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– Emphasizes the importance of self-confidence in sales people and reveals how these employees can achieve confidence in their call-center roles.
Abstract
Purpose
Emphasizes the importance of self-confidence in sales people and reveals how these employees can achieve confidence in their call-center roles.
Design/methodology/approach
Puts forward a series of spidergrams illustrating the self-confidence of different employees and suggests how they can improve their performance.
Findings
Advances the view that sales people need to: know their products and services; know their sales and customer-service processes; know how to get inside the world of prospective customers; know their competitors' products and services; know what has worked, and not worked, in the past; and have faith and belief in the product, service and brand.
Practical implications
Outlines development activities for call-center employees, concentrating on knowledge of product, sales process, customer-service processes, competitors' products and performance and the customer's world.
Originality/value
Provides a tool-kit for developing call-center skills.
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The purpose of this paper is to describe a Model of Excellence™ that has helped to improve the performance of sales staff at retailing giant B&Q, among other organizations.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe a Model of Excellence™ that has helped to improve the performance of sales staff at retailing giant B&Q, among other organizations.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper explains the background to the Model of Excellence™ and some of the results it has achieved.
Findings
There are three levels of influence of the Model of Excellence™ – explicit standards, consistency and sustainability. The paper reveals how the Continue & Begin™ fast‐coaching model for on‐the‐spot coaching of sales employees and their colleagues is being used by many of the world's leading automotive and retail operators to reinforce sales training.
Practical implications
The paper shows that the fast‐coaching approach is ideal for use when observing sales behaviors in situ as well as being a proven method for making the most of mystery‐shop video footage or telephone‐call recordings.
Originality/value
The paper highlights the importance of creating an explicit set of standards (the sales process) that people can relate to, that they believe could be achievable, that they can incorporate into their daily lives, and training sales staff to deliver them.
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To explore the methodological implications of sociomaterial theory for qualitative research about practice. The purpose of this paper is to assess the potential and limitations of…
Abstract
Purpose
To explore the methodological implications of sociomaterial theory for qualitative research about practice. The purpose of this paper is to assess the potential and limitations of video stimulus to discussion about practice as embodied and material, and to theorise this in terms of epistemic objects.
Design/methodology/approach
A video based on a residential child and family service in Sydney was used as a stimulus in six focus group discussions with researchers and professionals in child and family health. Three focus groups were held in Sweden, and three in the British Isles, settings where a similar approach to supporting families with young children is established. A sociomaterial perspective, drawing on Schatzki's practice theory and Knorr Cetina's notion of epistemic objects informed the design and methodologically focused analysis.
Findings
The use of video is shown to be successful in facilitating and prompting participants to reflect and comment on practice as embodied and material. However, the analysis also accounts for more problematic nature of this approach, exploring the affective connections and illusion of totality that can be associated with video screenings. An alternative, based on line drawings, is suggested, and the paper concludes by raising further questions about data reduction and stimulus artefacts.
Originality/value
The turn to sociomaterial theory has huge potential, but its methodological implications remain unexplored. This paper contributes original perspectives relating to the use of video in a qualitative study, offering innovative theorisation and discussion of stimulus material as epistemic objects, which offers fresh insights into significant methodological prospects and problems.
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This paper, which will be published in two parts in consecutive issues of Circuit World, reproduces a chapter of the recently published book ‘Handbook of Printed Circuit…
Abstract
This paper, which will be published in two parts in consecutive issues of Circuit World, reproduces a chapter of the recently published book ‘Handbook of Printed Circuit Technology: New Processes, New Technologies’, edited by G. Herrmann and K. Egerer and published by Electrochemical Publications Ltd, Port Erin, Isle of Man.