The job of Apple Retail Store employees will begin changing in profound ways next month. In order to showcase and sell the Apple Watch, retail employees will be trained to provide personal fashion and styling advice to customers, according to employees briefed on the plans. Until now, Apple Retail has been tasked with recommending iPads, iPhones and Macs with few styling options aside from limited color options.
Apple is pushing for retail employees to initiate conversations that build trust, enabling the employee to serve as a valued fashion advisor during the purchase process, similarly to how traditional watches are sold. Apple Watch sales training programs will take place for Apple retail staff over the course of the next two weeks, teaching entirely new sales techniques to encourage iPhone upgrades, assist with gifting, and guide customers in watch and strap choices.
Below, we detail how employees will provide fashion advice to customers and Apple’s multi-part plan for selling an Apple Watch.
Apple is encouraging employees to build relationships with customers to understand their purchase plans, stylistic wants, and fashion needs. Apple has created multiple sample personas (shown above and below) to prepare employees for the launch. Apple also asks employees to recommend different fashion and style choices. Employees have been told to make comments such as “you seem to have a fun style. I think the Pink Sport band would match your style perfectly,” or “the white strap looks great on you.” Apple offers guidelines for making fashion and style advice:
- Make comments about why you think an option is a good choice rather than discussing why an option may not be a good choice.
- Explain how earlier customers made decisions between models.
- Use other accessories [already] on a customer as examples for which model would look best.
- If the customer is with another person, make sure to get the opinion of that person on which model should be purchased.
- Don’t focus on price as a reason to recommend an option because many customers may be willing to spend more for a model that makes them feel good.
During the sales process, Apple expects customers to make comments similar to the examples below:
- Looks good—”I love how it will coordinate with many of my outfits.”
- Functionality—”I love that I just have to raise my wrist to have the display turn on.”
- Good financial investment—”I think I can afford that.”
- Durability—”I’m sure I’ll have this for years.”
- Ease of use—”That’s so easy.”
- Versatility—”Wow, there’s so many options for straps.”
Emphasizing style over function, retail employees will be instructed to provide fashion advice like an eyeglass salesperson might at a glasses store. This is new territory for Apple, a company that has traditionally sold products that sit in pockets and on tables. Clearly, the new selling techniques were shaped by some of Apple’s recent hires from the fashion industry, including Burberry’s Angela Ahrendts & Chester Chipperfield, Yves St. Laurent’s Paul Deneve & Catherine Monnier, Tag Heuer’s Patrick Pruniaux, and Louis Vuitton’s Jacob Jordan.
Beyond the psychology behind providing fashion advice to customers, Apple will simplify its sales strategy into five key steps:
- Determine Existing Knowledge: Apple wants employees to determine how much knowledge the customer has about the Apple Watch’s functionality. For example, customers will be asked, “What excites you about the Apple Watch?” or “What features from the Apple Watch are you familiar with?” Once the employee discovers the customer’s Apple Watch knowledge, they can decide whether or not to take them into the sale process or take them to Apple Watch-related retail staff specifically trained to teach and answer questions about the device.
- Discuss Current iPhone and iOS: As the Apple Watch requires iPhone 5 hardware or newer as well as iOS 8.2, Apple employees will be instructed to discuss the customer’s current iPhone and iOS version. The employees will also be instructed to ask customers which features they use on the iPhones so that they can explain how these features will tie into the Apple Watch’s feature set.
- Push iPhone Upgrades: In line with our Apple Watch reporting earlier this month, Apple will leverage the Apple Watch launch as a major sales opportunity for iPhone upgrades. Apple Retail Store employees will be instructed to discuss newer iPhone models if a customer using iPhones older than the current iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Employees will have the ability to check a customer’s iPhone upgrade eligibility with carriers on the spot. For customers wanting an Apple Watch without an iPhone, this will be an opportunity to leverage the new Android trade-in program for Apple Stores.
- Discuss Why the Watch is Being Purchased: Moving toward the Apple Watch sale, Apple Store employees will be instructed to ask customers about what specific functionality from the Apple Watch interests them. Customers will be asked who the Apple Watch is for, such as themselves, for someone else, or a special occasion. Apple employees will also ask how the customer sees themselves using the Apple Watch before leading into which specific model to sell.
- Determine Which Model to Sell: Also corresponding with our earlier report, employees will determine casing and band styles based on a customer’s use cases. Apple Store employees will ask variants of the following questions in order to determine which Watch model to sell the customer: “What does your current watch look like?,” “How do you plan on using your Apple Watch?,” “Which Apple Watch look matches your personal style?,” “Do you prefer leather or metal bands?,” and “Are you more of a classic or modern watch enthusiast?”
