Forced Availability

[RED]

hereticus said:

stonehills said:

Just had a e mail through asking to fax any paper quotes from the last 2 months to head office as they are having a drive on conversion rates, things must be bad. Not much point sending them in if I had any as they never convert any of mine any way.

Red.....you say that Hillarys are monitoring this forum continually, and I hope you are right because it can only be good that they know our frustrations, and this email about quote conversions could well be proof.

Only a few days ago there were comments on this forum about the parlous state of quote conversions, and now this ! Perhaps somebody is listening to us - I do hope so !

Mike, I have to admire your eternal optimism, I really do.
It is more likely that the shop floor is not busy and not much work coming in that this is happening, probably nothing to do with what has been said on here but just maybe you might be right, and I would dearly love it to be so but I doubt it.

Red

[ricko]

I have just received an email from Hillary's asking me to work this weekend and bank holiday Monday as they have so many leads.
I don't belieeeeeeeeve it!!!!!
I have 60 available appointments this week of which I had none today 3 tomorrow and none on Thursday or Friday. That works out to about 5% of my availability being used and they want more?
In all my time I have never been so quiet so there can only be a couple of possibilities. I have upset someone or there is someone new that is on priority ( most likely). Probably both.
I have never had another agent in my area but I suppose it had to happen eventually. I just don't understand the logic. There has never been enough business to make a decent living for one agent so why bring in another?
What a way to treat a long standing successful "employee". lol
Seriously, does anyone have any good ideas on creating more self gen that I haven't tried before.

[lukan61]

Ive just had the same email. If their precious call to diary target is so important to them why dont they get the fsms to cover these leads over the weekend & the bank holiday. The experience will give them some good hands on experience. Then they can show us how its done?

[RED]

lukan61 said:

Ive just had the same email. If their precious call to diary target is so important to them why dont they get the fsms to cover these leads over the weekend & the bank holiday. The experience will give them some good hands on experience. Then they can show us how its done?

If I was not going out to so many 3 for 99 time wasters then I would gladly open up my diary but seen as all I am going out to are these type of sales then there is not much point in me running around the local area just visiting people. I need to earn to feed my family and with these offers I am not earning just driving round for nothing so my diary stays as it is till they stop the 3 for 99 and other loss making offers.

Red

[gloryboy]

perhaps if this email had preceded the ones from fsm's telling us the diaries were being forced they may have had a more positive response

[thelloydgang]

HI Red

Sorry but have to disagree with you.........I've never been busier these past few months and am only working 3 days per week at the moment because of school hols.........still managing between 4-6k per week so I can't compain.

Why not give it a try by faxing thru all your quotes.........you've got nothing to lose and everything to gain.

I did find a few months ago I was attening my appointments really negative and sales weren't as good. I know it's sometimes hard to think on the positive but I've found it works for me now and my figures show.

I still have frustrations that you all share like tonight.........was asked to call one customer with approx time. Informed her she would be my last appt and she'd been told by central leads that when I called her she could request the 1st appt. This didn't fit in with my route and I'd also got another request for early as poss. So passed her back to head office. When I got to the early as poss customer, she was about to eat her tea and wanted to know how long I'd be doing a roof blind quote and she only wanted rough idea so could get a starting point! Was in and out of there in 15mins cos her tea was getting cold!!

I was polite and calm with the customer but did swear a bit when I got back in the car!

We all suffer from the same frustrations but I've found that by talking to head office and FSM some of them can be put right. Like Forced availability!

K

[dolly]

RED i would agree with you and say all this send quotes in and increase availability requests comes down to Hillarys actually been very quiet. Reason being despite the fit date i have had for the last 2 weeks been ordering blinds and they have been arriving on my next van! Including wooden venetians.
If only they could do this in December ;D

But thinking seriously for a minute, didnt they promise us no more spin? I too will not be increasing my diary further than i have done yesterday here and there as they are now booking in appts with 3 slots not 4. Cheeky blighters

[dibsdobs]

stonehills said:

[quote author=bear board=general thread=1155915253 post=115625725
Just had a e mail through asking to fax any paper quotes from the last 2 months to head office as they are having a drive on conversion rates, things must be bad. Not much point sending them in if I had any as they never convert any of mine any way.



Red

We've all had it.

Its almost the end of the financial year don't you know!

Desperately trying to boost totals?

[dolly]

Hi Karen you have a wonderful attitude. Any chance you putting in a bid for Hillarys?

