Cellphones a boon, but also bad for business

EARLY in my professional career I watched a marketing and sales video, then only available in VHS format, titled .

Who Killed the Sale The video showed many potential hurdles which could lead to losing a sale, from poor dress code and arriving late for an appointment, to arguing with a customer.

However, in my opinion the more pertinent and single item which has dismantled sale potential and destroyed possible opportunities to bank the customer’s buck, is the cellphone.

How often have you walked into a shop and the store sales person is more interested in updating a Facebook page or playing the latest online game at the expense of his/her boss’s time and overheads?

Not only employees are to blame. Store owners and traders often do not even look up at passing trade to even engage in the most simple form of a “hello, can I interest you in…”.

This is a trend I’ve seen in places from upmarket boutiques to markets in Vietnam and Shanghai and First World shopping malls around the world to my offices in Salt River.

As a business owner, what can one do? Ban cellphones from work places?

Communication is a necessity and the cellphone a reality. I only hope that the future sales person aiming for success distinguishes personal cellphone time from customer attention and ensures cellphones are packed away while trying to peddle wares.