[anon(5828343)]

I am in the market for a Z30. I may not buy it the first time I visit, but I'll buy it eventually.

Have you ever worked in frontline sales?

I had a sales job in college. In fact, it was for a national electronics chain store (it was well before the smartphone era).

I can tell you this. While we weren't directly paid on commission, we did receive monthly bonuses based on our "productivity" which was measured by sales net of returns. If there was a product on the floor which wasn't selling well (which is the case for Blackberry based on the stats) and which was not receiving brand support from the manufacturer (as is clearly the case for Blackberry), I would not be pushing it plain and simple.

I remember in the weeks before a product launch, our store (which was not a flagship store by any means) would be visited by brand reps and we would be given product demos so that we could properly sell a device. In addition to that, brand reps would offer incentives (ranging from freebies to cold hard cash) so that the sales teams would push their products. The absolute last thing that would work with me would be a customer coming in to the store, "kicking the tires", taking up my time and trying to convince me to sell their favorite device with absolutely nothing to show for it. Would I have laughed at them or treated them rudely? Absolutely not. But it would also not make me any more likely to push their favorite product.

Those frontline sales days are long gone for me, but from everything I have seen on this forum and in the media and from personal experience, BBRY just doesn't provide the same product sales and marketing support as Samsung, Apple or even HTC and other brands.

So, absolutely, go out there and "fight the good fight". But from my personal experience in frontline sales, I highly doubt you're actually making much of a difference in terms of converting any sales clerk into a BB ambassador. The only effective way to accomplish that would have to directly involve BBRY and an effective marketing and sales campaign.

[anon(5828343)]

I was just in an AT&T store for another issue, and asked the nIce gentleman who waited on me when he thinks ATT will release 10.2. He said that is up to BlackBerry, not ATT. I said everyone else in the world has it. He said nobody is buying BBs any more.

We've heard examples of the same experiences at AT&T, Verizon and T-mobile stores so if this is truly as widespread as it appears to be, the question I would ask yet again is what is BBRY doing about it? If you ran a business and your product was being so consistently bashed by the salesforces you depend upon directly to actually sell your product, wouldn't you make at least a small effort to correct the situation?

We've seen these stories on this very forum for months now. Surely if this was a real problem, BBRY would want to fix it, no?

Since they haven't, perhaps:
a) they don't think it is a problem
b) they don't think it is a problem worth fixing
c) they don't have the resources to fix the problem
d) they know they have a problem but they just don't care

[xBURK]

We've heard examples of the same experiences at AT&T, Verizon and T-mobile stores so if this is truly as widespread as it appears to be, the question I would ask yet again is what is BBRY doing about it? If you ran a business and your product was being so consistently bashed by the salesforces you depend upon directly to actually sell your product, wouldn't you make at least a small effort to correct the situation?

We've seen these stories on this very forum for months now. Surely if this was a real problem, BBRY would want to fix it, no?

Since they haven't, perhaps:
a) they don't think it is a problem
b) they don't think it is a problem worth fixing
c) they don't have the resources to fix the problem
d) they know they have a problem but they just don't care

Extremely true.
It's so easy for anyone using a BB10 product to get upset because they know the truth about how amazing it is.
On the other hand, anyone without one, can easily come to the conclusion that BlackBerry is terrible just from negative press etc....

Word of mouth can help, but unfortunately not from where BlackBerry sits right now.

The reality of it all, BlackBerry has to fix this. I will always promote BlackBerry 10. Even if they don't, it does not change the fact that it's the best operating system with the best potential. I'm hoping that Mr. Chen is waiting for the next big BB10 device launch to change this? It's going to take the best minds in the business to accomplish this though.

Powered by BlackBerry

[james pisano]

Have you ever worked in frontline sales?

I had a sales job in college. In fact, it was for a national electronics chain store (it was well before the smartphone era).

I can tell you this. While we weren't directly paid on commission, we did receive monthly bonuses based on our "productivity" which was measured by sales net of returns. If there was a product on the floor which wasn't selling well (which is the case for Blackberry based on the stats) and which was not receiving brand support from the manufacturer (as is clearly the case for Blackberry), I would not be pushing it plain and simple.

I remember in the weeks before a product launch, our store (which was not a flagship store by any means) would be visited by brand reps and we would be given product demos so that we could properly sell a device. In addition to that, brand reps would offer incentives (ranging from freebies to cold hard cash) so that the sales teams would push their products. The absolute last thing that would work with me would be a customer coming in to the store, "kicking the tires", taking up my time and trying to convince me to sell their favorite device with absolutely nothing to show for it. Would I have laughed at them or treated them rudely? Absolutely not. But it would also not make me any more likely to push their favorite product.

