Ron Johnson Says People Come to Apple For The Experience

[PinkyMacGodess]

I recall threads here on the pressure for Apple sales reps to "attach" AppleCare, One-to-One and MobileMe (formerly) so I call Bravo Sierra.

It depends on who you talk to. I've been told by a few people that I should buy AppleCare. I usually don't right away because I need some time to get money to get it. I usually do. I did though have one guy tell me that I had to buy it now or I couldn't add it on later and I then found someone else who turned out to be a manager and asked him about that and he went and had a talk with the sales person right then and there. I hate the 'Bravo Sierra' too, and worked at Circuit City years ago with a lying sack of Sierra who set the all time sales record for their service contracts for computers.

That Alpha Hotel would open computer cases and point to some small part on the motherboard, declare it a 'capacitator' and state that 'they go bad, and the manufacturers know it and they don't care' and sucker yet another person who probably shouldn't own a computer into buying the contract.

Management knew he was lying but he was making them money... Management was blind at Circuit City. I got into an argument with a VP over Best Buy doing their bundles. We were not making as many sales and this idiot did not want to 'go there' with the bundling idea. We give people 'choice'. Bundling removes their ability to chose. Well, yeah, it does, but it also gives us an opportunity to 'bundle' some of the crap we can't sell into a lower priced 'package' and people think they are getting a deal. She just couldn't see that as working well, and Best Buy ate our lunch.

Mentioning AppleCare and One-on-One is part of the Apple salesperson's job. Hounding isn't cool. That's what ABC Warehouse is for. I hate that place too.

I'm sure that working at Apple is a good experience. Apple seems to have done a whole lot of things right, or have been extremely lucky...

 

[jterp7]

It depends on who you talk to. I've been told by a few people that I should buy AppleCare. I usually don't right away because I need some time to get money to get it. I usually do. I did though have one guy tell me that I had to buy it now or I couldn't add it on later and I then found someone else who turned out to be a manager and asked him about that and he went and had a talk with the sales person right then and there. I hate the 'Bravo Sierra' too, and worked at Circuit City years ago with a lying sack of Sierra who set the all time sales record for their service contracts for computers.

That Alpha Hotel would open computer cases and point to some small part on the motherboard, declare it a 'capacitator' and state that 'they go bad, and the manufacturers know it and they don't care' and sucker yet another person who probably shouldn't own a computer into buying the contract.

Management knew he was lying but he was making them money... Management was blind at Circuit City. I got into an argument with a VP over Best Buy doing their bundles. We were not making as many sales and this idiot did not want to 'go there' with the bundling idea. We give people 'choice'. Bundling removes their ability to chose. Well, yeah, it does, but it also gives us an opportunity to 'bundle' some of the crap we can't sell into a lower priced 'package' and people think they are getting a deal. She just couldn't see that as working well, and Best Buy ate our lunch.

Mentioning AppleCare and One-on-One is part of the Apple salesperson's job. Hounding isn't cool. That's what ABC Warehouse is for. I hate that place too.

I'm sure that working at Apple is a good experience. Apple seems to have done a whole lot of things right, or have been extremely lucky...

meh everybody is selling their warranties these days, apple is no better or worse.

To be honest the apple stores in my area have some of the snobbiest and irritating employees of any store even beating A&F, which is notorious for that. The instore "help" IMO isn't that great and i'm usually better off asking friends or just googling. The only reason I got the 4S at the apple store was that at the time it was actually the quickest way to get it (AT&T online ordering and in store was useless). The Tysons Corner store is the one I'm referring to for those of you in the DC area, the smaller montgomery mall store isn't as bad.

 

[MrNomNoms]

I met Mr. Johnson in person in 2009 and found him to be a really great guy. Attentive listener and all smiles. Frankly I was a tad nervous - he was a senior Apple executive. As the lead website designer and product owner, I was asked to give him a demo of our B&H iPhone app which I was just finishing designing. It was a rare treat to be able to interact with Mr. Johnson/Apple on a level I've never before or since.

