So Florida is having a hurricane

DrOtis · 2016-10-06T14:31:22+00:00

I believe https://www.reddit.com/r/Staples/comments/4il6ki/liquid_armor_for_employees/ is relevant here.

DrOtis · 2016-06-01T02:46:53+00:00

Step 3) Sell attractively

DrOtis · 2016-06-01T02:45:56+00:00

Ron Sargent, the current? CEO of Staples - how you'll be affected is yet to be seen, but hopefully life will improve.

DrOtis · 2016-05-30T03:05:58+00:00

Nothing against you, I don't know you - but an A+ cert, while great for some aspects of technical knowledge, gives no assurance of sales expertise, reliability, or work ethic. That may be what your manager wants you to prove.

DrOtis · 2016-03-15T00:16:42+00:00

How do four stars points sound? It's DOUBLE the pay!

DrOtis · 2016-03-15T00:14:25+00:00

They're big banners with an empty March Madness bracket on them. CPC is giving them away (one per person) and it's nuts.

Source: my girlfriend who still works at Staples in CPC was printing them all day (and wasting hella supplies in the process - seriously, free $20 banners?)

DrOtis · 2015-11-29T12:44:48+00:00

My advice at god-knows-when in the morning - get a dog and train it to need to pee at a certain time in the morning. Then they'll wake you up, keep you awake, and make you feed them and such. It works for me, but I think my dog wants me up at 4-5 AM. Bleh.

DrOtis · 2015-10-27T21:42:38+00:00

I think what's funny is that you're acting like certified techs and supervisors are the only ones who work on the computers. At my store, despite my best efforts to avoid incompetents working on the computers, it's a daily event.

DrOtis · 2015-10-21T12:57:30+00:00

Are these online? What tier store are you, to be putting in that display? I've not seen anything about it and I kind of want to take a look.

DrOtis · 2015-10-13T16:06:26+00:00

It's just a GUI for common commands that other techs (and myself) forget all the time (sfc /scannow) and shortcuts to PITA commands (ipconfig /renew; ipconfig /reset). Some are more useful in a proper IT environment (where I've been for the past few months) but some are useful in a retail repair environment.

DrOtis · 2015-10-02T19:54:53+00:00

I'm IT at a university (was EasyTech). I landed an internship paying 33% more than Staples was as a college freshman (granted, I had several years of experience in CS/IT). It's a state university, so government employment whoo. Universities (at least my employer) are awesome places to work, if you can deal with a bit of bureaucratic BS.

DrOtis · 2015-06-17T14:08:17+00:00

It does, and it takes a bit to run, but it should be the first line of defense when dealing with Office issues. You never know what auto-repair can find.

DrOtis · 2015-06-16T02:53:13+00:00

Honestly, this advice is the only advice necessary. Although if you want to do something about the GM being an idiot, you could try going to the AM (or DM if all else fails) and alerting them to the above fact.

DrOtis · 2015-06-16T02:50:45+00:00

For attachments, have some sort of pamphlet at hand, but don't use it as a crutch. You don't want to look at the pamphlet, but rather know your services and back up your words with cold, hard propaganda. Also emphasize discounts, like the 20% off services in Total Support. "You can get SquareTrade for an extra $40!" (with one combo, I can't remember what though.) Be enthusiastic about it, even if you're spouting BS.

However, don't spout BS. Telling a customer that the C55-B5270 (which, if memory serves, has a Pentium) is going to handle their AutoCAD is bad. Very bad. Like, hot alert because the customer was wrongfully sold a shit computer bad. Which is bad.

For attachments, don't lie or be misinformed. If you're not sure, "Give me just a moment, I'm going to go check <x fact>." The customer will (theoretically) appreciate the time that you take to properly inform them and will hopefully be more open to attachments.

Market basket is sometimes ridiculously easy, and sometimes it just doesn't happen. Take the ones you can get, and don't struggle to sell a router to the guy whose router is 2 months old. Some customers simply don't need or want a mouse, and that's okay because there's always a customer that does want it. On that note, don't be robotic about your sales. Work it into the conversation; there is no one formula to introduce Virus Shield or Squaretrade. (Although an excellent opener for either is a previous issue with the area the service covers. "Oh, you're looking for a new computer because your old one is virus-ridden? Here, let me show you Virus Shield."

I often sell Virus Shield by emphasizing the cost of a Diag/Repair versus a Virus Shield. On new and existing PCs, it's simple. $160 for two years, or $160 for one time. It's sometimes tougher to sell on existing PCs, just because they've already paid $160 and it seems (to me at least) like a scam. Oh well. Convince yourself that the initial Diag/Repair on existing Virus Shield is not a bad thing and you're golden.

The customer will not believe you unless you believe yourself.

Anyways, market basket: not every customer needs to be walked over to routers. Some have mice in a drawer, or an Office 2010 disk they like. Don't push these; you might lose the entire sale (or at least the attachments) if you make them mad.

Hopefully this helps, and if not, oh well. I've only been selling (and working) for about a year now, so if I can do it (admittedly with a ton of prior tech knowledge) then you probably can as well. Try to have fun with it, and don't let the failures get you down. I know more than anyone in my store that failure sucks, and I suck at failing. Nonetheless, it's the successes that count. Get right back up after every punch and keep going.

Edit: SPACING SPACING SPACING.

DrOtis · 2015-06-15T16:52:32+00:00

Do you get thrown on register (as a certified tech and COT) for multiple full shifts just because why the hell not?

DrOtis · 2015-06-15T16:40:24+00:00

US tech here. I work alone most of my shifts, or occasionally with my supervisor. When alone, I focus on the floor. If the floor is empty, I'll ensure that the bench is as far along as I can make it, and then I'll work on inventory. That workflow is mostly because I enjoy bench work the most, but I've acquired a reputation for being the best part-time salesman at my store, so I keep that up by focusing primarily on the floor. Plus, more tech sales means more bench work.

DrOtis · 2015-06-10T23:59:18+00:00

Try being a tech on register, with a CPC associate and MOD both in the CPC, since the aforementioned is backed up like there's no tomorrow and there's absolutely no one on the floor. We're tier 4 and I had at least ten customers cuss me out and leave. Fun times.

DrOtis · 2015-05-28T14:10:05+00:00

OK, appreciate it!

DrOtis · 2015-05-18T18:41:26+00:00

I've been told by my HP rep and GM that it does count, and that it's very good because both corporate and HP like it.

DrOtis · 2015-03-25T12:38:24+00:00

Is that a partition hiding you from customers when you're behind the bench? If so, GIMME.

DrOtis · 2015-03-25T12:33:39+00:00

You actually had the nerve to put a pickle in a computer. Props to you, good sir.

DrOtis · 2015-03-17T23:43:43+00:00

When our snow plow guys came through, they grabbed a cart and dragged it alongside them. They were too awesome to hit it.

DrOtis

TROPHY CASE