2007 Wireless Sales Associates Profile and Behavior Survey: What has changed since 2003?

SUMMARY

InfoTek Research completed in-depth surveys with 250 wireless sales associates in both carrier stores and independent agents using stratified random sampling to represent the wireless retail channel in the United States. With this information, InfoTek offers readers a rare glimpse into the behavior of those sales associates standing behind the counter making recommendations to millions of wireless consumers each year regarding which wireless phones, accessories and services to purchase. As testimony of the selling power sales associates have, this year's study unveiled that each associate, on average, interacts with almost 8,000 consumers a year -- an increase in customer contact of 23% in just four years. This report reviews the trends over a four year period (2003-2007) in the typical sales associate. It will be important to all members selling through the wireless channel to understand these changes and take them into account when developing short and long-term channel strategies. Some of the information in this study includes:

Associate Profile:

• Have associates' put their arms around new technology in general?
• Are associates becoming more or less tech savvy?
• Are sales associates less or more likely to stay in the wireless business since 2003?
• Is the general education level of associates increasing or decreasing?

Associate Interaction:

• Which channel's associates are interacting more and less with potential wireless customers?
• How many customers are associates interacting with compared to 2003?

Associate Compensation:

• Have the services and items for which they receive commission changing over time?
• How much money do associates earn compared to 2003?
• Are associates more or less likely to earn commission compared to 2003?
• Do associates get free phones as part of their jobs?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section 1 Introduction

• 1.1 Study Background
  • 1.1.1 Strategy for the Wireless Retail Survey
  • 1.1.2 On-Going Lack of Information on the Retail Channel
• 1.2 Objectives
  • 1.2.1 InfoTek's 2007 Sales Associates Profile and Behavior Report
  • 1.2.2 Other 2007 Wireless Retail Reports
• 1.3 Scope and Methodology
  • 1.3.1 Scope
  • 1.3.2 Sample Plan
  • 1.3.3 Questionnaire Development
  • 1.3.4 Interviews
  • 1.3.5 Report layout

Section 2 Sales Associate Profile, Interaction and Behavior

• 2.1 Introduction and Overview
• 2.2 Sales Associate Profile: What's changed since 2003?
  • 2.2.1 Less Experienced Sales Associates Selling Wireless
  • 2.2.2 Tenure at Current Retail Store is Decreasing Slightly
  • 2.2.3 Associate Working Less Hours in Average Week
  • 2.2.4 Less Technology Innovators Serving Customers
  • 2.2.5 Which Channel's Associates are More or Less Familiar with Computer Technology
  • 2.2.6 College Education Level of Sales Associates is Decreasing
  • 2.2.7 Age
  • 2.2.8 Gender
• 2.3 Store Traffic and Sales Associate Interaction
  • 2.3.1 Which Stores Get the Most Traffic and Who is Getting More Traffic
  • 2.3.2 Quantity of Customer Interaction
• 2.4 General Compensation of Sales Associates
  • 2.4.1 Free Phones
  • 2.4.2 Sales Commission
  • 2.4.3 Total Compensation for Selling Wireless Phones and Services
• 2.5 Key Findings
• 2.6 Recommendations

Table of Figures

• Figure 1: Retail Sales Associate Interview Distribution By Store Type
• Figure 2: Retail Sales Associate Interview Distribution By Retail Location
• Figure 3: Estimated Number of Retail Stores Reported by Each Carrier and National Resellers
• Figure 4: Wireless Retail Associate Snapshot
• Figure 5: Experience Selling Wireless Phones and Services
• Figure 6: Experience Selling Wireless By Channel (2+ Years)
• Figure 7: Tenure with Current Retailer (2+ Years with Retailer)
• Figure 8: Hours per Week (+ hours)
• Figure 9: Shift in Associated Being Technology Innovators
• Figure 10: Percent Consider Themselves Innovators by Channel
• Figure 11: Familiarity with Computer Electronics
• Figure 12: Who is Becoming Less Formally Educated?
• Figure 13: Sales Associate Gender 2003 vs. 2007
• Figure 14: Distribution of Retail Traffic
• Figure 15: Quantity of Associate Customer Interaction
• Figure 16: Whose Sales Associates Still Get a Free Phone?
• Figure 17: Associates Earning Commission
• Figure 18: Which National Consumer Electronics Retailers Pay Commission for Wireless Sales?
• Figure 19: Types of Sales for Which Associates Earn Commission
• Figure 20: Mean Annual Compensation by Channel