topic Re: Interesting interview with QVC CEO Mike George in Q Talk

Interesting interview with QVC CEO Mike George

gardensla — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 15:31:39 GMT

Hey, I may have my issues with the Q, but this is a good read.

https://vista.today/2017/02/chester-county-leadership-mike-george-chief-executive-officer-and-president-of-qvc-inc/?utm_source=VISTA+Today&utm_campaign=f970f51890-DailyEmailCampaign5_27_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_75b1fa784c-f970f51890-274873425

Re: Interesting interview with QVC CEO Mike George

Venezia — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 15:44:16 GMT

I just read it. I agree; very interesting!

Re: Interesting interview with QVC CEO Mike George

Q4u — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 15:56:28 GMT

Yes, thank you for sharing, I found it interesting as well.

"What lessons did you learn selling vacuum cleaners that stay with you today?

The way we sold vacuum cleaners included a lot of gimmicks and exaggerated claims.. I didn’t feel good about my success, and ended up quitting after a couple of months. The experience taught me the importance of having integrity and truly believing in what I do. It’s why I’m so proud of our focus at QVC on building lifetime customer relationships founded on trust".

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Perhaps a gentle reminder to the televised sales staff on QVC, the ones that try so incredibly hard and hyper to make the sale..... I've seen some gimmicks and exaggerated claims over the years..... just saying.

Re: Interesting interview with QVC CEO Mike George

stevieb — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 16:03:36 GMT

Hmmm... all these years later and he's still selling vacuum cleaners...

Re: Interesting interview with QVC CEO Mike George

2blonde — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 16:35:22 GMT

@stevieb Good one!!!

Re: Interesting interview with QVC CEO Mike George

x Hedge — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 20:51:52 GMT

@stevieb wrote:
Hmmm... all these years later and he's still selling vacuum cleaners...

Isn't that great? Evidently he's a true salesman, comfortable and capable of selling a vacuum, a beach umbrella, or a homemade pie.

Re: Interesting interview with QVC CEO Mike George

stevieb — Fri, 03 Feb 2017 00:55:30 GMT

@x Hedge wrote:

@stevieb wrote:
Hmmm... all these years later and he's still selling vacuum cleaners...
Isn't that great? Evidently he's a true salesman, comfortable and capable of selling a vacuum, a beach umbrella, or a homemade pie.

Great? No, not so much... One honestly CAN have too many vaccums... and I'd have to agree with Q4U about the sales ploys...

Re: Interesting interview with QVC CEO Mike George

Graciesmom — Fri, 03 Feb 2017 03:05:25 GMT

When exactly does it turn from home shopping into infomercials for Dyson or any other product ... Isn't that what TSV's have turned into for HP or Dell to name a few ?? And when it comes to pressure sales, no one at Macy's says to me "when it's gone it's gone" ... "Not sure if there will be any reorders" ... "the price will go up at midnight" or "last time this year on six easy payments" ...

Re: Interesting interview with QVC CEO Mike George

TY — Fri, 03 Feb 2017 03:39:54 GMT

So in the article he basically says he's a nerd who can't fix anything. Who would have guessed?

Re: Interesting interview with QVC CEO Mike George

x Hedge — Fri, 03 Feb 2017 05:04:18 GMT

I hate to be the one to break it to you @Graciesmom, but QVC, QVCplus, and BeautyIQ, are 24/7 infomercials, NOT just when presenting TSVs, as you've suggested.

That's the nature of the business of a home shopping television channel. It is pictures and sound, ALL aimed at selling, ALL the time.

Comprendre?

QVC doesn’t make you watch, and doesn't make you buy anything. Comparing their sales pitch to whatever sales staff do or don't say to you at Macy's is an invalid argument.

If you can't resist the sales pitch, and find you've ordered too many vacuums because someone's said " not sure if there will be any reorders" or "the price goes up at midnight", you might be better off either blocking the channel on your TV, or arranging for an adult to handle your money for you.

This was an interesting thread about an interview of a person who had a incredible impact on the approach to sales. Then the tiresome resentful "dump" on QVC began.

It's like some people have to keep singing the same lyrics over and over, even if it doesn't have anything to do with the music that's playing.

Re: Interesting interview with QVC CEO Mike George

Graciesmom — Fri, 03 Feb 2017 05:45:48 GMT

Let me tell you something "Hedge" ... I understand QVC all too well. Been shopping here many, many moons too. Bought many vacuum cleaners, Serta beds, Temptations, etc. over the years and I've dropped many thousands of dollars along the way. But NEVER has home shopping been sooooo disappointing !! I watched for years when it was FUNNY, INTERESTING, INFORMATIVE and sometimes GREAT COMPANY. It has only turned into this 24 HOUR NIGHTMARE in the last two to three years. The HOSTS are now loud mouth Hollywood wanna be's who I can no longer RELATE TO nor WANT TO relate to !!! I KNow EXACTLY HOW and WHEN to reach for my remote control without any help from you ... THERE ARE MANY OF US REACHING FOR THE REMOTE LATELY !! Lucky for me THERE ARE MANY OTHER SHOPPING CHANNELS TO CHOOSE FROM ...

