vB Easy Archive - Stupid Checklists!!!

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Stupid Checklists!!!
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Posted by: kinghigh779

Topic sparked in different thread. How silly are these silly checklists? It makes us look like buffoons. Ex :

Customer : I am looking at buying a Cingular phone, and Cingular service.

Rep : Ok, let me get my clipboard so I know what I am talking about

how silly do they want us to look? I guarantee if just ONE higher up person came into the store and worked at our level on a busy saturday with a clipboard, they would realize how incredibly silly the idea is.

And further more, in the last training class I had we were taught that even if a pissed off customer comes in with a broken phone new or old we are to have the clipboard in hand and stick to the six step selling process!!!

WTF??

ex:

Customer : My phone dont work anymore and I am about tired and fed up with your service and all these fees keep adding up for features I dont even use and I want to speak to a manager because I am pissed!!!!!!

Rep : I understand sir..let me grab my clipboard real quick....okay, hello, my name is Mark..Welcome to Cingular, do you currently have a Cingular cellphone?

.... and so on...

HOW INCREDIBLY IDIOTIC ARE THE CORPORATE DOLTS THAT RUN THIS SHOW????

Posted by: BellaDea

Is it the mystery shop form? we had something like that taped to our clipboards but no one really uses it anyway.

Posted by: anubis9278

its required now. dealers had them for over a year now here in atlanta. its been a great success. only fitting they deploy it nationwide. but yeah it does make you look stupid. did i greet them within 3 seconds of enter the front door... check.

Posted by: blessd24

Amen.........

Posted by: Rcadden

I agree it's silly, but I think it's probably a good idea. I know I'm stereotyping, but most COR reps that I've ever encountered weren't the greatest salespersons ever. Usually agents (or *shudder* mall salesmen) are better at directing a customer through the sales process.

I think the main reason is COR reps are so used to having the customers come to you, usually knowing they want a phone, so you aren't used to asking the right questions. Also, ya'll have to deal with alot more of the general crap (broken phones, customer service issues, etc.) than other salespeople.

I'm saying it's not the COR reps fault, but they generally do a poorer job of asking the right questions to get the customer into the right phone/plan. Just my personal observation. I'd say if you're hitting your numbers (or exceeding them) then they really can't say anything about you not using the clipboard.

Posted by: kinghigh779

In any event, the answer is not clipboards.. The majority of seasoned Cingular Reps may be challenged in their ability to sell..but this just means there needs to be better sales training, not that we should have a clipboard on us and turn in to order takers.. that is NOT sales..

Posted by: brealmp3

t-mobile started with all those customer profiles and they blew up, but just didn't have the network rolled out to support all of the customers. it does work, it does help sell features and accessories. it also helps if the customer comes in complaining about the bill because of overages and if you still have the profile on hand, you can always be like here is the plan i suggested but you decided to be cheap and not with the x amount of minutes. and now your going over.

Posted by: MoeDrummer

I've been using our checklist more and more when I can. It makes sure I hit all points IF I'm being shopped (which I do anyway, just not in the order it's on the list) and is useful when pushing features.

Posted by: WiJackSeller

They are a horrible idea. All my fellow reps in town agree. And as to the poster who said COR doesnt know how to sell well, then i think you should come work with me. 12 out of about 16 reps in my town between 4 stores have worked here at least 1 year, with of couple of them 2 +, and 6 of us are in our 5th or 6th years. We all hit numbers, and do know how to direct customers to what to buy and ask the right q's. otherwise, we all wouldnt hit numbers with a high high high amount of repeat customers asking just for us.

Posted by: kinghigh779

NIIIICE WIjack, thats what I like to hear!!

We are not order takers...

Take car salesmen for example.. The last time you went to look at cars at a dealership, did the salesmen approaching you have a checklist in his hand?

ommmmmmmmm, most likely no..unless he was a dolt.

Same thing with us.. We actually took a poll that the higher ups I am sure would not approve of one Sunday here at our kiosk.

I am not sure of the exact numbers, but we asked each customer we interacted with what they would feel about the same sales pitch used with a clipboard.. Maybe 2 or 3 said they thought it was a good idea, and a good 20 or so said it would have made them feel uncomfortable, or that they were talking to a robot.... So, I am gonna go with the customers on this one.

Posted by: anubis9278

here's a downer...no clip board no job.

Posted by: Toothless Tommy

Crapular is run by morons or Head office wimps who hide out all year in their cubicles .
The clip board idea is pathetic & customers laugh at us when we use it . No wonder Crapular is always hiring new green staff to serve the public . people hate working for Cing and Vetrizon will pass us very soon - look at the stats . well done HO types and your guaranteed pensions !!

hey Toothless Tommy is back after TWO suspensions !!!!!

did anyone miss me ?
dont be cruel when you reply . ( I wonder if the people that called me names got suspended ? )

Posted by: kinghigh779

No clipboard no job may be the case where you are, but us mall folk have a different approach.. Sell the customer like a normal sale, no clipboard, and then when the customer is gone fill out some bullsheit on the clipboard in two seconds..everyone is happy...kinda funny actually..

I know some reps in stores who do the same.. Now if your manager rides your *** all day, then you gots problems

Posted by: Infornography

Ahh sales~

I only use the clipboard if it looks like I can't close the sale. That's when I whip out the clipboard and drill in the questions~ it's a "mystery shop" defensive procedure that I used to use~ Mall reps and agents are penalized more severly by their higher ups for not having the clipboard, whereas corporate reps are held to it only if the manager is extremely anal ( most likely because he/she wants that promotion ). The problem with Cingualr as a whole is that they do not utilize mystery shops or the checklists effectively. By effectively I mean, they give us blanks and expect them to fill it in and hope it all works out. A better, more effective method is to find out who Cingular is marketing to EXACTLY. When you take a look at all our competitors there is a guaranteed group they are marketing to. The wireless providers without a known marketing target usually suffer. You can probably name em or have an idea.

Boost Mobile - younger, ethnic teens/young adults with lower income
Nextel - Business/construction young adults with lower-middle income and bad-average credit

Sprint - lower-middle income adults with lower-middle income

Verizon - Adults or (with families ) with middle to higher income with stress on reliability , average - good credit

T-Mobile - Adults with stress on price or ( with families ) with lower - middle income ; low to average credit

Cingular - ?????

Cingular needs to adopt a proper marketing strategy. While trying to hit everyone may seem to have a higher chance of yielding a bigger profit, the probability of success is low. It's like a dart game. You have 4 targets, but you only have 2-3 darts each weighing differently and each target at different distances away from you. Even if you hit one, you can't hit the other other because you don't have a dart, or it's too far away. Cingular must choose a proper market to target and market effectively towards that target. Nursing mothers, the handicapped, SOMETHING.

Posted by: Soopafly

Clipboards are for people that are still developing their six step (five step in old ATT days) sales process.

Its basically the way to help guide you make sure you hit all the revelant questions and talk about everything that is offered. Not necessilary a bad thing, it will only help you memorize the sales process faster.

Posted by: kinghigh779

Well thats fine if it is meant to help new hires learn the six step process for say a months time. However, that is not teh case here, they want us to use it always..

its not right..plain and simple,

if ya need a checklist, maybe you should look into being an auto mechanic...?