Those frontline sales days are long gone for me, but from everything I have seen on this forum and in the media and from personal experience, BBRY just doesn't provide the same product sales and marketing support as Samsung, Apple or even HTC and other brands.

So, absolutely, go out there and "fight the good fight". But from my personal experience in frontline sales, I highly doubt you're actually making much of a difference in terms of converting any sales clerk into a BB ambassador. The only effective way to accomplish that would have to directly involve BBRY and an effective marketing and sales campaign.

I agree. And yes I am in sales right now and have been for my career. You make valid points about issues BB needs to attend to. However, I see myself and all BB fans as ambassadors for this platform. We need to do what we can to help them succeed. How successful could this effort be? Not as successful as BB would be if they started cleverly marketing their strengths.

You don't agree or don't want to try, that's your business, but that's not going to alter my course. I will do what I can short of hurting someone's business. It's easy enough to check how busy a retail store is, and it doesn't take long to make a few points with a salesperson. And if you think people calling, emailing and asking about a product has no bearing on how the product is perceived by the retail vendor, you're wrong.

The problem is the salespeople already have an attitude about BB, that's fairly obvious. If they didn't, I wouldn't bother trying to change it. I'm assuming their attitude is not based on economic reasons; that is on how much money they make selling the phones.

But this is all tangential. I joined in this thread because I believe the OP's experience is common. My suggestion is something we can do that may have some impact. If you have a better idea as to what BB fans can do, spill it.

Via CB10 & Z10 or Q10

[james pisano]

That's hilarious! Do I give to charities? Hahahaha. BlackBerry got 500 bucks from me...., lol


Sent from my iPhone using CB Forums mobile app

It's not really. There are many deserving charities. I brought this up in response to your comment about how you were looking out for others as you continue to bicker on this thread. You seemed to imply some type of altruistic motive so I inquired just how altruistic you really are.

I'm sure if you're on a mission to save everyone from buying a Z10, that you can find a better way of doing it. Pop off this thread and think about it for a while. What you're doing now doesn't appear to be working.

Again- this is a BB user forum... maybe you should start your own technology blog.

Via CB10 & Z10 or Q10

[CDM76]

Market all you want. I won't get another Z10.


Sent from my iPhone using CB Forums mobile app

Good. Get a Z30. It's leaps and bounds better. Both in quality and usability

Posted via CB10

[canuckvoip]

.
The problem is the salespeople already have an attitude about BB, that's fairly obvious.
Via CB10 & Z10 or Q10

I've come to the conclusion that too many frontline mobile sales reps are poorly trained and even more poorly managed.
There is no way I'd allow my employee to speak in such negative and ignorant terms regarding a product my company sold and serviced. To do so is unprofessional.
A rep acting in a negative or condescending manner needs to be reported so that management and ownership can fix the problem employee with additional training. If that doesn't work there are plenty of people with the right attitude to take their place.

[xBURK]

I've come to the conclusion that too many frontline mobile sales reps are poorly trained and even more poorly managed.
There is no way I'd allow my employee to speak in such negative and ignorant terms regarding a product my company sold and serviced. To do so is unprofessional.
A rep acting in a negative or condescending manner needs to be reported so that management and ownership can fix the problem employee with additional training. If that doesn't work there are plenty of people with the right attitude to take their place.

True.
Another fact is that many sales reps are young and in all reality can't wait to get home to their Xbox and Doritos.

Powered by BlackBerry

[madman0141]

I have to add that I am retiring in little under 4 years and I am going to get a retail job for fun. I promise not to disrespect you if you want to buy a certain product and I will apologize for my future coworkers youth and inexperience.

[Gerry In Toronto]

Source?

http://thenextweb.com/shareables/201...beyond/#!AZw8C

G8 leaders who still have BlackBerry include Great Britain, Germany and the United States.

Via my device connected to the Ethernet

[sefrudin]

Not happening here in Indonesia, we love blackberry.

Posted via CB10

[Gerry In Toronto]

This article appeared online yesterday. While not a world leader, it mentions US Hillary Clinton as a Blackberry user.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technolog...ers-using.html


No denying that currently BlackBerry has the best security.

Android and iOS devices do not.


Via my device connected to the Ethernet

[Drayk]

They said they sell them on contracts only and said id have to go to BlackBerry to buy it straight up.....he then remarked with a smirk that he doesnt think there are any BlackBerry stores.
Kinda had to hold myself back from telling the guy off but walked away.
Posted via the Android CrackBerry App!

