vB Easy Archive - "Fishing" For Features? Read

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"Fishing" For Features? Read
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Posted by: b!6@2

Im new to cingular and started to get comfortable with the part time position Im in. Im starting to get haggled about my features being too low. Ive been in sales for over 7 years, so getting acts isnt a problem. When a customer doesnt want to purchase any features, theres nothing I can do about it. Or, maybe, Im just getting the bad batch of customers who wants to upgrade or migrate without any features; Im one of those customers that dont need it as well. I work 2 jobs (7 days per week) while going to school as well.

Well, heres the "thing" im spotting on the sales floor...

Sales agents must keep up with their feature revenue per month in order to avoid nazi-boot camp, which is bad to begin with. From day one, Ive been hearing how Sales Agents fishes for features and score. "Im taking them" or "you can have this because I already found mebb" bs. I know exactly what their doing.

Cingular reps working in a store should know what is going on here, regardless of how long you worked there for. I know its against policy to fish for features, but this is how some of these sales agents are keeping their numbers at an average, or minimum. Is this legal? If thats the case, I should be fishing as well!

Im getting pinned down for having low features and will cause the whole store to go to boot camp.

Once I get my review with pay increase at my other job as an inside sales assistant, I might quit stinkular and go back fulltime and take night classes instead. This is too childish for me; I miss my 9-5 cubicle job while sippin on coffee and taking 1.5 hr lunches.

I can already tell that working for cingular sucks.

What would you do?

Posted by: daytoncj

well there are a few things you can do. first off, cingular offers the customer two free features for the first month whether they are upgrading, migrating, or new acts. Roadside and voicedial. Tell the customer they are a great promo that Cingular is giving customers right now and explain the benefits. Right there you are at $7.98 per line. Unfortunately this is a cutthroat business and if you doing simple things like this then you are just throwing money away. im sure that you can hit $10 per line fairly easily if you just offer the feature and explain how the customer might need it. i have too many reps that just mention something at the end of the sale. the customer is only concerned with their bill at this point so try to work it into your pitch.

Posted by: b!6@2

Despite the 2 free features that are provided free for the first two months, what about feature fishing? I know this is taking someone elses commision away and this is perfectly fine? If I have to do everything legal, thats perfectly fine. I just dont want to be responsible for having low features when my features revenue is legit, while others are hacked.

Posted by: audiovoxx

i wouldnt do that for two reasons not only can you get fired for that but most likely you would hurt people from your store with the charge backs and believe me once i see my charge backs i do go and see.
another good way of selling a feautre is creating the need sound excited about it... make them believe they wont be able to live with out it

well those are my two cents

Posted by: noodles5666

Ok as a former RSC/SME, you have so many resources. You can utilize ROCCS and do as voxx said create the need. Be excited about the product your selling. I will say this and take it how you will. DO NOT "FISH" as you so nicely put it. I don't know about other reps but I kept track of all my NEW/UP/ACCESS/FEATS sales. Names/Numbers/Dates all kept track of and when I saw chargebacks from coworkers putting their codes on my sales I would flip on them. Would you steal from your coworkers bank account, probably not but "fishing" is doing the same thing indirectly. You are basically stealing money from people by doing this. So don't do as your coworkers are doing. Use all legit means neccessary to get your feat$ and access$. It's really not that hard.

Posted by: EJ25RS

Quote:

Originally Posted by noodles5666

Ok as a former RSC/SME, you have so many resources. You can utilize ROCCS and do as voxx said create the need. Be excited about the product your selling. I will say this and take it how you will. DO NOT "FISH" as you so nicely put it. I don't know about other reps but I kept track of all my NEW/UP/ACCESS/FEATS sales. Names/Numbers/Dates all kept track of and when I saw chargebacks from coworkers putting their codes on my sales I would flip on them. Would you steal from your coworkers bank account, probably not but "fishing" is doing the same thing indirectly. You are basically stealing money from people by doing this. So don't do as your coworkers are doing. Use all legit means neccessary to get your feat$ and access$. It's really not that hard.

Well Said!!!

Have you tried Roccs? Cause seriously roccs will help out a whole lot, it seem like a lot of work but do a few rateplan analysis a day, customers love it when you call them to tell them that your concerned about their bill and that you have a solution to saving $$$!!!!

Try pushing Treo's or BB as the data feature will boost your revenue per opps.

There's always the 4.99 insurance if they dont bite atleast offer a case to protect their 2 yr investment.

Teenagers love Aim, all of the sms packages are 1 month free (in my market)

I got in a car accident recently and with my handy camera phone i was able to take a few pics to show to my insurance company,

Roadside asst follows the phone not the car.

These are a few sales pitch's thats been successful for me try it out there's millions of ways to sell a product/feature but its all on how you present it.

Hope this helps...

Posted by: Lambert

Quote:

Originally Posted by EJ25RS

insurance doesn't pay, right?

Posted by: noodles5666

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lambert

insurance doesn't pay, right?

The $4.99 does pay out the $1 for extended warranty. But the full $4.99 counts toward your feats/opp.

