Mobile phone sales job - any thoughts?
Discussion
okgo said:
Prohibiting said:
Selling to "professionals" in a business isn't any better or easier. I've done both!
Well its better in that you don't have to work retail hours, and generally are not rewarded with retail salaries. AND you don't have to speak to the public AND the sort of people that still go into a shop to buy a phone are doing to be a very particular type. Awful to deal with no doubt.Oh, and I'm on minimum wage and have to work weird hours.
bristolbaron said:
A friend started as a sales assistant with Vodafone, worked his way up to manager and then onto b2b. Ended up as a ‘global account manager’ working out of Newbury. Very well compensated, but ruthless company to work for!
Like all sales, it can be great or very tough. Cream very easily rises to the top. I’d much prefer b2b if you can get a foot in the door though.
Good effort making to GAM from retail at Vodafone, I used to poach them for fun lol ....Like all sales, it can be great or very tough. Cream very easily rises to the top. I’d much prefer b2b if you can get a foot in the door though.
VF ruthless ? Not when compared to North American tech companies, they are a pussycat in reality, big, layers of fat, soft and pay everyone to leave .... no one suffers ....
Worked at one of the direct networks, in a store, during university and then for a year after graduating - up to around 2014 so quite a way back now! Would say the most important things to consider are the people that you're working with, the targets you're set and also the location - as this effectively decides what kind of customer you're to get.
I left due to a number of reasons but primarily:
- The focus of the business changed from being service led to completely sales led (the business went from being a direct network store to being a direct network store but a franchise). This led to a lot of questionable activity by some and I have never been one for forcing a sale or using high pressure tactics.
- I was probably going to be managed out at some point anyway due to not hitting targets. Wasn't that fussed at this point as I'd found a career role and had been working weekends just because I was on an older, more lucrative contract.
- The people who were working when I had joined had in the most part left.
If you can get into the store you are applying to at some point just to see what the shop floor environment is like, I would recommend it. The last thing you want to do is join a store where all the people around you believe they're high flying salesmen/women and don't get along.
In respect of commission/bonus structure, for those who devoted every minute to it, it was okay but looking back at it, I don't think the pay was relative to all the effort being put in to hit sales etc. For example, one of our "top performers" went out of his way to collect phones from other stores, stay late etc.
I will say that the first few years were really fun but that was during the period where the tech was up and coming (think launch of the original iphone) and mainly due to the more relaxed environment and people I worked with.
Any specific queries, let me know and I'll see what I can recall.
I left due to a number of reasons but primarily:
- The focus of the business changed from being service led to completely sales led (the business went from being a direct network store to being a direct network store but a franchise). This led to a lot of questionable activity by some and I have never been one for forcing a sale or using high pressure tactics.
- I was probably going to be managed out at some point anyway due to not hitting targets. Wasn't that fussed at this point as I'd found a career role and had been working weekends just because I was on an older, more lucrative contract.
- The people who were working when I had joined had in the most part left.
If you can get into the store you are applying to at some point just to see what the shop floor environment is like, I would recommend it. The last thing you want to do is join a store where all the people around you believe they're high flying salesmen/women and don't get along.
In respect of commission/bonus structure, for those who devoted every minute to it, it was okay but looking back at it, I don't think the pay was relative to all the effort being put in to hit sales etc. For example, one of our "top performers" went out of his way to collect phones from other stores, stay late etc.
I will say that the first few years were really fun but that was during the period where the tech was up and coming (think launch of the original iphone) and mainly due to the more relaxed environment and people I worked with.
Any specific queries, let me know and I'll see what I can recall.
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