ASSIGNMENT 4: HOW DO SALES PEOPLE INFLUENCE PURCHASES?

For this part in the assignment I have to interview three to four individuals and ask them how sales people influence purchases? As I work in sales this question really interests me as I want to see if the answers reflect what I am taught to do in a day to day basis at work. I want to find out if our environment has any impact on what we buy from the interiors of how a shop is laid out to how people are approached by customers. I firstly did a mind map to think of what questions to ask. As the interview has to be in a semi-structured format I'm planning some of the questions and areas I want to explore but keeping my questions quite general. Using the service prototype tool I will then observe and interact in a shopping situation and observe how people interact with sales people.

Brainstorming questions to ask (above)

ACTIVITY 4C

Recently I have been interviewing people asking them how sales people influence purchases? Over all of the interviews one thing cropped up every time- the sales people need to be knowledgeable about what they are selling to the consumer and also take an interest in what the customer is wanting if not the customer might not take what they are saying into consideration. Many are often put off buying when they feel pressured into a product by the sales person. One interviewee said  "some sales people are just trying to reach their sales target for the day and really don't care for what the customer is wanting, they prefer to sell more expensive items which they might not want." This may be true in some companies as pressure to make sales is high but sales people need to act in a approachable and friendly manner or they may not get the sale as customers are put off with feeling forced into a sale. Two of the interviewee's work in sales and both are aware when someone is just trying to get money in the till which puts them off as they know  how the sales business works.

When asked "what influences you when out shopping?" The majority are influenced by price, advertisement and special promotions. This maybe because it is what everyone else is into such as a fashion so many may want to fit in with society. When looking at the price of something most people look for a good deal or bargain as they may feel that they have spent their money wisely as it could have cost them much more a couple of weeks back so there is a feeling of achievement.

http://www.uie.com/publications/whitepapers/ImpulseBuying.pdf 

When researching this further I found an interesting website that found that designing a website into categories influences people to impulse buy when shopping online so maybe this works in shops as well to sell more as people are aware of different things to buy such as if you were looking to buy a bikini for their holiday, you go into a shop to buy that but then beside it are sun glasses- you need those too (even though that isn't what you originally went for) so you may as well get them too. Sales people could also use this to get more sales by asking customers if they have certain items which relates to what they are buying.

Sales people need to be enthusiastic and believable about what they are selling to show the customer that they have a common interest in what they are selling to you. One interviewee described it as someone who is " on the same wave length as them." This is so that the customer can relate to the seller therefore feels more at ease to what they are buying.

As I work in sales I was able to watch some of the people without them assuming that I was analysing what they were doing, how they were interacting with the customers, etc. This is a research technique called prototyping which is used to observe a service by watching the interaction between the user of the service in the place, situation and condition of where the service actually exist. When analysing the situation I became aware that one person who specialises in customer service would approach certain customers but not others. When I interviewed her afterwards I asked her what her duties where when on customer service? She replied "to approach customers and either say hello or can I help you with anything?" I asked her why she didn't approach everyone and her reasons were that there are 3 different types of customers ones who are browsing but not buying, one who is looking for something in particular and one who is unsure of what they are wanting to buy. I feel that she may not have approached everyone as some people looked as if they were just browsing or their body language showed that they don't want to be approached. I feel that as a sales person you can usually sense if the customer wants to be approached or wants to be left alone to shop. One customer approached the employee and asked for a shoe in a different size which wasn't displayed, the employee then went up to the stock room to look for a different size, as there were no more in that style the employee offered an alternative shoe which she described as being " very fashionable and new to the summer collection" This makes the customer feel as if the shoes are very now in the fashion world and will be in trend for the summer months. This shows that the colleague is very knowledgeable and knows what fashions are on trend. The customer then bought these shoes- this shows that sales assistants can influence purchases as they have more knowledgeable in the products.

Overall I feel that sales people can influence customers quite a lot but the sales person must be knowledgeable about what they are selling, friendly and relatable to their target market.

ASSIGNMENT 3C- OBSERVE & RECORD!

