Vax demonstrator = nightmare

[adamthemieleman]

Well, I mentioned this a while ago on another thread, my day at uni has changed and I do Saturdays once again.

The week before last, I was talking to our Dyson demonstrator, a decent chap, and over the past few months we've became pals. He was asking me why I haven't been in, his partner in clean as he says! He told me a vax demonstrator was in, and was causing trouble.

So, I was in last Saturday to see for myself. It takes a lot for me to take a dislike, but not here.

The guy was only supposed to be in demonstrating carpet and steam cleaners not vacuums.
So I was mortified when I found him on more than one occasion talking to customers in my department, about vacuums!

The two sets of customers had both been sold vaxs by the guy. Until I came over. By asking my questions, the first customer took a DC19db, she told me she had a Dyson ages ago and loved it, but had cheaper machines which didn't come close. Vax man? He tried to sell them a power 6 cylinder, hardly a good machine!

The second customer was an old lady, who wanted something light. Vax man had recommended a Air Mini cylinder. What did she leave with? A Miele S2111.

The guy was not impressed, that I'd taken over, but he should not be in my department, my colleagues all know I rule it!

He annoyed my pal, because a customer had made a mess in the Vax isle. He tried to steal the DC59 from him, even to the pint of a tug of war. Needless to say he was not impressed.

I'm in this weekend, I may have to bite my tongue, but I won't have a tyrant in my area.

Any ideas on tolerance?

 

[durango159]

Well if Vax told you they'd be demoing carpet cleaners, then a vacuum cleaner cleans carpet so it is a Carpet Cleaner too!! It's all how you word it. Vacuums and carpet cleaners it's all a related market.

I say: " Why can't we all just get along!!" Everyone there is working and the goal should be inform the customer of what is present. If you're not happy with the Vax line then don't carry those models in the store!! Just because a store carries Sanitaire, they don't have to carry every single model offered by Sanitaire!! I understand that you and the Dyson rep are now great friends but keep in mind that his occupation with Dyson puts him at a bias against Vax and their rep!! His goal is to make Dyson your exclusive brand and eliminate Vax. The Vax rep has the same goal set, it's not their fault or a personal problem it's their job and they're trained for it!!! You two should be working with each other to help the customer and not butting heads, cause that's unprofessional!! Especially if a company rep was present in a store and then a store owner came behind them and tore customers aways from the rep, then that's very unprofessional and why bother to have a company representative at the store!!!

Inform the customer of what is available and explore their needs. That should be everyones focus, if that's not happening then there is a problem.

It's unprofessional to cut someone off while they're in the middle of something. You could chime in to what they're saying and in doing so explore the customers brain to figure out the situation. Making recommendations off of that. Exhibiting unprofessionalism is going to turn customers away and then you have no sales!! Everyone should be sales minded. Help the customer and get the sales, don't argue and scare them away!! By the way, if you scare one away, that turns into about 20 by the time they get home and tell everyone of their experience and all of those people tell their friends of the terrible experience someone else had!!!


Now if the Vax rep was playing Tug of War with a vacuum cleaner with a customer to put it back on the shelf then that is grounds for that company reps not be welcome back in the store. That would primarily be a phone call between the representatives manager at Vax and the store manager. All of this is of course assuming that it wasn't part sarcasm and that the customer wasn't having fun with it!!

If I was a representative of a brand I'd be approaching customers and trying to see their interests as well. If you're standing there like a brick wall not acknowledging people walk by or within a certain radius of you, then you should be fired!!![this post was last edited: 2/11/2014-16:15]

 

[vintagerepairer]

Hello Adam.

Vax and others are paying a lot of money to Currys to have these people in your store. They are paying guests. That money is going towards the profits Currys make, in other words, paying your wages.

If you have concerns about the ethics of your paying guests, they you should raise them with your manager. We are no longer in the 1950's and your role is no longer about selling the customer what you believe to be the best product for them; it's about getting the money in the till.

One complaint I am familiar with is that Vax and other cleaners carry a lower retail price than many Dysons, and for those store staff on commission, they would of course prefer sales of products commanding the highest prices. However, from the point of view of your store, any 'losses' made between retail prices will be off-set against the additional revenue which Vax brings to your store in the form of the fee which they pay Currys.

Unfortunately, your message is peppered with mild aggression and certainly to me you come across as being incredibly territorial. You may have a level of agreed responsibility for a section of your Currys store, but you do not own it. Rather than trying to find ways of practicing tolerance, you might consider whether you need to reflect on your own way of dealing with such matters and gain a sense of perspective. In my link you will find a poem which someone showed me many years ago. It really can help to get things into proportion. I hope you find it useful.

I agree wholehearted with what Durango says. Try to get along with each other. You are all fighting for that one same goal; to sell products in that same store and to earn your wages. You can choose to do that by working as a team, or you can do it as enemies. I know what I'd pick every time, but then I have never been a lover of confrontation or pettiness, so I know I may well be biased.

I hope this situation is able to be righted for you. Best wishes.



http://www.mick-armitage.staff.shef.ac.uk/poems/poem-im.html

 

[sebo_fan]

I agree with Benny.

End of the day you're a Currys employee and the Vax demonstrator has every right to be there as well as, should he wish, to make a complaint. The severity of doing likewise won't raise too many eye brows as demonstrators are taught to cold sell anyway.

But having a black mark on your record at the franchise you work at is never a good idea, should you wish to move on or seek promotion.

I know that doesn't sound very fair but as guests to a franchise or dept stores, sales staff should be taught to either respect and help out if required, or respect and stay away. Nice poem btw, VR.

 

[vintagerepairer]

Poem

Thank you Sebo-fan. Of course I did not write it nor do I have a claim on it, but it's simple yet effective.