[desmorse]

Well, I'm really snowed under by all these extra leads and the need to work weekends.
That is, I have 8 empty slots tomorrow, so there's 2 leads I'd like, and I always work Saturday and Sunday, but so far have just 1 lead booked in, and that's been there for over a week. In fact, I've been complaining to both my FSM and CLC team leaders (no response from email whatsoever) that my Sundays have been so devoid of leads of late that I may as well close the day down.
And quotes? Well, they "converted" 1 today. I phoned it in, after discounting the quote from £627 to £600, (generous to a fault, me ) so I'll look forward to the letter telling me what a great job they've done for me

[desmorse]

This push on conversion rates is just the normal turn of the merry-go-round.
The full cycle is ......

1) Conversion rates are paramount. Do whatever you have to do to get the order.
2) Discount rates are too high. If you need to discount more than 10%, you must discuss with your FSM first.
3) Lead effect is THE most important KPI. You must concentrate on converting at high order values.

1) Conversion rates are paramount. Do whatever you have to do to get the order.
2) Discount rates are too high. If you need to discount more than 10%, you must discuss with your FSM first.
3) Lead effect is THE most important KPI. You must concentrate on converting at high order values.

1) Conversion rates are paramount. Do whatever you have to do to get the order.
2) Discount rates are too high. If you need to discount more than 10%, you must discuss with your FSM first.
3) Lead effect is THE most important KPI. You must concentrate on converting at high order values.

Usually around 4 months in between each turn

[*Star*man*]

lukan61 said:

Ive just had the same email. If their precious call to diary target is so important to them why dont they get the fsms to cover these leads over the weekend & the bank holiday. The experience will give them some good hands on experience. Then they can show us how its done?

HERE , HERE !

[JoY]

aries9456 said:

lukan61 said:

Ive just had the same email. If their precious call to diary target is so important to them why dont they get the fsms to cover these leads over the weekend & the bank holiday. The experience will give them some good hands on experience. Then they can show us how its done?

HERE , HERE !

I replied to that email by asking how grateful they would be if we worked bank holiday £££££? I asked if any staff were working in the service centre and not getting "bank holiday" pay? Just waiting for the answer.......

[farmer]

desmorse said:

This push on conversion rates is just the normal turn of the merry-go-round.
The full cycle is ......

1) Conversion rates are paramount. Do whatever you have to do to get the order.
2) Discount rates are too high. If you need to discount more than 10%, you must discuss with your FSM first.
3) Lead effect is THE most important KPI. You must concentrate on converting at high order values.

1) Conversion rates are paramount. Do whatever you have to do to get the order.
2) Discount rates are too high. If you need to discount more than 10%, you must discuss with your FSM first.
3) Lead effect is THE most important KPI. You must concentrate on converting at high order values.

1) Conversion rates are paramount. Do whatever you have to do to get the order.
2) Discount rates are too high. If you need to discount more than 10%, you must discuss with your FSM first.
3) Lead effect is THE most important KPI. You must concentrate on converting at high order values.

Usually around 4 months in between each turn

until my or any f.s.m, can go uot for a month or so, and prove it can be done then they can run and jump.

still no answers to the selling up question is there from any of them.

As we keep repeating, the mark up on a blind is immense, so no matter what we sell at, they still make a killing.

Working this bank holiday monday.

yes please........... i will run around all day selling crappy 3 for 99, to earn £50 quid, whilst f.s.m is chilling out, taking a percentage.

What a load of boll ocks, they cant even fill my diary up for the rest of the week.

what a shower.....

Still no quotes converted....


still no news on rewards...

still same old crap............

[dolly]

For weeks now in my area we have been short of advisors for many different reasons and not all Hillarys fault. So i am doing a bit extra than i normally would anyway. But the more i did to start with the less sales appts i do now because all the extra sales has meant the extra fits loses me an equivalent of a days sales over a week. So all we are doing is going round in circles.
As for working B. H. Monday i worked my first one years ago people either had a house full of guests so you hadn't their full attention,are going out and rushing about or have cleared off out before you get there. I pulled up at somebodys house once to see them all jumping in the car. Dog, bucket and spade the lot. I thought even then as a newish recruit never again.
The decent customers will always wait for an appt. How many times have we been told by customers in December that they must have the blinds up for XMAS. Only to ring them and say their ready only to be told we will wait now till January.