Buying/enquiry experience.

[Grassy]

Hey people, while I was at a specialist home theatre demo store 2 hours from home I had an experience that was so negative and unproductive that my wife and I could not believe what we were hearing.I was there looking at a projector that was on display and was telling this guy what I was currently using just to keep a nice conversation going on something that my wife and I are interested in and everything I was telling this guy about on what I had,was not good enough according to him.From projectors right through to subs,pre/pro,s,speakers, you name it.The only thing that was any good to this salesman was what he was selling.My current speakers and sub and pre/ pro and amp was not up to the standard of what he was selling.I could not believe that my gear was not good enough to this guy.He was selling a projector that was no where near bright enough and was telling me that everything else was basically no good. I was a little taken back especially knowing that my system sounds good.It was a waste of 3 hours but have put it down to experience.People like this guy can put you right off buying anything as I always thought that buying something should be a happy experience.It seems to me that if I never had the latest gear then it was not good enough.This is so not true.This salesman told me a whole lotta crap just to get my money.I understand not all salesman are like this guy but it just goes to show that they are out there.

 

[tyhjaarpa]

Unfortunately some sales men are like this but luckily we can decide who to buy from.

 

[Grassy]

Yep,I walked out off there with my money and would never give it away to anyone like his guy.

 

[slipperybidness]

Yep,I walked out off there with my money and would never give it away to anyone like his guy.

I can't believe you actually gave him 3 hours of your time.

Audition there, buy online

 

[shadyJ]

Hey people, while I was at a specialist home theatre demo store 2 hours from home I had an experience that was so negative and unproductive that my wife and I could not believe what we were hearing.I was there looking at a projector that was on display and was telling this guy what I was currently using just to keep a nice conversation going on something that my wife and I are interested in and everything I was telling this guy about on what I had,was not good enough according to him.From projectors right through to subs,pre/pro,s,speakers, you name it.The only thing that was any good to this salesman was what he was selling.My current speakers and sub and pre/ pro and amp was not up to the standard of what he was selling.I could not believe that my gear was not good enough to this guy.He was selling a projector that was no where near bright enough and was telling me that everything else was basically no good. I was a little taken back especially knowing that my system sounds good.It was a waste of 3 hours but have put it down to experience.People like this guy can put you right off buying anything as I always thought that buying something should be a happy experience.It seems to me that if I never had the latest gear then it was not good enough.This is so not true.This salesman told me a whole lotta crap just to get my money.I understand not all salesman are like this guy but it just goes to show that they are out there.

Yeah, that sounds very unprofessional of that salesman, it is not his place to say things like that. It is OUR job to tell you your stuff is no good, not his!

 

[j_garcia]

Lol. I went into a place in shorts, t-shirt and sandals and they never even came to talk to me. I walked out and they missed out on a new customer.

 

[zieglj01]

15 minutes would have been long enough.

 

[KenM10759]

I'm in sales (not audio stuff) and have had a fair bit of training. Never make a disparaging remark about what a customer has, just extoll the virtues of what you might be selling. As for how to treat a customer, I've tested automobile sales people, as I did that job for a year or so...successfully.

I would show up in a friend's beat up pickup truck wearing tattered clothes, couple days beard, unkempt appearance "work dirty." Wander onto the lot looking at what I was interested in an take note of how I'm greeted and treated. Show up a few days later all clean shaven, carefully groomed and wearing my Hart, Schaffner Marx suit. Approach the same salesperson and see if they treat me any differently. Most never even recognize me. What a revelation. Most failed, those who passed had a good chance of selling me a car.

 

[Grassy]

I can't believe you actually gave him 3 hours of your time.

Audition there, buy online

It was a 2 hour drive from where I live,the problem is that where I live no one knows much about home theatre so I have to travel to gain some knowledge of what I need.Well I was hoping to learn something from this guy so you could imagine how I felt driving away knowing the only thing I learnt was a biased opinion.Could not communicate to this guy in any way or form.

 

[Grassy]

Yeah, that sounds very unprofessional of that salesman, it is not his place to say things like that. It is OUR job to tell you your stuff is no good, not his!

That's right so no wonder the people are going to these big companies that just shift boxes and looking at the bottom dollar as the prime objective to there hunt for a system.These guys are destroying the very business they are in because of this and putting themselves in business jepody because of it.

 

[Grassy]

Lol. I went into a place in shorts, t-shirt and sandals and they never even came to talk to me. I walked out and they missed out on a new customer.

Yep and that's the other side of it too.With home theatre for me, I really don't care if they don't know as much as I do just as long as I get some communication.No one knows everything there is to know and I certainly don't but I can't understand how people think they do just because they are in the game even as a pro.The main thing for me is to learn along the way and improve on what we currently have and that's where the money is well spent.

 

[Grassy]

15 minutes would have been long enough.

