Josie1 asked:


I would like to know where I can I either make or buy material in which to pack ! dozen nightcrawlers?

Clyde

linda m asked:


I need baskets to make for christmas , need help founding them

Jason

Andrew asked:


I want to get a job for a supermarket or for a Petsmart store, but I have no experience in working in retail/sale. I’ve applied for a job for stores before, and I guess they didn’t want to hire me because I have no experience. These stores were hiring at the time. How can I get a job in retail/sale, if no one will hire me?

Evelyn

photo_intrigue asked:


I have recently launched a gallery and retail sales website for my limited edition photographic artwork (www.photointrigue.com).

Can anyone suggest effective and inexpensive marketing methods to build site traffic and help generate sales?

Thanks.

Matthew

Sam Manfer asked:


I was on a mission to do a few things at the Mall the other day. I was what’s called a motivated buyer.  I dashed into one of the optical chain stores, and there at the reception counter was a middle-aged woman talking on the phone to a friend about being reprimanded or something. After seeing me, she continued to discuss her career with her friend.  Well, my fuse is short, so I gave her the look, which she caught and said, “I’ll be with you in a minute,” and continued to chit chat.  Ready to pop, I looked to the right and to the left in an effort to restrain myself. 

 

Meanwhile another sales lady finished up with a customer and noticing my irritation  and said, “Can I help you?” Relieved, I started explaining that I’m looking for some cool prescription sunglasses.  That being said, two of her colleagues approached. One sat at her little fitting desk and the other stood to her right, and all three started discussing something.  Since there was no “Excuse me sir” or no “Sorry for the interruption,” I said in an irritated tone, “So what part of ‘Can I help you’ did I miss?”  The young lady looked at me and said “Well sir, we’re busy.”

 

So I huffed and puffed back to Lady #1 and by now, she’s hung up the phone and is starting to fill-out a form on a clipboard.  I sigh, “Can you help me now?”  To which she pleasantly says “Just a minute, I’m not good at multi tasking.  Besides, wasn’t the other lady helping you?” So I quip, “She blew me off!” “Well,” she says in her put-out manner “Let me finish these and then I’ll see if I can help you.”

 

At that point I’d had enough and growled, “I’ll come back another time.”  To which she retorts in a rude voice, “Well sir, we’re busy.”  Now here’s the killer.  There was not another customer in the store and I left totally frustrated.  My eyes will bake naked in the desert sun before I go back to that store again!

 

So why did this happen?  Management, Management, Management.

 

Somehow these people were never told to make customers welcome and happy.  Nor was their behavior monitored, corrected or rewarded to reflect “Make the prospective customer feel welcome.”  They never got the message that customers come before filling out forms or talking to colleagues or friends.  And don’t ever say, “They should know better.”  They don’t unless someone tells them.

 

Theses employees, like most employees, probably feel they are doing their job, and are overworked and under paid. They are not concerned enough to change because nobody in authority ever says anything.  They feel they have lots of customers - maybe too many.  “So what if we lose this guy whose looking for some help?  Who cares?”

 

Get a Clue

 

The front-line sales people and those working around the store are there to help customers to buy.  They are not there to fill-out forms, answer phones, stock shelves, chit chat, eat lunch or be busy.  The only busy is when they are with a customer—face to face.  Everything else (including answering the phone again) is a distant, second priority.  How annoying and rude is it when you’ve finally got someone’s attention and they answer the phone and ignore you?  If you can’t handle this, then you need to rethink your reason for your Design Center.  If you’re hung up on the people doing nothing, then you have to give the message that all “busy” comes to an end as soon as a prospect (a motivated buyer) enters.

 

And now I invite you to learn more.



Jacob

Noah Scott asked:


News from Reuters: General Motors Corporation is optimistic about its US retail sales this year stating that it is seeing an increase brought about by the introduction of new vehicles, according to Troy Clarke, president of GM North America.

Clarke also told reporters in the sidelines of the Chicago Auto Show, when asked about GM’s capacity to sell more vehicles to the general public this year, “I am hopeful we can”. The retail sales will exclude sales to car rental agencies, large companies or government bodies that purchase fleet of vehicles.

General Motors, world’s largest automaker was able to sell about 3 million vehicles to retail customers in 2006. Clarke also mentioned that the automaker’s discussions with bankrupt former parts unit Delphi Corp. were moving forward.

Delphi has accepted a $3.4 billion bankruptcy emergence offer from a group led by Cerberus Capital Management LP and Appaloosa Management LP that obliged Delphi to reach deals with GM and its unions on contracts and other issues. The contract between GM and the United Auto Workers would expire in September and Delphi said that it hopes to complete talks with the UAW before those negations end. “It is hope that it is done before,” said Clarke in response to subject whether the deal will result in a bigger labor contract with the UAW.

And speaking of new GM vehicles, the new Saturn Astra will make its debut to the North American public at the Chicago Auto Show which is scheduled on February 9 to 18, 2007. The Astra will be made available to both US and Canadian markets starting the fourth quarter of 2007.

The new Saturn Astra is available in three or five-door model with a 1.8-litre, 140 hp ECOTEC engine. The Astra was produced alongside its Opel counterparts using quality auto parts that only the world’s largest automaker can supply like its popular GM exhaust tips at the GM Plant in Antwerp, Belgium.

According to Jill Lajdziak, Saturn General Manager, “In Europe, the Astra’s combination of style, performance, safety technology, and fuel efficiency has made it a hit with owners and auto critics alike. Now, Saturn is bringing the newly restyled Astra to North America and marrying it with our celebrated customer experience. The Astra rounds out our portfolio with a smart-driving, well-equipped compact car that shares the European designs evident in all our new vehicles.”