You should have said (loudly with an incredulous tone), "wait, you work here????", laughed and walked out the door.
Posted via CB10

This is exactly what I did. I currently use a GS4, but I have a Z10 as well. BB10 is the absolute most user friendly mobile OS on the planet. As soon as BBRY gets a couple more things dialed in, I'll be "back in black" full time with a Z10 or Z30.
Walked into an AT&T store & asked about GS4 cases. Dude says, "they're over here". As we walked across the store, I noticed a Z10 & Q10 back in the corner. I asked the guy: "do you sell many BB's". He snickered & said "no". I asked why, & he said: "cuz it's a blackberry". I asked him if he'd every even used one. His response: "no, I don't need to, it's a BB". I went off on the guy!!! Without trying to create a scene, but loud enough for other patrons to hear I said: "dude, you're here to sell customers what they want! You tell a customer with money not to buy a device that you've never even used?". After about 5 minutes of hammering the guy, (and I used some choice words) he asked me to leave the store. I said "screw you, get your manager". The manager came over and (in much less combative demeanor) I told him how messed up it is that his salesmen berate a device based on it's brand, when he's never even used it. I said I buy a new phone every year and I'd NEVER purchase here. He apologized and said that's not professional & he would "better educate his sales staff" on products they carry. After 10 minutes I thanked the manager, apologized for being combative, wished them both a good day & left.

[neo158]

Have you ever worked in frontline sales?

I had a sales job in college. In fact, it was for a national electronics chain store (it was well before the smartphone era).

I can tell you this. While we weren't directly paid on commission, we did receive monthly bonuses based on our "productivity" which was measured by sales net of returns. If there was a product on the floor which wasn't selling well (which is the case for Blackberry based on the stats) and which was not receiving brand support from the manufacturer (as is clearly the case for Blackberry), I would not be pushing it plain and simple.

I remember in the weeks before a product launch, our store (which was not a flagship store by any means) would be visited by brand reps and we would be given product demos so that we could properly sell a device. In addition to that, brand reps would offer incentives (ranging from freebies to cold hard cash) so that the sales teams would push their products. The absolute last thing that would work with me would be a customer coming in to the store, "kicking the tires", taking up my time and trying to convince me to sell their favorite device with absolutely nothing to show for it. Would I have laughed at them or treated them rudely? Absolutely not. But it would also not make me any more likely to push their favorite product.

Those frontline sales days are long gone for me, but from everything I have seen on this forum and in the media and from personal experience, BBRY just doesn't provide the same product sales and marketing support as Samsung, Apple or even HTC and other brands.

So, absolutely, go out there and "fight the good fight". But from my personal experience in frontline sales, I highly doubt you're actually making much of a difference in terms of converting any sales clerk into a BB ambassador. The only effective way to accomplish that would have to directly involve BBRY and an effective marketing and sales campaign.

The problem with that sort of attitude is that people will end up doing what I do now, buy their phone online through Amazon or Expansys which then means that the store and rep missed out on a sale. It shouldn't matter what you as a sales rep think, if a customer knows what they want then that makes your job easier.

[chickenman18]

@James Pisano
I know you hate me and my message. But I represent a simple truth that many simply ignore. It's time you all stop it with your worship of an outfit that has crappy customer service even though they may have a decent product.
I was a BlackBerry fan until my phone died. Customer service was no better then the kid in the store that the OP was talking about.
My message is simple. Customers- demand better. Potential customers- let the buyer beware.


Sent from my iPhone using CB Forums mobile app

[angieberry10]

I've been laughed at by sales people, known as the BlackBerry lover by my friends and my children don't understand how I can be happy with a phone that doesn't have the apps available with their iphone 5c ant HTC one.

I can't explain it myself. I love apps and miss them. Every APK I've tried doesnt work properly. I just know when I hold my Q10 it makes me smile. It feels right.

I will hang out with my BlackBerry as long as it makes me happy.. i've never cared to be like the crowd anyway.

Posted via CB10

[yohannrjm]

My wife works in sales part-time, and she's seen the 'attitude' from salespersons who are not in Tech sales too.

There's no excuse for a tech person to not recommend something in their store. The good salespeople will recommend everything they sell, even if they tend to want to steer you to more expensive things.

[koalaberry]

If some piece of sh!t behind the counter laughs at me for purchasing a BlackBerry I would go straight to the management. No one deserves to be treated like they way you have been treated.

[scrannel]

Here's the sad flip side to all this: at a party my teen goddaughter was checking out my Z10 (and actually had scoped one out before), told me she could never have one because her friends would make fun of her. Because it wasn't an iPhone.

[z10Jobe]

I wouldn't know about BB customer service because the 2 blackberrys I have purchased (including a Z10)have never had any issues.

I can, however, talk about poor Samsung customer service, because of all of the issues I've had with all three of them i bought and sending 2 of them in for repairs, while the other one often randomly dialing people requiring a battery pull. One was sent away twice and now the camera is not working. I was fed up with Samsung (LG marginally better- one out of two sent away) and switched to BB and have been happy since.

