Current Market Conditions Affecting All Industries
Jennifer Heiner holds a bachelor of science in marketing from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where she served as treasurer for the Marketing Club and as a peer mentor for freshmen. In 2019, Jennifer Heiner joined an emerging running retail company as the retail director overseeing the company’s four branches.
Successful retail sales professionals share several characteristics. First, effective sales associates must have outstanding interpersonal skills. Because they are the first face a customer sees when they enter the store, they must be friendly and personable. Additionally, they need tact in order to field complaints and handle dissatisfied customers. Next, effective communication is essential. A sales associate must listen to a customer’s needs, then accurately describe various products to make recommendations. Especially when it comes to specialized equipment, intimate knowledge of that particular field is a huge asset. Sales associates with strong organizational skills are better equipped to keep track of what needs to be done, from conducting inventory to sending emails. Additionally, top sales pros are able to quickly learn sales software and other technology.
These traits and strengths of sales associates can be utilized in any industry, even if one is not necessarily a sales based company on its face. For example, gaining a customer, client or patient’s trust is also key in any medical setting. Prior to joining a retail team, Jennifer Heiner worked as a customer service representative at an animal hospital in New Jersey. There, she worked with clients to ensure that all of their pets’ needs were being met — this included explaining the benefits of various treatments, medications, and prescription diet foods. Sales is a factor in this scenario as well — clients need to understand the benefits of the products, and be convinced that they are an essential part of their pet’s health. Of course only the necessary food and medication were dispensed by the veterinarians on staff, but it is the customer service representative’s role to make the customer’s aware of the value of their purchase.
Right now, however, Jennifer Heiner Pisano notes that many industries, including both the retailers and consumers, are being negatively impacted by rising interest rates. As a recent article by MortgageQuickInfo notes, “Asian stock markets were mostly higher Tuesday ahead of a U.S. inflation update and a Federal Reserve decision on another possible interest rate hike. Shanghai declined while Tokyo and Hong Kong advanced. Oil prices rebounded from Monday’s plunge.
Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index rose 0.9% to a 14-month high ahead of the release of U.S. inflation figure Tuesday. Forecasters expect it to show inflation eased in May but still was double the Fed’s 2% target despite interest rate hikes to cool business activity.
Traders hope the Fed will skip another rate increase when its monthly board meeting ends Wednesday, but that might be complicated if inflation is higher than expected. Central banks in Europe and Japan also are due to meet this week to discuss possible rate hikes.”
These rate hikes, which lead to inflation, can cause many individuals and businesses to default on their loans due to the rising costs of doing business, of living, and the resulting inability to pay. MortgageQuickInfo discusses these debt collector concerns as well, stating that “[d]ebt collectors are notorious for making frequent phone calls, sending demanding letters in the mail, and even social media messages. If you ignore a debt collector’s communication and don’t pay outstanding obligations, debt collectors can sue you. However, you can first confirm that you do indeed owe the money by requesting a validation notice.
If you don’t repay the debt or sign up for a repayment plan, the debt collector will likely file a lawsuit against you. When you receive notification that a debt collector has filed a lawsuit, you can either respond to it yourself or through an attorney. Filing a lawsuit has costs for both you and the debt collector.
For this reason, most debt collectors won’t sue you unless you owe a balance greater than $500 or $1,000. If you owe an amount less than this, it generally doesn’t make sense from a financial standpoint. However, just because a debt collector doesn’t sue you doesn’t mean the collection account can’t hurt your credit score.
Collections make up your payment history, and a collection account on your credit report can lower your credit score by up to 100 points. Fortunately, debt collectors will work with you to settle the debt before suing, and most of them will offer repayment plans.”
