Blank Blank
Another day without a sale. I have been really thinking about what is going on here and I simply do not have the resources to draw people in. I can get some people, but my store needs so much more to take it to the next level. Electricity, a register, inventory management software, displays that actually look like they belong in a store, dummy phones that I can leave out for the customers to handle, advertisement (in the works, can't really complain),etc etc etc. I cannot possibly care anymore or try any harder than I do to make sales and I still get blanked. My employees have been amazing. They are trying just as hard as I am to bring in sales. I have been listening to them deal with customers and they allready have a pretty firm grasp on the basics and are being persuasive and convincing. I am proud of them for picking it up so quickly. Now we just need to start making money before the debt piles up too deep.
Here is what we get for customers. People who have problems with their phones/service, people with unbelieveably awful credit, people wanting to pay their bills (we can't do it yet), prepaid customers (we don't have prepaid yet), and bargain shoppers who will not make their decision before they've talked to every single wireless provider in the mall (there are 7 of us). I can't wait until people outside of the holiday shopper mall crowd learn we are there and start coming in to see us instead of coming to go to the BonTon and realizing we are there by accident. It will come eventually, I just need to be patient.
The other problem is that all my employees are doing a fantastic job and have great attitudes, but without sales, there aren't hours to go around. I've allready cut all nightime weekday hours and began running the store by myself after 5 PM and cut all part time hours during the day down to 4 or less hour shifts. If we keep up this bullshit sales record it's going to end up me and Rose running the store ourselves. That is an awful state of affairs because when we get one customer, we get 5 customers and with only one of us there, normally at least 3 walk away no matter how hard you try to make them stay. Without having at least 2 people in the store you can't eat, use the bathroom, give each customer the attention they need, etc. It makes sense to only have one when it's really slow, but then you get that spike in customers and you wish you had 5 people there. It's so hard to gauge that I even built in an "on call" person into every single day's schedule. Thanks go out to Jackie for the idea, and it's a great one. I have people on call in case the store gets slammed with customers that can be in within a half hour.
I think my main problem is that I have this picture in my head of 3 people in the store each running credit checks and making sales while there are people waiting and checking out literature and phones. I just picture us being so busy with activations that we have to hire more people and really be on our toes all day. The way it has been in reality is that we sit there and clean the store, dress up displays, and bullshit while we wait and then one person will come over to look at phones and we'll talk to them for a while and they decide they don't want to fill out an application today and move on. It's so damn hard to know in my heart that we lost money today and yesterday. I want this store to be a shining example of my salesmanship and managerial skills, but so far it's been me bitching about what I don't have and not making sales. I just pray things pick up soon.
Here is what we get for customers. People who have problems with their phones/service, people with unbelieveably awful credit, people wanting to pay their bills (we can't do it yet), prepaid customers (we don't have prepaid yet), and bargain shoppers who will not make their decision before they've talked to every single wireless provider in the mall (there are 7 of us). I can't wait until people outside of the holiday shopper mall crowd learn we are there and start coming in to see us instead of coming to go to the BonTon and realizing we are there by accident. It will come eventually, I just need to be patient.
The other problem is that all my employees are doing a fantastic job and have great attitudes, but without sales, there aren't hours to go around. I've allready cut all nightime weekday hours and began running the store by myself after 5 PM and cut all part time hours during the day down to 4 or less hour shifts. If we keep up this bullshit sales record it's going to end up me and Rose running the store ourselves. That is an awful state of affairs because when we get one customer, we get 5 customers and with only one of us there, normally at least 3 walk away no matter how hard you try to make them stay. Without having at least 2 people in the store you can't eat, use the bathroom, give each customer the attention they need, etc. It makes sense to only have one when it's really slow, but then you get that spike in customers and you wish you had 5 people there. It's so hard to gauge that I even built in an "on call" person into every single day's schedule. Thanks go out to Jackie for the idea, and it's a great one. I have people on call in case the store gets slammed with customers that can be in within a half hour.
I think my main problem is that I have this picture in my head of 3 people in the store each running credit checks and making sales while there are people waiting and checking out literature and phones. I just picture us being so busy with activations that we have to hire more people and really be on our toes all day. The way it has been in reality is that we sit there and clean the store, dress up displays, and bullshit while we wait and then one person will come over to look at phones and we'll talk to them for a while and they decide they don't want to fill out an application today and move on. It's so damn hard to know in my heart that we lost money today and yesterday. I want this store to be a shining example of my salesmanship and managerial skills, but so far it's been me bitching about what I don't have and not making sales. I just pray things pick up soon.
posted by NJX70 at 2:42 AM
2 Comments:
You look pretty tough in that photo. You could be a reservior dog.
Mr. President -
I'm reminded of the Karate Kid and Field of Dreams when reading this post. I won't do the Field of Dreams thing because Kevin Costner sucks. However, Mr. Miyagi rules and as such I leave you with this timely movie quote: "Patience Danielson"
V.P.
Post a Comment
<< Home