B&H sells an awful lot of Apple products. The B&H in-store experience, fine tuned over 35 years, is something I've always wondered if Apple might have taken a lot of inspiration from?

1. Don't sell; inform, educate, entertain
2. No commission sales staff
3. Offer a wide variety of stuff
4. Train staff very well
5. Create a cool store

All these things are what make an Apple store great. So kudos to Mr. Johnson on his appt to CEO of J.C. Penney. He's a class act.

What I've put in bold is the most important part - that can dictate whether someone is an annoying pain in the ass to a customer or whether they offer advice and let the customer do their own thing. Far too many times I've walked out of a store because I've been pestered and hounded by sales staff hell bent on meeting their quota for the month - "screw that, I wanna milk MrNomNom's for all the money he has and get him to pre-sell his first born son if I can" seems to be the ethos of so many sales people.

Oh, and a tip to Americans who think that 'tipping' is acceptable - sorry, I don't want 'professional pan handlers' serving, pestering and annoying me. Give your staff a decent wage for christ sake, it isn't difficult! just as I don't want a homeless old many begging for cash whilst I'm eating I sure as hell don't want one of your staff doing the same thing.

Btw, if you need to have commissions or sales targets then it tells me your hiring process sucks and that you should close up your shop so you can remove yourself from the retail sector - your continued existence is adding nothing positive to the overall sector. A person who is passionate about technology (or what ever you're selling) doesn't need to have some sort of arbitrary barometer to keep themselves motivated - they'll be self motivated because they want to do their best and not because some wonk from head office thinks it gives them a reason for existence.

 

[dbo789]

The Apple Store app. Easy Pay. It's free.

Not in Canada. Or, you know, the rest of the world outside the US of A.

 

[isoMorpheus]

Not in Canada. Or, you know, the rest of the world outside the US of A.

There is a world outside of the US of A?

 

[ascylto]

Teeth

I would never buy anything from this man. His teeth are TOOOOOO white!

 

[Sardonick007]

Must be nice

Exceptionally well trained? Where? I want to go to that store because the Apple store in my city is a joke, and so are the hippy punks who work there. I go to the Apple store to get my hands on something I want, I hate the so called "experience". I am not generalizing here, I am talking strictly about the store I have access to, and it sucks. I love the new buy online, pick up in store policy, because I can limit my interaction with the blue shirt dorks that don't genius from shinola. So no, Mr. Johnson, not everybody goes to an apple store for the experience of being greeted by sandal wearing, scruffy haired hippies. At least I don't.

 

[touchmonkey]

Exceptionally well trained? Where? I want to go to that store because the Apple store in my city is a joke, and so are the hippy punks who work there. I go to the Apple store to get my hands on something I want, I hate the so called "experience". I am not generalizing here, I am talking strictly about the store I have access to, and it sucks. I love the new buy online, pick up in store policy, because I can limit my interaction with the blue shirt dorks that don't genius from shinola. So no, Mr. Johnson, not everybody goes to an apple store for the experience of being greeted by sandal wearing, scruffy haired hippies. At least I don't.

But tell us what you really think.
(I agree)

 

[MrNomNoms]

Exceptionally well trained? Where? I want to go to that store because the Apple store in my city is a joke, and so are the hippy punks who work there. I go to the Apple store to get my hands on something I want, I hate the so called "experience". I am not generalizing here, I am talking strictly about the store I have access to, and it sucks. I love the new buy online, pick up in store policy, because I can limit my interaction with the blue shirt dorks that don't genius from shinola. So no, Mr. Johnson, not everybody goes to an apple store for the experience of being greeted by sandal wearing, scruffy haired hippies. At least I don't.

Mate, sorry to be the barer of bad news but the majority of people want the pampering and hand holding. You, me and the ugly guy in the corner are happy to be left alone but Apple don't cater for our needs (of which are a minority) but the needs of the majority. You my friend have never worked in retail in any sort of managerial capacity hence you don't know what the hell you're talking about.