for 5 years and hes driving around a new Mercedes.

Hes stayed outta management because he can pull almost 6 figures as an RSC. Who would give that up?

Originally Posted by waterhurley

6 reps.

everyone in our area want to come work at my store. kind of a cool feeling. ive only been in the store 3 weeks and im still waiting to go out to training (long story).

and hey money is money... weather its 30 cents or 30 dollars its still money

Originally Posted by waterhurley

8 terminals

Originally Posted by waterhurley

no for some reason our managers each get terminals.... i think they are just jellous

Originally Posted by Gibson714

No matter what company you work for, there are always people that try to find excuses as to why they can't do something. If it works for someone else or someone else is exceeding the metrics, it is because they are lucky.

It makes people feel better when they can make excuses for their failures/shortcomings instead of trying to find ways to be successful.

Kudos to any of you who actually try to do your job and are successful. I can't believe people are arguing with someone who was just trying to be helpful and give some sales tips.