Recently I went to purchase a new audio receiver. My old unit had quit working after 15 years. Having the need for good music in my house I set off on a quest to find the perfect audio receiver which would accommodate my needs. My first stop was a national chain. There was the brand I wanted. There were several models to choose from. I wanted one that would hook up to all my components including a turntable. Yes, a turntable. I have the MP3 player, but my records still sound warmer to me. I read the information on the signs posted on the shelf, yet nothing stated that a turntable could be hooked up. I looked around for a sales person and they were all busy with other customers. I waited and waited. After about 30 minutes I was at my threshold and I left. I never was approached by any salesperson at all. In fact no employee ever acknowledged my presence.
I went next door to a regional chain that I had purchased from before. I found the audio area yet not the brand I was looking for. A young man came up and asked if he could be of any assistance. I told him what I was looking for. He did something not too many salespeople know to do. He asked me questions. What a breath of fresh air. How will you use your system? Will you need to hook it up as a home theater unit? What components do you have? All probing questions that allowed me to tell the salesperson what I wanted to buy, not what he might have wanted to sell.
The salesman then suggested a receiver based on my needs and price range. After about 20 minutes of discussion I was ready to buy. He convinced me that this was the one receiver that would fit my needs. It would fit in the furniture I have. It would fit in my budget. It would accommodate my turntable. The salesman had me wanting the receiver so bad I could taste it. Give it to me now, so I can go and listen to it, I thought. The salesman checked… and checked and told me, “I sorry sir we are out of stock on that Model. I can have it for you in a day or two from one of our other stores.” I was deflated like the kid who just received an ice cream cone and licked off the scoop. “No, I want it now. Why should I wait”?, I thought. "There are other stores. I can’t wait I’m an American consumer." So I took the poor salesman’s business card and said I would be back if I could not find the model he had convinced me I needed to have. I felt bad for the poor fellow, yet I thought, why didn’t he check his stock before we had the discussion and I was so fully engaged?
Finally, I went to the specialist in the area. Usually the specialist is perceived as the most expensive. The guy you go to if you have more money than time and the guy who knows it all. I walked in expecting to pay more and get less because of the high end repetition of this specialist. I knew I would get quality but at a price. I was promptly greeted by a salesperson who again asked questions. Before we got too involved I asked, “Do you have in stock everything you may show me?” Curious he said, “Why yes we do, why else would I sell you something I don’t have”. Right answer, at least for me this time. I said to proceed and he sold me the same model the previous fellow sold me. Five minutes later I was out the door and shortly after that I was enjoying clear, crisp sound from my new receiver.
Moral of the story:
Not even acknowledging me in your store, I am not coming back.
Selling me something you don’t have in stock is wasting both of our time.
Asking questions and being able to back them up, will make the prospect a happy camper and a customer for life. The American consumer, of which I am one is inpatient, demanding and has little time to waste. Those that can play the instant gratification game will come out the winner.
I went next door to a regional chain that I had purchased from before. I found the audio area yet not the brand I was looking for. A young man came up and asked if he could be of any assistance. I told him what I was looking for. He did something not too many salespeople know to do. He asked me questions. What a breath of fresh air. How will you use your system? Will you need to hook it up as a home theater unit? What components do you have? All probing questions that allowed me to tell the salesperson what I wanted to buy, not what he might have wanted to sell.
The salesman then suggested a receiver based on my needs and price range. After about 20 minutes of discussion I was ready to buy. He convinced me that this was the one receiver that would fit my needs. It would fit in the furniture I have. It would fit in my budget. It would accommodate my turntable. The salesman had me wanting the receiver so bad I could taste it. Give it to me now, so I can go and listen to it, I thought. The salesman checked… and checked and told me, “I sorry sir we are out of stock on that Model. I can have it for you in a day or two from one of our other stores.” I was deflated like the kid who just received an ice cream cone and licked off the scoop. “No, I want it now. Why should I wait”?, I thought. "There are other stores. I can’t wait I’m an American consumer." So I took the poor salesman’s business card and said I would be back if I could not find the model he had convinced me I needed to have. I felt bad for the poor fellow, yet I thought, why didn’t he check his stock before we had the discussion and I was so fully engaged?
Finally, I went to the specialist in the area. Usually the specialist is perceived as the most expensive. The guy you go to if you have more money than time and the guy who knows it all. I walked in expecting to pay more and get less because of the high end repetition of this specialist. I knew I would get quality but at a price. I was promptly greeted by a salesperson who again asked questions. Before we got too involved I asked, “Do you have in stock everything you may show me?” Curious he said, “Why yes we do, why else would I sell you something I don’t have”. Right answer, at least for me this time. I said to proceed and he sold me the same model the previous fellow sold me. Five minutes later I was out the door and shortly after that I was enjoying clear, crisp sound from my new receiver.
Moral of the story:
Not even acknowledging me in your store, I am not coming back.
Selling me something you don’t have in stock is wasting both of our time.
Asking questions and being able to back them up, will make the prospect a happy camper and a customer for life. The American consumer, of which I am one is inpatient, demanding and has little time to waste. Those that can play the instant gratification game will come out the winner.
