Tag sales

Ah… Amazon and feeling cheated.

brilliantviewpoint 17 Comments

We all know that ordering off of Amazon is quick and easy. I don’t do it very often, prefer to shop local, but when I can’t find what I want —> There is Amazon.

I recently ordered a backpack. I needed one, shopped around, was trying to find a sale, wasn’t finding one, so had to buy at full price. I found this Adidas bag I liked. It was $60, I wanted to spend $30 or below; however, my daughter has one, good quality, I liked the style, so bought it.

Imagine my SURPRISE. I am looking it over and I see this tag that says, “CLEARANCE $17.98”

It’s hard to be HAPPY with a purchase, when we see a tag like that. I engaged with Amazon’s Customer Service. They said they understood my frustration, but sales come and go, they couldn’t do anything. So, I have to decide, how much ENERGY do I want to put into this? I KNOW I should write to the top, let the CEO know what’s going on. If they are selling at $60, sale over, then take the $17.98 Clearance tag off.

Actually, writing to the top helps. I recently bought a sofa from a big Dept store. They sent me a USED sofa, it must have been a floor model or been in storage for YEARS. I called Customer Service, they said an inspector would need to come in 3 weeks, etc. I didn’t want to deal with that. So, I wrote to the CEO of the Dept store. I took a guess on his email.

Guess what, within a day, I received a response. Within four days, bad sofa picked up and account credited. I had sent photos of the “bad sofa,” I was polite, but asked if this was the type of quality this Dept store was sending out. I wanted HIM (CEO) to be aware of this.

So, as I write this…

I KNOW — I must once again, sit at my computer, crack my knuckles and write a stellar message, wasting valuable time to seek justice OR at least alert the top that this is happening.

MAYBE the top will have the same message as Customer Service, an “Oh well, sorry.” However, there is a chance that they will be “shocked too,” and make things right!

It’s exhausting to fight for justice.

Advertisements – When they catch our attention!

brilliantviewpoint 15 Comments

I love good advertisements. For years, I worked for a magazine selling print ads. It was the most fun I’ve had at any job. Yes, it was stressful reaching my weekly/monthly sales goals.

However, I enjoyed scouting out new clients in ALL kinds of industries. I met many interesting people. Ok, I admit, some nice, some not so nice. Yet interesting even when they would slam the door in my face. I would think, “THAT person needs to be sold!”

Recently, I saw this truck with the mold advertisement. I smiled. I was brought back to my old sales days. HURRY, write down the name before the truck dashes off. WHY? We’ve got a Home issue coming up, THIS would be a perfect advertiser. Got to get on it!

My Boss, an Italian guy, would go around the table at our weekly sales meetings asking each Sales Rep, “How the week went.” Seems like a simple question, but if he was in a “mood,” it was embarrassing to be called out in front of everyone.

One guy ALWAYS sat with his chair tilted back trying to act cool. He was a “hot shot.” Talked like a used car salesman. When it was his turn to answer, he’d say, “GREAT week Boss!”

My Manager would say, “Well, Jim, if it was a great week, why didn’t I see any contracts in my InBox?”

Poor Jim! He just didn’t understand that a “good week” meant “SIGNED CONTRACTS!” NO signed contracts, not a good week, LOL. So, don’t set yourself up to be poked at.

Let’s face it, not everyone is cut out for sales. You’ve got to have a tough skin. Stress is high. My Italian manager taught me early on, it’s a numbers game. Do the work, get the reward.

So, here’s to enjoying a good advertisement!