Re: Interesting interview with QVC CEO Mike George

x Hedge — Fri, 03 Feb 2017 05:39:55 GMT

@stevieb wrote:
@x Hedge wrote:

@stevieb wrote:
Hmmm... all these years later and he's still selling vacuum cleaners...
Isn't that great? Evidently he's a true salesman, comfortable and capable of selling a vacuum, a beach umbrella, or a homemade pie.
Great? No, not so much... One honestly CAN have too many vaccums... and I'd have to agree with Q4U about the sales ploys...

Then Stop Buying Vacuums ! @stevieb

See how easy that was?

Vacuum problem solved!

Although its not my profession, I'm a student of sales and marketing. Please, I'd be delighted if you'd share a few of those "ploys" you're agreeing with.

Re: Interesting interview with QVC CEO Mike George

x Hedge — Fri, 03 Feb 2017 08:04:14 GMT

Graciesmom wrote:

Let me tell you something "Hedge" ... I understand QVC all too well. Been shopping here many, many moons too. Bought many vacuum cleaners, Serta beds, Temptations, etc. over the years and I've dropped many thousands of dollars along the way. You sound like a very good customer. But I hear something else. Almost like you expect they owe you something because you watched and bought for years. A retailer thrives on repeat customers, and that's what you chose to be. Sounds like it should be happy/happy both sides.

But NEVER has home shopping been sooooo disappointing !! Here it comes . . .

I watched for years when it was FUNNY, INTERESTING, INFORMATIVE and sometimes GREAT COMPANY.

Oh, and then what happened?

It has only turned into this 24 HOUR NIGHTMARE in the last two to three years. The HOSTS are now loud mouth Hollywood wanna be's who I can no longer RELATE TO nor WANT TO relate to !!! I KNow EXACTLY HOW and WHEN to reach for my remote control without any help from you ...

Good, cuz my shoulder's still broken.

THERE ARE MANY OF US REACHING FOR THE REMOTE LATELY !! Yes. Because everyone has a computer at their fingertips now. And because we, the customers, no longer need the TV, home shopping has evolved beyond choosing from whatever is paraded past you on a TV screen. People don't have to be watching TV to buy. That's long gone. And QVC knows it. They have changed to compete in the marketplace and keep pace with the way people want to shop.

Lucky for me THERE ARE MANY OTHER SHOPPING CHANNELS TO CHOOSE FROM ... Yup. But none of them are as good as QVC/QVCplus/BeautyIQ.

Now, can we take this thread back to the interview?

Re: Interesting interview with QVC CEO Mike George

Lipstickdiva — Fri, 03 Feb 2017 14:37:34 GMT

This line of the article really explains why all the personal stories from hosts. They certainly are trying to get viewers to believe you are part of a family and they are your friends:

We’re a retailer with highly differentiated products who tells inspiring and authentic stories, all while engaging our customer in a highly trustworthy experience.

Re: Interesting interview with QVC CEO Mike George

stevieb — Fri, 03 Feb 2017 17:28:20 GMT

@x Hedge... For a supposed student of sales and marketing you seem to have missed a class or two...

You can argue with those of us who feel differently until you're blue in the face and you'll more than likely still have your opinion and we'll still have ours...

QVC has become the ultimate snore-fest and stale, static leadership and management are part of the reason why... What might have kept them afloat at the height of the recession would seem to be working less well now... Their quarterly numbers have been largely moribund for some time so it would seem obvious that tweaking things might be in order...

And as for the interview, I'm not sure how much there is to say, but if you want to focus upon it, I don't see anyone stopping you... From my perspective, interesting though it might have been, it was little more than another plant by a QVC publicist to, once again, try to create some positive spin by, once again, giving us that warm, friendly, down home feeling... Whatever...

As for the same lyrics being played over and over... you know the drill... if you don't like the tune you can always change the station...

That said and disagreement aside, that's a sweet kitty picture you have there...

Re: Interesting interview with QVC CEO Mike George

Graciesmom — Fri, 03 Feb 2017 17:56:16 GMT

@Lipstickdiva ... the question is when do these "inspiring and authentic stories" become the same language used by used car salesmen which is not considered truthfulness. If I listen to Jane Treacy sell shoes, at what point is her authenticity the truth or as she would prefer we believe that her father was a shoe cobbler in Italy named Gipetto. And the next hour while selling jewelry her mother was assistant to Harry Winston. In earlier years I preferred the less mouthy, cutesy, disruptive commentary on a product which I believed as being a little more heartfelt preferred to today's loud mouth, harried visit with a vendor while watching the monitor to see how many product sales are needed to close the hour successfully in the eyes of QVC. What earlier was considered interesting dialogue selling product is now just hard core selling throwing out there anything that compels sales. And that can begin with the fakey red carpet treatment greeting from hosts to vendors with kisses and personal stories of them "lunching" together. So over it all ...

@x Hedge ... no one asked for your analysis of my comment and it is not worthy of my comment.