Prior to preparing employees on sales tactics and techniques for providing fashion advice, Apple informed employees about the overall structure of Apple Watch in-store sales. Apple Watch customers will be able to begin visiting Apple Stores on April 10th to try-on the Apple Watch before being able to buy the device beginning April 24th. Apple Store employees will be organized into four zones (Apple Watch & Sport sales, Apple Watch Edition Sales, questions, and try-ons), and appointment times (which aren’t required) will be allotted for 15 minute periods.
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An employee wearing a work t-shirt over another t-shirt is not qualified to give fashion advise.
An employee trained to provide fashion advice is better than an employee not trained for this. Perhaps in their training they’ll be taught to ask questions the customer may not have considered but which are useful or valued when they are proposed to them.
Imagine if Coco Chanel had started with nerds in plain Tshirts instead of models.
Says the guy with a flat-top buzz cut, surging ahead with a strong entry for the irony-of-the-day award.
They skew young and geeky, but I actually find Apple Store folks to be above average in fashion, shoes, hair, etc.
Upselling is my most hated word in the world. If I fucking wanted a more expensive product, I would have told the salesman that.
OK, strong-minded straight shooter. We’re all very impressed. Meanwhile, anyone with sales experience knows that real customers come in with questions and have wiggle room.
It’s why they’re THERE and not buying it online.
Ugh… This just feels dirty.
Hi Ben! I can see you’re looking hip and fun today! I think the green sport band would totally suit your style!
Ow!
Didn’t have to punch me. :(
Rather than giving specific instructions, I wish they’d just encourage natural conversation. People who’ve already walked into the store don’t need the hard sell. They’re there for a reason. Opening dialogue about features and choices is enticing enough without some snot-nosed kid who knows nothing about your life, telling you what fits with a wardrobe they’ve never seen.
It’s just not necessary.
What’s necessary is having a jewellery store approach. Spare. Fucking. Parts. If after all this horse shit about personal service, they can’t sell me a couple of extra links for the link bracelet, the whole charade falls over.
This is the opposite of a hard sell. It’s about asking the right questions and questioning your own assumptions about the customer.
Maybe a cheap one WOULD be better. Maybe it’s not to match their T shirt and jeans but for the wedding coming up next week. Maybe it’s a gift for someone else entirely. You don’t know that unless you ask, and these guidelines would help a Specialist figure that out.
The article specifically mentions upselling. That’s a hard sell in anyone’s language.
https://9to5mac.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2015/03/image2.png
Take off that hat, you are not Lou Bega.
What would you people choose?
I’d say that the link bracelet feels very solid and will look great while he works, and that the darker model will go great with his skin tone and look very classy.
On second thought, maybe that bracelet is too conventional, and the Milanese might be better for him.
The space black band would go great with his skin tone. For Susana, I think the pink sport band would work well. I’d probably ask if she’s looking for something that would work equally well at work, in which case I’d recommend the stainless steel versions.
This ‘Server’ can’t afford any of his favourites. Plus he already owns a watch anyways…
Avoiding the hoopla and preordering both 38 and 42 mm sport models, keeping the one I prefer
Actually, just going with the 38mm, think the 42 is a bit too big and bulky, kinda like the 6 v the 6+
I played with the watches for a few hours at a developer lab. They look and feel smaller in person than the ‘actual size’ pictures on the Apple Store app.
So how much of a percentage smaller are the actual watches compared to what apple says is the actual size in their app?
They didn’t say they were smaller – just felt or appeared that way. If you hold a massive phone to your wrist it won’t help you determine which one to buy.
Hm… Not sure how I feel about this. What if you aren’t wearing what you would normally wear when wearing your watch? For example, a teacher who dresses up Monday through Friday, but dresses down on the weekend while visiting the Apple Store. Then they’re just guessing at what your personal style might be. Or trying to sell you more bands.
Plus the whole upselling concept is one of the reasons I like going to the Apple Store, because they usually don’t do it. I want to visit the Apple Store at the Apple Store, not the GAP.
They’ll be taught to ask when do you most expect to wear the watch. That’s what this training is for.
I can’t wait to not go to an apple store for this. A nice DHL man will know on my door and give me a parcel.
I have a special relationship with my UPS lady – because if I see her I know it’s Apple!
No way I’m buying the undercoating or the sealant.
I want to know where this store is located. I have never been in an Apple store with less than 100 people in it. Where are they going to find time to help you choose a watch?
right? where are the little bitches huddled around Photo Booth on those macs in the background?