Posted by: tendura

For some reason, we're being told that we can't use ROCSS because we're in corp kiosk. I think that's a bunch of crap, but i can't get any data when I log in. Features are hard to come by in my area. I try to get as many as I can when customers come in to pay bills, get accessories, upgrades, adds whatever.

Posted by: Dhack32

do you guys not use the folders there? or is that what the ROCSS is?... they sent our market folders that have plan packages..some are messaging plans; but the nice thing is they total everything up for you and we can just tell the customer that they're gett'n all those features for that price...all our reps use it and we've had real good feedback on it.

... we also try to get features out of every opportunity regardless of what the customer came in for

Posted by: b!6@2

I came on board open handed and attempted to intake as much information given to me a an employee, and I left empty handed after 2 months. No one can properly train you on the essentials there in the store; Again, this is probably just my store.

No one, since the day of my features performance, has mentioned anything about ROCCs and what the procedures are to doing so.

Maybe, this is just my ex-store?

Posted by: Lambert

Quote:

Originally Posted by b!6@2

I came on board open handed and attempted to intake as much information given to me a an employee, and I left empty handed after 2 months. No one can properly train you on the essentials there in the store; Again, this is probably just my store.

No one, since the day of my features performance, has mentioned anything about ROCCs and what the procedures are to doing so.

Maybe, this is just my ex-store?

more than likely just your store.

roccs is great.

Posted by: audiovoxx

roccs is awesome.... it helped alot with my attach rate the past months... my arsm is having call downs every tuesday. is anyone doing the same in other markets??

Posted by: BellaDea

we have something called the Broiler Room where a rep from each store does roccs calls for so many hours one day a week. the person with the highest attatch rate wins something. probably like what you were talking about audiovoxx

Posted by: Alfred_Neuman

i dont even haveaccess to roccs lol.

i dont care though.

i find that 95% of my customers who get features keep em or modify them slightly. this for me is good.

its not all about gettin the sale if theyll cancel after 30 days.

Posted by: A.H.E.

what the hell is "fishing" for features?

Posted by: chargebk

Better Question what is ROCCS? Getting the feeling it is some type of follow up calling procedure. Can anyone explain?

Posted by: SoCal91302

Quote:

Originally Posted by chargebk

Better Question what is ROCCS? Getting the feeling it is some type of follow up calling procedure. Can anyone explain?

In CSP. It is a program that will remind you to followup with customers either 2 days, 2 weeks, or 2 months after the contract start. It will also bring up customers that are using certain features, but do not have a plan for that feature on their bill. it makes for easy add ons.

Posted by: suicidal2af

Quote:

Originally Posted by A.H.E.

what the hell is "fishing" for features?

410-410-0001 - add/remove any features
410-410-0002 - add/remove any features
410-410-0003 - add/remove any features

ad nauseum

Be careful doing this, my old store had the heat come down for a few $2000 commission checks when they changed from 9.99 750 SMS to 9.99 1000.

Posted by: Rcadden

While at our kiosk we don't get paid for features, I still push them gently for two reasons:

1. I have a buddy who works at a corp. store that I call to put them on, to help him out
2. If I get them a text messaging plan, that's one less customer I'm worried about bringing their huge bill up to me to complain. That being said, here's some of my lines:

1. Push text messaging along with the Google thing. Its WAY cheaper than 411. You text something like, "Texas Roadhouse, Fort Worth, TX" to 46645 (GOOGL) and it replies with address and phone number. That's $.20 (two sms) rather than $1.50. Get the $2.99 text at the least.

2. If they're buying a camera phone, MEdiaWorks. Unlimited picture messaging, they can then print those pictures off or whatever.

3. The lines above are good. Roadside follows the phone not the car

etc. Ask a coupla questions to figure out what's going to help them most. Contracters and field sales are good for picture messaging, they can send images back to the home office instantly.

Posted by: pauldg

do use the free trials of roadside and voicedialing, they may be charged back but at least you'll hit your numbers.

any camera phone should be an easy MMS sale, just tell them what MMS can do (email, other carriers, video) from there, try to upsell to MEdiaBasic- here's my pitch:

you're going to use it (they'll swear up and down they'll never use it). we all have down time, we all wait in a line sometimes, and medianet is a great way to pass a couple minutes - check CNN, ESPN, WeatherChannel (mention the customized homepage with local, pertinent info). Sooner or later they WILL try it, so why not just try it out and see what your new phone can do. the GOOGLE thing also works with YAHOO, BTW and i love this service, partly b/c it's way less than 411. one other note is Sony Ericsson: their web site has SO MUCH free stuff and all u need is a media plan to download all kinds of free themes/ringtones with the z520 or w600

Posted by: sheila627

i worked for corporate we would just give them a welcome package ah those were the days anything free we are like you automatically get to try that free for 30days yeah and your gonna need insurance on that puppy!! if your less than 30yrs old you have to have text i would always tell parents to accept the reality and buy the text package now that way i didn't have to explain to them why they have a $50 charge for text