PRIMARY SOURCE

For this part of the assignment I had to firstly observe people in a situation which I felt uncomfortable in. I decided to go to the Dundee United Vs St Johnstone football match. Then I was to try and engage in my surroundings as much as possible and finally record my findings. Here is what I found out!

Me just before the game! (Borrowed my boyfriends Dundee United strip so I blended in with the crowd)

As I approached St Johnstone football grounds I started to follow the swarm of people walking towards it as I was unsure of where to get in- there was no clear entrance until I went round part of the stadium then there were two entrances one for the home team supporters and one for away supporters, as I was with my boyfriend who is a massive Dundee United supporter we went through the away entrance so joined the small Que to get in. There was a strong police presence outside the stadium with a couple of police vans parked outside and I could hear the barking of the police dogs who I presumed were inside the vans.  There were also many stewards who were organising the crowds to make sure that the number of people queuing stayed down. The crowds were very lively, friendly and up beat- singing team songs- one person would start singing and within a couple of seconds everyone was singing along. The majority of people wore the team colours- tangerine and black for Dundee United and blue and white for St Johnstone so it was easy to pick out who supporter which team. As I approached the entrance it was a more unfriendly atmosphere with a metal turnstile in front of me and a staff member who only asked "how many tickets?" No "hello" or "thank you" just the exchange of money and then I walked through the small turnstile which felt more like a prison entrance than a football match.

 As I walked out into the stadium there was a great atmosphere in the air. I was able to sit anywhere so chose to sit in a crowded area so that I was able to observe as much as possible. The crowd was a mixture of ages from young children to older people and although there were some women it was mainly male dominant who were in small groups of friends or families. This was quiet a sociable space. As the game started I was amazed how competitive the atmosphere was when certain teams did bad, people would boo- this reminded me of going to the pantomime. Throughout the game there were many people shouting and swearing (mainly at the referee). After discussing with other people who have been to a football match they feel that it is maybe a stress relief for some people as they are able to shout in this situation. It became quite unpleasant at times but at times when the supporters would start singing there was a feeling of belonging and that people share the same passion for the teams so have something in common with each other. The stadium was divided with supporters to the right was the St Johnstone supporters who were in the bigger part of the stadium and to my right was the family area which was nearly empty. No one was in the stadium opposite me, I presume this is so that everyone is together and not scattered and to create more of an atmosphere for the crowd, also maybe to keep it safer as there is more staff in one areas and they don't need to scatter as much.
There were some rules such as:

• No smoking
• No alcohol
• No sharp objects
• Bag searches would take place
• Do not climb signs ( on the barriers to the pitch)

Although there weren't many rules I felt that I should react in a certain way in certain situations such as when everyone else stood up because one team nearly scored then I should do the same. I feel that this was spur of the moment reaction to my surroundings so that I didn't feel out of place or different. The police at all times would be walking around just outside the pitch watching the supporters and making sure that no trouble was started. If there was a large group of people singing or making loads of noise they would stop and watch to make sure no one was out of order. There were also two stewards who stand at each walkway around the stadium, I presume they are there in case any supporters need help or for security reasons. The fans body language was quiet open and friendly at times although when the game wasn't going too well they were more closed and angry- arms folded, etc.

                              

As half time approached many people went a couple of minutes before half time to get food and drink so there were no ques. Everyone seemed to stand up at half time and talk amongst themselves. There were many services such as a snack bar which sold hot drinks and pies and also a half time draw which was advertised on your way in to the game as well as programme sellers. I would have presumed that most people were from a middle class background and either from Dundee or Perth as that was where the teams are from but I soon realised that this wasn't the case! A man who was sitting beside my boyfriend started chatting away to us. He had a strong foreign accent, in his early thirties and looked like he looked after himself. We soon found out that he is an international football player and plays for both Holland and Ajax. I was quite surprised by this as this was just a friendly game at my local football grounds - why would he be watching this game? He later told us that he was here to watch his friend play who was recently bought over by Dundee United from Ajax. This totally changed my perceptions of the supporters! As the game came to a close many people left just before the final whistle- probably to get there cars out before the rush of people. When leaving there was a real feeling of frustration as the game ended 0 - 0. It was also a lot quieter, a feeling of failure...