What a man. Does referring to girls as “little bitches” help with your erectile dysfunction?
Rest assured, I will never be in a relationship with a woman, they’re all yours.
Wow Milorad, you’re such a defender of women, i’m sure they all want you inside of them.
SJW mangina, go back to reddit.
Listen I don’t give a rat’s arse about your sexuality. Regardless of whether you want to bone them or not, behaving like a decent human being toward women isn’t too much to ask of anyone.
I’m not calling you out because I think it’s going to get me laid on a fucking Mac blog. I’m calling you out because you’re an arsehole.
As for ‘suchkunt’ up there, he seems appropriately named. Oh the horror and shame of treating women like equals… Why don’t you both go beat your mothers or cry-wank, or whatever it is you emotionally wounded little shitstains do.
@ André — Let me ask you this. Why is it always the people being monumental arseholes who seem to draw lines in the sand between the internet and real life? How is there a distinction? It’s 4chan trolls like you who seem to imagine that people online are not the same people you meet in real life.
If you wouldn’t say it to someone’s face, don’t scratch your internet nuts like a dirty swine and pretend you’re so tough online either. BE NICER. Especially to women. Someone’s gender doesn’t entitle you to be an huge pile of shit.
We done with this yet?
@Milorad, I agree with you.
@Andrew, how is “the internet” not part of “real life?” That’s a bit like saying, “I didn’t call you a fag in real life, I called you a fag on the phone!” Regardless of any difference between “real life” and “the internet,” there’s simply no reason to resort to childish, sexist, demeaning language. It’s a real sign of immaturity.
To try on the Apple Watch, you need to book an appointment through the Apple Store app. This gurantees you someone for 15 minutes to go over the models you like, much like a Genius Bar apartment.
You can book an appointment but it’s not required
Appointments at the GB are preferred but not required. The problem as a walk in is that it’s a gamble, much like the standby line on airlines. You might be seen in 5, 30, 60 minutes.
With appointments it’s more likely you will be seen at the appointment time.
Selling at Starbucks?
I’m not real excited about getting help for a fashion advisor for questions about my Mac, my iPhone, or my iPad. I hope the fashion watch sellers are not going to be the same staff as the people helping people with computers, phones, and tablets.
Hmmm. I’d rather discuss race with a barista than get fashion advice from a nerd. If Apple’s employees are trained to know all about how the watches work, their features and pricing, most customers will be able to pick out the style they like best.
Most people don’t know that the “retail” employees are all college graduates of respected University’s with advanced degrees in Visual Design, Art, Photography and Architecture., and many other creative degrees. These so called NERDS are the leaders in fashion, whether you like their style or not. There is a method to the way the store works.It’s not some random retail jewelry store. A lot more is going on than meets the eye there. As a leader myself in the fashion world I can say from experience that the people working there are extremely creative , talented AND smart. Haters stop judging and learn how to create peace in yourself instead of attacking others.
So at not time could you imagine someone walking in to a store and maybe needing some help deciding from a few selections that they have in mind. In your world 100 percent of customers know exactly what they want. I’m sure you have a better handle on how to sell products over a multi billion dollar multi national corporation
Have you seen the has been hipster’s that work at the Apple store. No one want’s fashion advice from these people. They look like they rummaged though the dirty cloths hamper to get dressed. Most appear to not be able to afford a razor or a decent hair cut. The piercings and tattoos should be a clue that they know nothing about mainstream fashion. As a business professional I think I will stick with my Rolex. As a gadget geek I think I can decide on my own which Apple watch to buy. It is just a toy I will buy the cheap black one and leave the fashion to real watch makers.
Most people don’t know that the “retail” employees are all college graduates of respected University’s with advanced degrees in Visual Design, Art, Photography and Architecture., and many other creative degrees. These so called NERDS are the leaders in fashion, whether you like their style or not. There is a method to the way the store works.It’s not some random retail jewelry store. A lot more is going on than meets the eye there. As a leader myself in the fashion world I can say from experience that the people working there are extremely creative , talented AND smart. Haters stop judging and learn how to create peace in yourself instead of attacking others.
If you have to tell people you’re a “leader in the fashion world,” you’re probably not.
So most of the employees at those 450 stores have gone to University, have high end degrees, and have chosen to work in retail.
Yeah of course they have.
It’s true. Many of Apple Retail employees are working on business or tech degrees, or like me graduated while employed at Apple and have decided to stick around until the next move is made. Apple Store stands out as a “retail” job because the culture is geared towards getting the employees out the door and on to better things. They are very student friendly and make it easy to work with the schedule.
