ICT Sales Assistants
Sell computing and telecommunications related goods and services in retail and wholesale establishments.
Launch weekend at the phone counter
You are a sales assistant in an electronics store on the weekend of a new phone launch, with queues at every counter. It is Saturday at 10am. The store is packed, the new phones have just come out and your target for the weekend is written on the whiteboard in the back room.
Choose what you would do. Then see what happens. There are often good reasons for each choice.
I want the newest one, it has the best camera. My dad says it is too much. I mostly just use my phone for messages and music. Can you tell my dad it is worth it?
Ask Eli how he really uses it, then show both phones and let them choose
Eli's dad appreciates the straight talk. They go with a model in the middle, and Eli says he will tell his friends to come here.
Tell his dad the new one is worth every cent, because the camera is far better
Eli's dad buys it and later learns his son would have been happy with the older model. He feels pushed, and never comes back.
Tell Eli's dad that the choice is theirs and leave them to talk it over
They have more time to think, but they wanted help and did not get any. They leave the store and compare online.
Thank you, I just need to dash to the toilet. Can you hold on to my phone for a minute? It's unlocked, so you can watch the video of my grandson that we were looking at, if you like.
Watch the video and glance through her photos while you wait, since she said you could
Joan returns to find her photo gallery open. She does not say anything, but she never trusts you again, and neither does her daughter.
Leave it on the counter, locked, and tell her you will not touch it
Joan smiles and thanks you when she returns. Customers hand over very personal devices, and keeping them private is part of the job.
Move on to the next customer and ask a colleague to look after the phone
The phone is safe, but you have passed a private device to someone else without telling Joan. She is a little uneasy about it.
I dropped this phone a few weeks ago and the screen has cracked. It is outside the warranty, but I want a free replacement. You people sold it to me. If you do not help, I am going to make a scene.
Give in and offer a free replacement, to avoid a scene in front of other customers
It costs the store money you were not allowed to commit. Your manager steps in, and you now have an angry customer and an angry boss.
Tell Kasey it is not the store's problem, and he should go to the manufacturer
It is technically correct, but it sends a loyal customer away feeling brushed off. A calm explanation of the options would have cost nothing.
Stay calm, explain what the warranty covers and show Kasey the repair options
Kasey is still annoyed, but understands and chooses a repair. You kept your temper, and the store stays on good terms with a regular.
How it went
By Saturday night you had sold a mix of phones, protected a stranger's privacy and kept your temper when it counted. Technology sales is part knowledge and part honesty, and the best salespeople ask before they recommend. Do you enjoy explaining new gadgets to people who are not sure about them?
This is a simplified, fictional situation to help you explore. It is not professional instruction or a test of your ability.
Case study: The tablet for grandma
A fictional case set in a fictional electronics and phone store in a regional shopping centre.
The situation
Suresh worked in the tablet and phone section of an electronics store. A woman came in looking for a gift for her seventy-eight-year-old mother, who lived alone and wanted to see her grandchildren on video calls. She pointed at the most expensive tablet on the wall, saying she wanted the best. Suresh knew his commission would be higher on that one, but he also knew from the way she described her mother that she had never used a touch screen before.
What they did
Suresh asked what her mother would actually do with the tablet. The answer was simple: video calls, photos and the occasional news article. He showed the customer a lower-cost model that had a bigger screen and louder speaker, which suited her mother better. He then offered a short set-up session the next week, and wrote down the steps for starting a video call in large print.
How it turned out
The mother had her first video call on the day she received the tablet, with the printout beside her. The customer returned to buy a case and thanked Suresh. He did not sell the most expensive model, but his store manager said the repeat visits were worth more.
What would you do?
- What did Suresh ask that changed his recommendation?
- How would you help a customer who feels nervous about technology?
- Would you rather sell technology, or help people learn to use it?