Despite the poor service and reliability record of my android phones, I don't go on android fan sites and warn them of the unreliable products because of my bad experiences in a vain attempt to save them from themselves.

[LuvULongTime]

15 things IOS lacks that RIM offers....

1) Miracast ? This is a nifty feature that can broadcast your phone screen and audio wirelessly peer to peer to another Miracast enabled device such as a TV or Miracast Dongle. Apple has Apple TV, which is similar, but in it?s usual fashion only works with other Apple devices. Miracast is much like having wireless HDMI.

2) WiDi ? Similar to Miracast, WiFi Direct can mirror your screen and audio to another WiDi capable device. This Intel directive uses a ?soft AP? (Access Point) in the sending device, usually a laptop or other portable device.
3) NFC ? Brad wrote an exceptional article regarding this just recently. Near Field Communications allows the transfer of files between devices, electronic payments at point of sale, and easy manipulation of device features with the use of tags.
4) USBOTG ? USB On the Go allows the connection of numerous 3rd party peripherals to your BlackBerry 10 phone. The list includes hard drives, memory sticks, keyboards, mice, and many more. This, plus a connection to a large flat screen gives you almost work station like performance. Amazing!
5) SD card ? The SD card slot allows up to 2 TBs of extra file storage. At the time of this writing, users have successfully installed 128gb SD cards. I have a 64gb card in my Z30, which in addition to the built-in 16gb, gives me a whopping 80gb phone!
6) DLNA ? Digital Living Network Alliance is a standard in wide use for streaming multimedia files over a WiFi network. Unlike Miracast, DLNA requires a wireless LAN in order to function as opposed to the peer to peer nature of Miracast. The advantage of DLNA is that once you start streaming a movie or song, you are free to use the phone for other things such as BBM or email. Were you to do this with Miracast, the TV would be showing you messaging someone.
7) Stereo speakers ? Not needing much of an explanation the iPhone is mono only. The Z30 stereo speakers are second to none. Beautiful sound.
8) 4 mics ? This allows for natural sound in HD phone calls, BBM voice and video calls, and stereo video recordings.
9) Flash ? Flash makes for a much more rich and enjoyable web browsing experience. There are thousands of sites that use flash content and this is one reason why BB10 users don?t need ?an app for that?.
10) 5? screen ? Poor iPhone? stuck with a tiny 4? screen. Both the Z10 at 4.2? and the Z30 at 5? are larger making for a much better experience.
11) HDMI out ? I?ve used the native HDMI out countless times in the boardroom and at home to show presentations and watch movies. People are amazed seeing the 1080p quality coming from such a small device.

12) �Wireless charging ? Available to some Z30 models, wireless Qi is a convenient and un-tethered way of charging your phone. Available from Verizon.
13) A file system ? So many BB10 users take this for granted. Being able to place music, documents, pictures, and video files in any existing or newly created folder. You cannot say that you have ?mobile computing? without this basic feature. Plus, on BB10 you can manipulate and move those files wirelessly from a laptop or desktop.

14) RFA ? Remote File Access. Toobs reminded me of this little gem (thanks Toobs). Imagine being able to access any file on your laptop or desktop from anywhere in the world! It?s like having your own little (or big) cloud storage. Any drive that your PC is mapped to including NAS, USB, servers, etc. All accessible in your hand. Many Terabytes await you!
15) And? you know what? It?s the year 2014 and if I send�an iPhone user an email, they can?t even reply to it with an attachment!

Via CB10 & Z10 or Q10

As much as I hate to say it, the various Android OEM's offer all of the above. And they are the market leader, not iOS.

[raino]

As much as I hate to say it, the various Android OEM's offer all of the above.

Who offers #14?

[MartyMcfly]

Who offers #14?

There are apps in iOS/play store that offers that functionality.


Sent From ipizzle using Tapatalk

[eddy_berry]

We've heard examples of the same experiences at AT&T, Verizon and T-mobile stores so if this is truly as widespread as it appears to be, the question I would ask yet again is what is BBRY doing about it? If you ran a business and your product was being so consistently bashed by the salesforces you depend upon directly to actually sell your product, wouldn't you make at least a small effort to correct the situation?

We've seen these stories on this very forum for months now. Surely if this was a real problem, BBRY would want to fix it, no?

Since they haven't, perhaps:
a) they don't think it is a problem
b) they don't think it is a problem worth fixing
c) they don't have the resources to fix the problem
d) they know they have a problem but they just don't care

I'll say both (a) and (c). As in, a) they didn't think it would be a problem, and c) when it became a problem it was too late and they didn't have the resources to combat it.

[raino]

There are apps in iOS/play store that offers that functionality.

There are apps that offer the "anywhere in the world" connectivity, i.e. your computer/files are at home but still accessible when you're not? Or does everything have to be on the same LAN?