Bryan: There is a BIG difference to what you said – how there are a retail staff working at Apple currently in the process of getting their degrees – to what Perra said, which is that ALL Apple retail staff are college GRADUATES with advanced degrees, i.e they have a Masters or Doctorate.
Folk who have spent ten years of their lives and an extortionate amount of money on their Doctorate don’t sell iPhones in an Apple store.
Look, man, there is a national apostrophe shortage going around, and here you are littering your sentences with them in a wanton and errant manner.
LOL, love how irelandjnr is trying so hard to defend this. Get a clue, a tech employee cannot be trained to become a fashion consultant simply by training him and I wouldn’t even go so far as to call an Apple store employee a tech employee, more like best Buy employees with a bit more training.
This is simply stupid, a ploy to get people to not only spend a lot on a watch, get them to got for the steel over the aluminum, plus spend some extra on those ridiculously expensive bands. $150? Really? How sad and pathetic if you actually walk out of an Apple store having spent $500 on a watch with an extra band and you didn’t even get the steel one but if you did you spent $650 and for what? the same watch with a different material you probably would not have noticed the difference on. So sad.
Meh… everyone has different tastes. I’m waffling between the aluminum and stainless steel myself… and the final decision is going to come down to style (for the record I’m leaning toward the stainless steel so I can wear it with a sport band sometimes when I’m at the gym and I can get the classic leather band for when I’m at work / conferences / nice dinners, etc.) A difference of a couple of hundred bucks over the 2 years or so I’m going to wear this thing is not enough to make it a price based decision.
A lot of us live in the real world where we interact with other humans that look at us every day and personal style is important in that world. There is no “right” or “wrong” in personal style… it’s all about what you want to tell people about the way you see the world (and how you fit in it).
With something you’re going to have on your wrist every day you do need to consider what that’s going to do to your overall “look” (or lack thereof ;-)
If people buying a more expensive model of Apple watch makes you sad, I predict you will have a dark and tortured future ahead of you.
Upselling is never part of the rhetoric at Apple. Employees are trained to get the customers the products that will enhance their life as much as possible while not exceeding the customers comfort level in cost. This title puts Apple in a really inaccurate light. Upselling is just a bad business model that destroys customer satisfaction.
Isn’t this the least surprising article of all time? That sales people working the floor will have been trained to ask questions to assist the buyer make a choice? I mean, this isn’t walking into 7-11 for a bag of chips. If they didn’t have a prepared sales staff ready to help you out, then everyone would complain about it.
Nah, Apple is training staff to ask questions about the watch. The whole thing about “upselling” was abundantly apparent because Edition.
Cook threw tons of cash at Ahrendts, the least she could do is pump out a few Q & A’s for the staff to use. It’s not like any of them have ever sold a watch before.
Sounds almost as excruciating as Starbucks. I’ll be avoiding both like the plague.
This is a lot like retail training for upcoming season lines!
As if their stuff wasn’t f@ggy enough already.
Says the closet homosexual.
I’d say, get the base model and check out the third party bands if u want to save significant $
Are you kidding me, you are asking a line employee (no offense) to make fashion suggestions to people that are above his lifestyle, I will purchase a iWatch when every store employee has purchased one.
What is an iWatch??
Maybe it’s this?
http://m.aliexpress.com/item/32245150009.html
There are no Apple Stores in Selma or Ferguson. We don’t need their racist fashion advice.
I wish they would train the salesmen to hit the streets and knock on doors. Why should I have to go to them, if they want to sell me something, they should come to me.
Stories like this make me glad you can just order stuff online nowadays.
I could probably get into hot water for this, but I see a lot of nonsense in the article and the comments, so I figure I’d anonymously post.
As an Apple Store sales specialist, I have been through this training. And its not just the one you see here, there are hours and hours of training programs dedicated to the watch. Its a product that none of us (Apple employees) have seen or used yet, and we probably won’t see one in person until April 10th. Because it is a new line, we need to get LOTS of training in beforehand so we can best know how to use it and sell it.
First of all, let me be pretty clear – there really is very little emphasis on ‘upsetting’ this watch. Apple will be thrilled if you get the Edition or the Stainless version, and believe me, they won’t turn you down if you want to spend hundreds of bucks on bands. That, however, is not our goal.
Apple wants to get these watches on peoples wrists. Again, I have yet to see one in person yet, but the word on the street is that they feel amazing and look spectacular, and the functionality they will allow is really amazing. This watch will quite probably be a real game changer, in the same vein as the iPad and iPhone were. A year or two from now, I’m sure most everyone will have one.
