Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Improving The Data Sales Experience

From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2003 13:59:32 -0400

Improving The Data Sales Experience
 
U.S. Cellular gets out in front
with comprehensive training
for representatives selling data. 

By Sue Marek
October 15, 2003
Wireless Week

Selling wireless data services is certainly not an easy proposition. Not only do
sales associates have to explain the complex rate plans and coverage areas, they
also have to understand the devices and demonstrate the applications. Although
1XRTT and GPRS networks have been available in the United States for some time,
many carriers are just now beginning to focus on sales training and equipping
their stores with appropriate displays that help customers understand wireless
data services. 

Learning data U.S. Cellular commercially launched its wireless data service,
easyedge, on Oct. 1 in Chicago. The carrier planned a rolling launch through its
remaining markets over the next 60 days. Although U.S. Cellular wasn't the first
to debut a wireless data service in many of its markets, the operator is intent on
differentiating its service from competitors through its sales training and
customer-oriented approach to wireless data. "This is a new category and customers
may not intuitively understand the value," says Jay Ellison, executive vice
president of U.S. Cellular.

Prior to launching easyedge in a market, U.S. Cellular provides eight hours of
training for everyone in its sales organization. In addition, the company is
outfitting all 7,000 employees with new phones equipped with the easyedge service.
"Our employees will become advocates," Ellison says. "Everyone must be behind the
launch."

Retail sales experts commend U.S. Cellular for its customer-oriented approach to
wireless data. "I think it is brave and courageous of them to outfit their
employees with phones," says Ed Legum, president of the Edmond-Howard Network, a
Roswell, Ga.-based firm that specializes in employee training. "Not many companies
are going to do that."

Catching on Although U.S. Cellular's wireless data training efforts are some of
the most progressive in the industry, Legum says more carriers are beginning to
see the value in training their sales associates to sell wireless data. Legum is
currently working with one major nationwide wireless operator on a detailed
training program, which he expects will be rolled out around the first of the
year. 

He says the day-and-a-half training program for this wireless company is designed
to demystify wireless data for retail sales associates. "The training program
covers the major components of wireless data–the network capabilities and device
capabilities–but most importantly, we talk about applications and how they drive
device choices," Legum says.

To accompany the training, Legum designed a comic book to help the carrier's sales
employees visualize different uses for wireless data applications. "It's a very
engaging story line where a detective is going through certain processes to solve
a mystery and in order to solve it he uses a wireless device," Legum says. "And
every time the hero uses a device, the reader has to do a parallel activity. This
puts wireless data in perspective and they see how to use it."

More to do Even though operators are making some strides in preparing and training
sales associates to sell wireless data services and applications, industry
observers say much more must be done to make wireless data a success with
consumers. Barrett Preloger, CEO of Winntech, a maker of retail displays, says few
operators have outfitted their retail venues with detailed displays that
effectively explain wireless data services. "When you have a new product or
service and that product and service is not self-explanatory, you have to have a
basic merchandizing strategy," Preloger says. "The average consumer not affiliated
with wireless does not understand this service innately."

And because most retail stores are staffed with sales associates who are not
wireless specialists, Preloger says wireless operators must fill that void with
signs and graphics that tell customers why they need this service and how it will
make their life better if they have it. 

"The average carrier-owned store could do a $6,000 or $8,000 signage package that
would tell people why they need wireless data," Preloger says. "But there's not
one carrier doing that."

And with the holiday buying season approaching, there's no better time than the
present for wireless operators to step up their wireless data retail agenda. 

Without proper sales training and effective displays, wireless data services will
continue to be a mysterious and complicated service for most consumers.

http://www.wirelessweek.com/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA329161&spacedesc=Departments&stt=000

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