[BoldPreza]

Actually it was you that motivated me starting this thread. Lol. Was looking forward to your response. Didn't disappoint either.

It still leaves me curious though as another rep said they do get a spiff on certain models but you said you don't. Guess it comes down to the carrier?

Posted via CB10

[qbnkelt]

Actually it was you that motivated me starting this thread. Lol. Was looking forward to your response. Didn't disappoint either.

It still leaves me curious though as another rep said they do get a spiff on certain models but you said you don't. Guess it comes down to the carrier?

Posted via CB10

From what I've seen, yes.

Rep at VZW said it to me once.

Sent from my Z10 using Tapatalk 2

[BoldPreza]

I thought you were using an iPhone these days!

Posted via CB10

[reeneebob]

Actually it was you that motivated me starting this thread. Lol. Was looking forward to your response. Didn't disappoint either.

It still leaves me curious though as another rep said they do get a spiff on certain models but you said you don't. Guess it comes down to the carrier?

Posted via CB10

Not just the carrier...I think it's the store as well. Often the kiosks or stores aren't actually corporate locations. They are private dealers who work out their own deals with the handset maker. I mean there's a store two over from our location with the huge lit up Bell sign...and they aren't actually Bell but a dealer, while I am paid by Bell. The Rogers store across from us with the big Rogers sign? Dealer not owned by Rogers.

We occasionally have contests where you can win a handset, but as far as actual money goes it makes no difference if I sell a Z10 or an Xperia. What does make a difference is if its a new line or a hardware upgrade.


Tippy tapped from my iPhone 5, from me to you.

[Valker]

I went to Best Buy today to buy a white Z10 for $1 and the sales rep said "are you sure you want a Blackberry?" Then I went to my Verizon store to look at buying a black Z10 for $99 and I got "you want to buy a Blackberry?" It seems that the reps either don't have a clue about what BB10 has to offer, or everyone is on the iPhone or Samsung band wagon.

[BoldPreza]

Sounds more like shock than them trying to turn you away.

Posted via CB10

[shahyaz]

I worked in cell sales for a long time and was damn good at it. I won my Z10 for being one of the top reps in Canada when it was initially released. I've won other contests before from BlackBerry through my old job.... Probably close to 3K worth, plus a trip to Bahamas, which I could not attend as I quit. I sold a lot. Then I quit sales. Why? Because I was tired of having to push products which were sub-par. In Canada, at least, manufacturers give either spiffs (extra money earned per unit) or handsets to top reps. There were many 'Sell 3, get 50 bucks' contests. And they were cumulative. As well, the providers would give us spiffs or incentives as well. Extra 25 bucks if you sell 2 units, or selling particular units counted as one-two extra sales for our quotas.

It was insane.... Although I loved these contests and won quite a few, it was a pretty ****ty way to sell... Reps will push a product based on the incentives, even if they didn't care for it. I remember with the Lumia 920 release, my store had a huge push and were given 25 bucks per Lumia, on top of the probably 40-50 bucks we'd do per activation. That adds up when you sell 5 - 10 units.

I tried not to steer users from Blackberry products typically though... that's how I earned the nickname BlackBerry Schill. I tried to go for a more honest approach for my clients (as it builds a solid foundation for further business). I listened to my clients' needs and based my recommendations on their wants... but it's so easy to skew to any multitude of products.

Android was an easy sell. Everyone would come and either ask for a BlackBerry or iPhone. Androids are like the iPhones, but typically cheaper and more effective. So, with a few simple demonstrations, I could have a user hooked on an Android. If the rep is good, they will probe a user and find out exactly what the user needs the phone for and show why, say an Android phone could do everything, but more efficiently and for less cost. I swayed many hardcore Apple fans away from Apple... And I hate to say, moved more than I'd like to admit away from BlackBerry.

In the end, the rep wants to make money. The rep wants to build their business so they can ensure they can make money long term.

[STV0726]

Sadly, I expected my list to be dismissed as gimmicks or unneeded things. With some people, anything BlackBerry can't do is a gimmick, until that exact moment that BlackBerry can do it. Then, that same feature becomes the greatest thing ever.

I've owned BlackBerry smartphones long enough that I actually remember seeing a person say "Why would I want a music player on my BlackBerry? I have a MP3 player for that."

Evidently that was a gimmick at one point as well.


Typed on my Dev Alpha C, Posted Via CB10

No sir, that is precisely why I said I COULD say etc etc.

I actually like split screen even tho it isn't as useful on smaller screens. I think BB10 should implement it and I've actually recommended it formally in several posts. For example, I thought BlackBerry could implement a gesture where you tap and hold two frames and it brings them to split screen.

I'm sorry for not making that clear, once again. I like some Android features but ultimately BlackBerry is my device and platform of choice. You like Android that's great.

And props to the sales folks here for sharing their experience. I don't want it to come off as telling one how to do one's job, but I will be the first to admit I'm guilty of sounding like that. I just want sales to ideally be about educating customers and sales reps on how to match each person up with the right phone.

A customer wanting a BlackBerry and being subjected to BB bashing isn't a good sales experience. As some of the sales reps above pointed out, it should be done by asking the customer questions.