As to our ‘fashion training’ – believe me, the training is NOT about fashion. Its focus is getting comfortable with customers and having dialogue, sincere conversations if you will, about the watch. Apple wants us to be totally smooth with offering up our opinions of colors and styles (believe me, we get asked NOW, all the time, in matter of size and colors for the phones) We’re not being asked to ‘upset’ to the link bracelet if we have the opportunity, rather to suggest to people, if we think the link is a good solution for them, that it exists.
Here’s a great example – In the training module with ‘Lee’, he mentions that he is a server in a restaurant. An Apple employee would be pretty smart to let him know that the link bracelet will stay clasped on his wrist the whole night, rather than potentially unbuckling and getting lost (or dumped in a bowl of spinach artichoke dip) if he were to choose the magnetically held leather band.
Thats what we’re doing. Is that link bracelet more expensive? You bet it is – but we’re not in the store to size up what ‘you’ may or may not be able to afford. We just let you know what options we have available to you.
…and yes, borntofeel, letting him know that the link bracelet would, look great on his arm with his skin tone would be an opinion, but probably a helpful one.
With this watch coming, there are a lot of misconceptions about what it can or can’t (or will and won’t) do. We’ll be there, fully trained, ready to give the real answers. Is it waterproof? No, not really. But it IS pretty darn water resistant, so you don’t have to worry about wearing it when an unexpected rainstorm comes through. Do you work out a lot? That flouroelastemer band will be great for your workout days, because sweat won’t damage the material or stretch it out.
Here’s another juicy tidbit – although every band will fit every model of the watch, some aren’t available for each size. The leather loop is ONLY available (at least as of now) in the 38mm version. The Red modern buckle ONLY has 18K gold connectors, so it would look weird with a rose gold watch. The modern buckle is only available in small and medium sizes, so if you have a larger wrist (over 180mm) it won’t fit you properly.
These are the things we’re working on, again, not in an effort to separate people from their cash, but rather to help people who want the Apple watch find the one that will be perfect for them.
Hopefully, we’ll see you on the 10th.
Damn autocorrect. I meant ‘upselling’ I think it corrected me twice to upsetting. Sorry about that.
Thanks for the lengthy and informative comment.
In my experience with Apple, I’ve never had an experience with upselling which is a large part of its appeal. “Heart-breaking” would be an understatement to see Apple go in that direction, yet it’s easy to see how that perception could be built into the unveiling of the Edition, and the variously high priced bands.
It seems outside the scope of the Apple experience for sales staff to suddenly adopt the pretence of “fashionista”, as this is totally contrary to precedent and expectations. That sales staff should be trained to guide a customer to the ideal product through a Q & A session, which is typical Apple, and thus unsurprising to see it here. It’s a common sense approach to ensuring customer satisfaction, stats of which Cook mentions every keynote.
Apple has made management mistakes in the past, and that’s something they don’t want to repeat again. As for getting a watch on the wrist of every Apple consumer in two years: their work is quite cut out for them in that regard.
Thanks again for the comment.
I’ll be going to an Apple store primarily to find out if I seem to have a “fun style”.
“Building trust”? Since these folks are now becoming 15-minute life coaches, one can only hope they’ve gotten a raise.
My God. You people really are a bunch of f**king sheep. Your masters shovel the slop into your trough and you eat that sh*t right up.
So, you’re going to get fashion advice from minimum wage workers? Yeah, right. That’s as bad as Star Bucks employees lecturing you on race relations. This country has gone mad…
For your information, Apple employees are NOT minimum wage workers. Many make more then managers in other retail stores and you also have no clue what someones background is just because you see them in a Blue Shirt on the occasion you choose to go to the Apple Store.
Anyone try the Milanese loop bracelet in person? Wondering if it will pinch, pull hair on your arms? Serious question!
The Comment “Durability—”I’m sure I’ll have this for years.” will only hold true if Apple doesn’t keep an every two year release cycle. Phones you can trade in but a watch I’m not sure of. I would most likely purchase an Apple Watch if it wouldn’t be rendered almost useless when software updates are applied once the upgraded watch is released. I haven’t seen any speculation of release cycles for the Apple Watch.
There is no reason you have to replace the Watch that often. My guess is that Apple is looking at the iPad replacement cycle and sees something similar for the Watch. However, since it’s a brand new market, and initial interest is in the 20-40% range of iPhone users (depending on which survey you believe), there is plenty of room for growth if Apple gets it right.
Reading all these posts makes me sad. I never knew Americans were such class snobs!
I recognize the employee in the lead image. He worked at the Monterey store for ages.
Apple sales people are going to give customers fashion advice? Talk about the blind leading the blind!