Since the debut of the third-generation Astra in Europe last March 2004, over 1.3 million units have been sold. The addition of the new bestselling Astra model line with its fresh new design styles and engine is expected to further boost GM’s US sales.

The present lineup of vehicles offered by Saturn includes Aura, the Outlook SUV, Vue Red Line and Vue Green Line Hybrid crossovers, and Roadster Sky. Meanwhile, the Saturn portfolio for the coming 2008 will only includes cars that are less than twenty months old.

Saturn is focusing on developing innovative products with high technological quality, solid value and excellent customer service. Just recently the Saturn Aura - which shares its vehicle architecture and design language with the Opel Vectra - was named North American Car of the Year during the Detroit Auto Show, toppling rivals like the Toyota Camry and Honda Fit (or Jazz in Europe).



Brenda

Unknown asked:


The regular price of merchandise at a discount store is 20% off the retail price. If the sale price is 30% off the regular price, which of the following represents the sale price of the sweater having a retail price of p?

A) 0.3p
B 0.44p
C) 0.5p
D) 0.56p
E) 0.7p

Craig

Scott Deane asked:


As a fresh graduate interested in a career in sales, you almost have unlimited options as far as your career’s future goes. You will likely come across a staggering amount of job opportunities and employment options for a career in sales, and you will find that your education, skills, and knowledge are high in demand.

While this is good news, it can also present somewhat of a challenge. With all these options, you may become overwhelmed and unsure about where to start. Too often, college graduates who received training specifically in sales can make assumptions and say, “well, I’ll just start my career in sales and go find a sales-oriented job!”

However, it’s not as simple as that. If you take some time to do some research and explore your post-graduate options, you will find yourself in front of a plethora of different sales career choices. The best way to get started on the right track with your sales career is to narrow down your focus from all the different sales career choices. The sales career choice you choose will depend on what interests you, and where your skills, knowledge, and expertise lie.

One of the biggest sectors for sales jobs is the financial sector. Here, you will find sales jobs in investment banking, insurance, real estate, and loan lending. Financial sales career choices are great options, if you like working with money, numbers, and policies, as well as with people. Further, there is generally a huge demand for these types of sales jobs, as there will always be customers in need of financial services. A job in sales in the financial sector can be very lucrative and rewarding, if you’re successful and willing to put in the effort.

The service industry is another major area in which you can begin your sales career. Service sales representatives provide regular services and introduce new products and services to existing clients. Pharmaceutical and medical sectors are growing and are great areas in which to look for sales jobs.

Another great area for sales career choices is the high-end retails sales industry, if you don’t mind working in retail. They may not be as glamorous as other sectors, but if you know what you’re doing, work great with people, are friendly and helpful, this might be the perfect sales career choice for you. Other areas for sales jobs include collections and telemarketing, which can be great paying with other incentives and bonuses, but also quite challenging and frustrating.

Whatever you decide, the sky is the limit as far as sales career options go, and be prepared to change jobs, sectors, and industries several times before you find your “niche” and perfect fit.



Melvin

Austine P asked:


And know the if there is going to be a black Friday sale on them?

Steve

Patricia Weber asked:


What can salespeople learn from Ben Hur and Mickey Mouse? Both the movie and the cartoon premiered on November 18th in different years. In the debut, the first public appearance or the introduction, salespeople hold at least four stars, four ideas, to better engage their prospects in making that successful first impression. 

What is your goal on the first call? Depending on your product or service, most professional salespeople make the first call a get to know the customer call and to get a follow up appointment. Notice that the primary emphasis is not simply on getting to know you, your product, your service or your company. Unless you are selling pens behind a retail counter or are a retail sales clerk, your customer is not going to make the buying decision in minutes. What is your goal on the initial contact? 

Do you have a good fit for the prospect? All salespeople want to sell! But do you want to sell everyone? Ben Hur and Mickey Mouse, now classics, had a different audience. Not every customer will be a good fit for you, your company, your product or your service. During an initial contact it’s a good idea to qualify and find out if this prospect is a good fit for what you’re offering.

How do you get to know your prospect and determine a good fit? In the movie industry, screenings and early viewings determine if and when a movie gets released. In selling, before you get to the initial meeting, do some research and prepare some questions. First, be prepared before you meet. Either research the company or talk with some of your connections about the person. This will spare you from taking time to ask low calorie questions like, “What is your current revenue?” or “Is this your only location?” It’s more effective to research things like this, or save them until the follow-up call. Then, have a few strategic high fat open-ended questions, such as: “Tell me about your top two or three challenges.” “What do you want that you don’t have now?” “Oh, you’ve worked with ‘The Other Company’ in the past. What did you like about them?”  You’re qualifying and finding a fit during the initial sales call. 

How do you end the initial contact? If you want to hear applause similar to that at the end of movies like Ben Hur and Mickey Mouse’s premier, your introductory call will balance the questions with listening - listening to all that you guided your prospect to tell you. If they qualify, if there is a good fit, then you want to ask for a decision, the next appointment, or make a recommendation for the prospect if the fit isn’t right. 

Movie premiers are all about the movie stars. The glitz and glamour is usually focused on the actors. For an initial sales call to be successful, focus on your star – the prospect. If you have a goal, do some early research, have some thoughtful questions prepared, and then all along the way you have built rapport to continue the sales process. Is a four star initial sales call in your future?



Todd