~STV on Z10STL100-3/10.1.0.2025 TMO US

[reeneebob]

I worked in cell sales for a long time and was damn good at it. I won my Z10 for being one of the top reps in Canada when it was initially released. I've won other contests before from BlackBerry through my old job.... Probably close to 3K worth, plus a trip to Bahamas, which I could not attend as I quit. I sold a lot. Then I quit sales. Why? Because I was tired of having to push products which were sub-par. In Canada, at least, manufacturers give either spiffs (extra money earned per unit) or handsets to top reps. There were many 'Sell 3, get 50 bucks' contests. And they were cumulative. As well, the providers would give us spiffs or incentives as well. Extra 25 bucks if you sell 2 units, or selling particular units counted as one-two extra sales for our quotas.

It was insane.... Although I loved these contests and won quite a few, it was a pretty ****ty way to sell... Reps will push a product based on the incentives, even if they didn't care for it. I remember with the Lumia 920 release, my store had a huge push and were given 25 bucks per Lumia, on top of the probably 40-50 bucks we'd do per activation. That adds up when you sell 5 - 10 units.

I tried not to steer users from Blackberry products typically though... that's how I earned the nickname BlackBerry Schill. I tried to go for a more honest approach for my clients (as it builds a solid foundation for further business). I listened to my clients' needs and based my recommendations on their wants... but it's so easy to skew to any multitude of products.

Android was an easy sell. Everyone would come and either ask for a BlackBerry or iPhone. Androids are like the iPhones, but typically cheaper and more effective. So, with a few simple demonstrations, I could have a user hooked on an Android. If the rep is good, they will probe a user and find out exactly what the user needs the phone for and show why, say an Android phone could do everything, but more efficiently and for less cost. I swayed many hardcore Apple fans away from Apple... And I hate to say, moved more than I'd like to admit away from BlackBerry.

In the end, the rep wants to make money. The rep wants to build their business so they can ensure they can make money long term.

Not everywhere in Canada - right now is the first time in forever we have had a contest where a handset was the prize, and it's for overall handset sales, not a specific handset.

Other than that, I agree with what you say, particular the selling what will work best for the customer. Why would I sell a customer who would be best served by a BB a GS4? Just so they'll be annoyed with the handset experience and blame me? No. A happy customer is a repeat customer.

That said, if someone asks me why I am no longer using my Z10, I'll be truthful. We are starting to see many of the ones we sold at launch coming back for repair because they've gone into permanent sleep. I know mine was solid until 3 months in, and then it was totally, completely and hopelessly bricked, and BB customer service was atrocious. Unfortunately we are also seeing a lot of PB's coming in for repair as well and the customers have called BB and also had bad experiences. I will be honest about the good and the bad, regardless of the manufacturer.

[shahyaz]

Not everywhere in Canada - right now is the first time in forever we have had a contest where a handset was the prize, and it's for overall handset sales, not a specific handset.

Other than that, I agree with what you say, particular the selling what will work best for the customer. Why would I sell a customer who would be best served by a BB a GS4? Just so they'll be annoyed with the handset experience and blame me? No. A happy customer is a repeat customer.

That said, if someone asks me why I am no longer using my Z10, I'll be truthful. We are starting to see many of the ones we sold at launch coming back for repair because they've gone into permanent sleep. I know mine was solid until 3 months in, and then it was totally, completely and hopelessly bricked, and BB customer service was atrocious. Unfortunately we are also seeing a lot of PB's coming in for repair as well and the customers have called BB and also had bad experiences. I will be honest about the good and the bad, regardless of the manufacturer.

I've been out of the game for about 4 months, and I guess a lot has changed. My old company, Glentel, was pretty effective with contests and prizes. I know it's not the same for all retailers. Contests seem to pop up a lot during Back To School, Christmas, and for some reason, February (slow sales month, I believe). Good luck in the contest!

Indeed, well said. A happy customer is a repeat customer... If there are any reps out there, heed the latter advice. Act professional, unbiased and actually care about what the customer wants/needs. There's a guy I know who makes 200K/year from commissions, thanks to his excellent customer service skills. He is a god in the industry.

[eddy_berry]

Heehee I wasn't wrong so far. I did miss the marketing thing as well so nobody really knows therefore they don't ask. But my list was not bad. I don't work in Sales anymore so I'm no expert, but I've read so many threads similar to this that my list is all the things I've come across. BB10 needs much more good news and people, especially in th US, need to be persuaded toward BB10. It's not sales peoples fault at all. I figure most reps on CB are open minded to many platforms and listen to their customers. I don't expect lazy reps with biased opinions or who just don't care to be on CB. well, unless they are biased towards BB.

[Andrew4life]

As a sales team member at a dealership for a regional Tel-co, I can honestly say that I always recommend the device that I feel will suit the customer the best. If the customer comes in the door and wants a specific phone I will ask a series of questions to make sure they have done their homework on the device. SPIFFs are also a factor in recommending a device. Certain devices will carry a cash incentive for selling the device (SPIFF) and that will make me lean to one device over another similar one, but I will not recommend a garbage phone to a customer no matter what! I will also make sure my customers know the repair procedures and my experiences dealing with warranty repairs with each company (Motorola was the worst ever!!).

Best Answer.

BB10 is no magical ultimate phone. Neither is iOS, neither is Android.

It is all about what the customer needs.
A general rule of thumb is:
Simple -> iOS
Apps and customization -> Android
Email/Messaging/Media -> BlackBerry

But everyone also has their own preference.

We really need to stop with the BB10 is the best and move towards, "If you want x, y, z, then get a BB10 phone. Otherwise, pick something else."