In my situation I agree,but what was keeping me there was the fact that I was prepared to spend money and was geniuinly interested in what was on display and even if I decided not to buy what he had I could have ordered something else in but in the end there was no incentive to buy because of his attitude.

 

[Grassy]

I'm in sales (not audio stuff) and have had a fair bit of training. Never make a disparaging remark about what a customer has, just extoll the virtues of what you might be selling. As for how to treat a customer, I've tested automobile sales people, as I did that job for a year or so...successfully.

I would show up in a friend's beat up pickup truck wearing tattered clothes, couple days beard, unkempt appearance "work dirty." Wander onto the lot looking at what I was interested in an take note of how I'm greeted and treated. Show up a few days later all clean shaven, carefully groomed and wearing my Hart, Schaffner Marx suit. Approach the same salesperson and see if they treat me any differently. Most never even recognize me. What a revelation. Most failed, those who passed had a good chance of selling me a car.

Yea it's a shame that some people just shoot themselves in the foot and loose sight on why they are working in the store in the first place.This guy was never at any stage directly rude to me but it was his attitude to the industry itself reflected on the customer and that's where you can loose business.I drove away thinking that this guy thought he was bigger than the industry itself and way too cocky to get any info out off.The guy did not deserve my money.

 

[Grassy]

The good thing about our home theatre/2channel passion is that I have not listened to 2 systems that are the same and that they are different in some way or form and this is a good thing because you can keep learning because of this always striving for something different and new.Its just a shame that there are people out there that put a biased attitude first and refuse to see what can be achieved in listening instead of talking.I have been guilty of this myself and I can remember that while i was in this state of mind I achieved nothing.

 

[herbu]

I went into a place in shorts, t-shirt and sandals and they never even came to talk to me.

I often enjoy putting a little spin on this. "Comfortable" clothes, my best "good 'ol boy" accent... and a Rolex. Usually stainless, sometimes the gold one if I'm feeling particularly contrary. It's fun to see how the salesmen act.

 

[KenM10759]

Up here in the northeast, especially in Maine, if you're going to be in sales for a living you'd better learn quickly not to "judge a book by it's cover." There are a great many multi-millionaires driving around in beat-up pickup trucks, wearing the flannel. Their heavy downeast accent belies the fortunes made on cheap land with heavy forests to harvest. And they've been some of the best customers of my favorite audio dealer. They love their expensive vacuum tube amps and huge speakers.

 

[highfigh]

I worked for a boat dealer and one of our customers owned a small printing company, so he was basically the owner, salesman, maintenance guy, etc. He came in on a Saturday wearing bib overalls with the herringbone pattern, like an old-time train engineer and they had smudges of ink everywhere. His hands had dried ink on them and he even had some on his face. We didn't care, but someone made a comment and he told us about going to a car dealer that was between his business and home on another day when he had done some maintenance- he went in but nobody would talk to him until he made the first move and approached someone, who basically made him feel like a leper. Didn't get many of the answers he needed, so he left. On the way home, he made a short detour to another dealer for the same brand of car went there to see what they had. Same day, no difference in the way he looked and they treated him as they would if he were wearing a nice suit. After he got the info he needed, he said "OK, I'll take one in red and another in dark blue". He had been looking at the BMW 6-series cars and he bought the other for his wife.

Yeah, he went back to the first dealership in his new car, dressed the same way after doing maintenance and smiled as he drove past the salesman who wouldn't help him.

He shouldn't have needed to tell the guy he was thinking about buying two cars, the guy should have just done his job.

 

[Diesel57]

This is great, I sold new & used cars/trucks for 13yrs with success financially and meeting new friends, I learned more about people than about the business itself, I have a passion for people no matter what color, race, culture, age, shape, size, attractive or unattractive, I get a rush when helping and putting a smile on anothers face, which sold pharmi

 

[Diesel57]

This is great, I sold new & used cars/trucks for 13yrs with success financially and meeting new friends, I learned more about people than about the business itself, I have a passion for people no matter what color, race, culture, age, shape, size, attractive or unattractive, I get a rush when helping and putting a smile on anothers face, a person can have the knowledge, technique and receive sales training and fail to realize the most important resource, to say, the CUSTOMER...and always give TLC with addressing the concerns and needs of the customer but you 1st have to hear the customer not listen but Hear...by way TLC is Tender Loving Care, I could go on but you all see where I'm going with this...Cheers

 

[Grassy]

Yep that's the key,being people friendly.I would even give my money to someone who is unsure about what they are doing as long as they can look me in the eye and tell me.The knowelege is the icing on the cake.Attitude and communication are way more important to me.I went looking to buy a car once and met a car salesman who was the real deal and can never forget the buying experience I had with this guy.It was a happy purchase and he ended up joining my band that I formed and we have been friends ever since.Good people are hard to find in this hobby because every system sounds different and everyone has their own opinion but fail to express it correctly.I guess that's why I come to these forums in that hoping to be on speaking terms with the right people.