How To Be a Genius: Apple’s Secret Employee Training Manual

[Paul_Heery]

Gizmodo got a copy of the latest employee training manual for their retail stores. An interesting read.

If you are too cheap to pay for therapy, you might want to head down to the Apple Store.

How To Be a Genius: This Is Apple's Secret Employee Training Manual

[red-beard]

Very interesting

[oldE]

Absolutely nothing new or ground breaking here.
Simple sales techniques focused upon a particular product.

Best
Les

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by oldE

Absolutely nothing new or ground breaking here.
Simple sales techniques focused upon a particular product.

Best
Les

Pretty much, although they have put more effort into their pedagogy and overall branding approach than most.

I suppose some would rather go to some big box store where the training for their staff was, "you fill out your time card here."

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by nostatic

Pretty much, although they have put more effort into their pedagogy and overall branding approach than most.

I suppose some would rather go to some big box store where the training for their staff was, "you fill out your time card here."

Actually, to see it on paper shows how much thought Apple has put into everything they do. A real class company. I think I need to read and implement their manual.

Say, maybe we can replace 6 Sigma with Customer Service "Genius". I expect to see GE stealing this soon.

[intakexhaust]

Originally Posted by red-beard

Actually, to see it on paper shows how much thought Apple has put into everything they do. A real class company. I think I need to read and implement their manual.

Say, maybe we can replace 6 Sigma with Customer Service "Genius". I expect to see GE stealing this soon.

^^^ Six Sigma the Motorola way sure seemed comical. Top management there was destined to failure and the attitude of subordinate's was terrible. Been out of it long time but curious what Google has applied since taking over.

As for Apple, have to applaud them for producing some amazing fine products but I still protest them in their attitude, "we can't make these products in the US" and they hush the slave labor at Foxconn.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by intakexhaust

^^^ Six Sigma the Motorola way sure seemed comical. Top management there was destined to failure and the attitude of subordinate's was terrible. Been out of it long time but curious what Google has applied since taking over.

As for Apple, have to applaud them for producing some amazing fine products but I still protest them in their attitude, "we can't make these products in the US" and they hush the slave labor at Foxconn.

Of course they could make their products in the US.
But are you as a consumer willing to pay 4, 5, 10 times as much for those products in the name of domestic industrial welfare?

No you are not, and neither is anyone else. Following your advice would be the end of aapl.

[M.D. Holloway]

Being involved in developing sales training tools for sometime now there is a method to the madness.

Consider football practice. While you can drill and drill and drill a kid to throw a proper block or tackle correctly ultimately he is going to do what he will do to get the job done. The training or drills try to occuply as much free space between the ears as possible while in the field (or on the floor). It you practice the perfect hit then maybe just maybe you can do it at 25% during a game? Maybe, but if your never practice it or are even made awear of it then there is no chance it will happen.

The essence of corporate training rests in the fact that you will most likely remember 5% of what you are presented with and maybe apply 1% of it. It has to go over the top because if it didn't success would be a fools dream.

[M.D. Holloway]

And reviewing the article, true that what they train is nothing new. I dare say it was prolly originally translated from sanscrit tablets etched 4000 BC! Seriously! BTW - a good Church has the same training for its clergy...

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Of course they could make their products in the US.
But are you as a consumer willing to pay 4, 5, 10 times as much for those products in the name of domestic industrial welfare?

No you are not, and neither is anyone else. Following your advice would be the end of aapl.

I doubt that the cost would be much more than 30-50% higher. But, 30-50% higher on top of the premium prices would certainly kill some sales. $800 for an iPhone is bad enough, but imagine $1000-1200 for one made in the US? And they would not generate more profit!

I would love to see thre breakdown in the costs of the iPhone and similar products. It would be also great to breakdown each area by $, time and where the work is done.

Design/Engineering/Product Development
Material costs
Assembly
Transportation
Taxes
Sales
Customer Service
Warranty
Etc.

[Brando]

Originally Posted by red-beard

Actually, to see it on paper shows how much thought Apple has put into everything they do. A real class company. I think I need to read and implement their manual.

I'm thinking the same. If you get a PDF copy send it my way. I would like to see the full scope of this. From what I read in the article it seems that the focus is not on selling the product but providing enriching customer service. If the service is crap, who the hell wants to buy $800 worth of product? Playing to emotions really helps.

[porsche4life]

I'd like to see a PDF as well...

[masraum]

I'd like to see a PDF as well...

+2

I've been in service rolls of one short or another for years. I'm much better at the technical portion than the people part and would love to see ways to keep people happier.

[legion]

Originally Posted by red-beard

I doubt that the cost would be much more than 30-50% higher. But, 30-50% higher on top of the premium prices would certainly kill some sales. $800 for an iPhone is bad enough, but imagine $1000-1200 for one made in the US? And they would not generate more profit!

I would love to see thre breakdown in the costs of the iPhone and similar products. It would be also great to breakdown each area by $, time and where the work is done.

Design/Engineering/Product Development
Material costs
Assembly
Transportation
Taxes
Sales
Customer Service
Warranty
Etc.

My understanding is that Apple has one of the highest markups in all of retail. I'd be willing to bet that they would be capable of shifting manufacturing onshore, keeping the price the same, and still be profitable, albeit less profitable.

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by nostatic

...

I suppose some would rather go to some big box store where the training for their staff was, "you fill out your time card here."

one place (Radio Crap) was nearly deserted - I found a guy in back, but he told me he was on lunch break

[porsche4life]

From personal experience.... Radio craps biggest concern was how many batteries you sold....

[RWebb]

and BTW - I am about to try (for the 2nd or 3rd time) to move to Apple and (partly) off of PC's - I'm tired of crap breaking all the time in the PC world, and willing to pay 10-20% more if it will help me (%'s based on minmac vs. PC box)

sid - I needed an HDMI cable fast & RS is 4 minutes away; newegg is a few days away

[porsche4life]

Ya.... I won't tell you what the markup is on HDMI cables...


You could pay for amazon to overnight, and still be half of what you pay at RadioShack

[RWebb]

I did buy one on Amazon (from SF Planet, an affiliate) for $2 -- it was defective and the bozo is giving me untold crap about a refund. I've contacted Amazon about it, so we'll see - you'd think he would value customers...

A cable from newegg for $6 is on its way.

[jyl]

You can find this. Search for bill of materials on iPhone. You'll find the approximate cost of each of the components. Then you can back into rough assembly and test cost. IIRC it is something like $20, but don't quote that.

Quote de sammyg2

Of course they could make their products in the US.

But are you as a consumer willing to pay 4, 5, 10 times as much for those products in the name of domestic industrial welfare?



No you are not, and neither is anyone else. Following your advice would be the end of aapl.

I doubt that the cost would be much more than 30-50% higher. But, 30-50% higher on top of the premium prices would certainly kill some sales. $800 for an iPhone is bad enough, but imagine $1000-1200 for one made in the US? And they would not generate more profit!



I would love to see thre breakdown in the costs of the iPhone and similar products. It would be also great to breakdown each area by $, time and where the work is done.



Design/Engineering/Product Development

Material costs

Assembly

Transportation

Taxes

Sales

Customer Service

Warranty

Etc.