selling at xmas

[claire1.9]

For the last couple of xmas periods we were told that on busy days we could drop our conversations and only have to offer E-top ups and debit card payments. Does anybody know if this applies this year because today they have been queuing to the door all day and had no joy with anything. Who would when they have had to queue forever? Any help on this subject would be grateful and it would make us a very happy office if the rule applies again.

[billyhayes]

Put it this way... The companies main focus is express mails. Probably something to do with chrimbo methinks.

8 out of 10 customers have a fist-full-of-letters or packets.

Therefore it is fairly safe to say that 'upselling' to SD or 24/48 parcelforce is what the counter should be putting their best efforts into.

This, personally, I find very easy to do as every time our postie comes in to pick up he says, "bloody hell, you can't move back at our gaff, the only thing shifting are specials!"

I rest my case.

Anything over and above this, FS products etc, should be considered a brucie bonus.

If your manager says otherwise they are just being an unrealistic greedy..........(insert colourful metaphor here)

[monica]

our manager wants a minimum of five life referalls each per day because we are filled to bursting with new customers who only come in once a year to post a christmas card.

[billyhayes]

WANTS and GETS are not the same thing. Shame.

SDs at this time of year are a shoo-in, ask your manager if they are aware of the income priority mails bring in, as apposed to banging your head against a brick wall trying to get a life sale when that is the LAST thing on our customers minds. FFS!

[The BFO]

our manager wants a minimum of five life referalls each per day because we are filled to bursting with new customers who only come in once a year to post a christmas card.

This X number of ‘referrals per person per day’ strategy annoys me. How many people in your office achieve this, and if not how many on average do they obtain? What is a ‘referral’ anyway? Is it just asking the Financial Specialist to provide a leaflet? Or is it something more elaborate? Who defines it?

From memory ‘monica’ did we not establish some time ago that sadly you are saddled, as so many of us are, with a poor manager?

[PO1]

Monica, we DON'T do individual targets and never have.

Tell your manager to get the imaginary volunteers or elves to get them in, you concentrate on serving that queue

[bigjames]

What is a ‘referral’ anyway?

What a good question! Over the last 3/4 years I reckon I have been exposed to a good half a dozen definitions of a 'Referral', and they have varied depending on who was expounding the latest theory.

Currently, as I understand it a referral is anybody with a pulse directed from a counter clerk to an FS to have a conversation. The conversation does not have to be a 15min sit down, it can be as little as a quick chat resulting in a leaflet given out.

[PostalOfficer]

In our office the boss was announcing that it was a life day. Looking at the Q on Monday and given that my throat felt rough enough to grit the road outside I thought I would pass on the sales and just keep serving with minimal talking. Nobody complained!

Thankfully the better sales people actually got two sign ups for life, so everybody happy

Having been 'volunteered' for an EMS meeting last month, I can confirm that SDs and PF24/48 etc are certainly the 'in' thing this month. Hint: you get twice as much nominal revenue off PF24/48 compared to a SD. So for the big lumpy thing worth £75 they have sold on eBay, don't flog the £21.95 SD, send it PF48 for £11. Only a couple of quid dearer than
standard parcel with proper tracking, delivery date etc. And remind them that I'm reliably informed that if the goods aren't delivered, eBay will force the seller to pay up unless they provide a tracking number, an ordinary COP won't do it!

Pick the right ones to do this with, drag them through the back office and the boss will soon be praising you...and not bothering you haven't done a life referal all day

And the throat's better thanks, just been replaced by a rotten cold, so sitting at home on SL clutching hankies and Vick

Incidentally, just received a letter postmarked Leeds with the slogan "Use SD for guaranteed next day delivery". Can somebody tell RM that they suspended the guarantee?

[PostalOfficer]

Another interesting thing about selling.

One day the boss went home poorly, nominally leaving me in charge. I stuck my head out onto the counter and said "Sell anything you like, just try and get a couple of ticks on the countdown board to show we can do something without supervision". I then went back to the cash account, not really expecting much to happen.

I was then distracted by numerous visitors, calls etc. By the end of the day we had done 50% more specials than normal and the FS had been busy all day with referals, gaining several appoinments etc.

Perhaps having such a good day was a fluke, but I prefer to put it down to my inspirational speech and the fact that the staff were more relaxed without somebody perched on their shoulder giving constant updates and monitoring their conversations.

What do you think?

[Running Man]

Wouldn't argue with that one bit!

Sounds to me like your team were treated like adults for a change and responded in just the right way.

Fluke it wasn't; trust me!

[clockworkjerk]

.

[PostalOfficer]

Has your boss ever heard of the concept of a "round peg in a round hole"? In our office, some clerks are clearly better at selling life then others, while the others are good at other things. But of course in management's eyes, everybody has to do everything. Sigh.

Reinforcing what you said, one of our ladies announced she had sold a car insurance. Boss looked at her and said, "Oh I thought it would have been a life". Talk about deflated.

Also proves something I had long suspected. If I sold 50 car insurances in a day, an email would arrive moaning about not selling any HomePhones.