SECONDARY SOURCE

For the next part of my assignment I was to observe a situation which we encounter on a daily basis. I decided to observe the bus station. As I got from Perth to Dundee and back every day to get to university this was quite easy for me to observe. The bus station offers many services such as a small newsagents, cafe (which serves hot and cold food and drinks to take away or stay in) and the ticket office. Some services which I have never realised such as the information point and travel finder- although I go straight past it every day I've never actually noticed that which sounds quite bad since I've been getting the bus for the last two years! I also noticed that the toilets charge you 20p- which to me sounds a bit crazy but I'm sure it probably makes enough money to maintain it. There is so much advertisment around such as a stand full of leaflets from cinema timings to adventure parks. Also there is a billboard outside behind the stances probably there to entice people to buy into their product as you wait for the bus to come. Even on the sides of buses advertising anything from films, cheaper bus tickets, to promoting breast feeding. 

The people who travel from bus are mainly from middle class backgrounds. There are quite a lot of people in there 20's and the elderly. This is probably because most working class people have cars and also it is only 4pm so they won't be getting out of work until around 5pm. There is a calming atmosphere and although most people have a friendly appearance and a casual open stance they seem emerced in either their iPods or mobile phones. Quite a lot of men are reading the paper, one is doing a crossword- maybe he is quite knowledgeable? Although the seats are in clusters of three only the two end ones are ever used- Thinking about this it maybe quite an unfriendly atmosphere or maybe its more about personal space, how close is too close to someone you don't know? The bus station is designed in such a way that there are three seats in front of the automatic doors and three seats away from them- majority of people sit at the seats away from the door in winter as it brings a chilling breeze.

 When someone walks past them people usually watch them for a couple of seconds- looking them up and down and then get back to what they were originally doing. One woman who catches my eye has a stricking appearance with a tartan scarf on and also a small scottie dog beside her who also has a tartan jacket on. I would think that she is  an animal lover and is probably proud of her Scottish heritage. There is also a man who has a red and white Amsterdam hat on- is he from there? has he visited there? Or maybe it was a present from someone? I think he was from Amsterdam he also had red and white trainers and scarf, maybe he likes matching clothes but I doubt it. There are a lot of different cultures that pass through Dundee and that has been highlighted when doing this excercise so this is maybe why there is an information and travel finder area.. 

 The staff workers are very friendly walking to and from the buses with a spring in their step. There is also one member of staff working there with a clip board and pen he probably makes sure that all buses are on time, I think it's probably only the mega bus's and City Link coaches as he always seems to stand around there. The only time individuals interact with the staff is if they have a problem and are worried about which bus to take usually the staff act in a sympathetic way to put customers at ease. There always seems to be a que at the blairgowrie stance but no others, I'm unsure why- might be because most people come from there into Dundee or maybe the buses aren't as frequent.

As a bus arrives most people walk out casually to the stance which it is at and wait in an untidy que until the driver is ready to board the bus then the ques become more sorted. When walking on the bus everyone sits in seats away from one another it is only once these seats are all filled that people have to sit beside each other, although many people put their bags or jackets beside the seat so that no one sits there. I have also noticed that certain individuals sit in the same seat day in day out. Probably more of a habit and where they feel most comfortable.

 Here are some of the rules which I encountered when at the bus station:

• Do not proceed beyond the yellow line- which was around the kerb of the stances so that no one is in danger when buses park.
• Keep Clear- beside automatic doors- if not kept clear a noise is made by the door to alert people to move.
• No smoking

You are also made aware that there are CCTV cameras in the bus station. After discussing my findings with other people they all seem to have the same kind of observations as me. Observing how people need there own space and feel annoyed if someone was to sit beside them if there are other free seats around. I feel that in the future through the use of enthology I could use this research tool to understand the clients needs who I am designing for.