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Why do dealers do this?

I'm an old fashioned guy. I like to make my audio purchases from a store and have a person I deal with, establish a relationship, and know that I have someone I can call when I need things. That is why I went into one of the larger stores in my area the other day, ready to audition a couple of things and buy my system. I had a very clear idea of what I wanted, asked to listen to a component with a view to buying it.
The dealer had a completely wrong approach from the start, and it is not a unique situation. I know many good folks in the business are on these forums, so I want to ask why this happens.
From the moment I set foot in the store he created an atmosphere of fairly intense pressure. He started with "you know, I only demo for buying customers". Throughout the visit, I felt continuously pressured to buy on the spot. I was forced to cut my visit short and I was unable to fully appreciate the component I was auditioning. I went from wanting to buy to wanting to run away - who feels comfortable buying something when pressured and rushed to do so right away? So I left the store unsure that I would want to do business with him. Had I had a good experience, and a knowledge that I can go to the store any time and have a good experience rather than have to find a way to "escape" the pressure I would not only have been happy to buy what I wanted, but would have been back often for other purchases. I cannot for the life of me understand where this comes from. One argument I heard is that store owners don't want to have people audition things and then buy online. Well, first off short of refusing to have a show room I don't see how you can make completely sure of that. So, wouldn't making the customer feel comfortable in your store be a better strategy? For me, I now want to shop online rather than go back. And here is one more twist. All online dealers for the product I was looking at make it clear they will not sell to anyone who has a dealer in their area. So I could not buy that online anyway!!
Can anyone enlighten me? Why can I not go to a local store and have that be a pleasant experience any more?
roc_doc
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dave43
108 posts
 
I enjoyed reading all the above experiences, especially those regarding car buying. I sold cars for 19 years and always found it amusing how much money I made off the ignorance and over-all lack of selling skills of other car salesman. Customers just want to be treated fairly, not lied to, and want to walk away from the buying experience with the feeling that we both benefited from the transaction. I actually had customers who did not buy a car from me refer their friends and family to me. It's disappointing to see those who have no customer skills in the wrong occupation.
markphd
667 posts
 
My three favourite personal stories/experiences:

1. I go to a store to buy a TV. A salesperson is at the counter reading an audio magazine. There are no other customers in the store. I walk over and say: "I'm looking for a new TV for my home theatre. Without even looking up from his magazine, he say: "When are you going to buy?". I say: "When I can find someone who will help me", and walk out of the store.

2. I go to a store to buy a new cartridge. My old one could not be repaired at a reasonable cost due to the nature of the damage. I confirmed with the manufacturer that it couldn't be repaired before going to the store. I tell the salesperson: "I'm looking for a new ". He asks what was wrong and then says: "We can fix that". I said: "The manufacturer says it can't be repaired". The salesguy says: "I know more about that cartridge than the manufacturer does". I walk out of the store.

3. I go to a store to audition a peice of equipment. The salesperson says: "We charge a deposit to audition equipment. If you buy, the deposit goes towards the purchase price. If you don't buy, the deposit is non-refundable since we can't sell the item as new once the box is opened." I say: "I don't pay to audition equipment." I walk out of the store.

Needless to say, none of these stores ever received any business from me.
goatwuss
877 posts
 
I went to a car audio place once, and asked if they had any high end drivers as I was redoing my car stereo at the time. I was looking for Morel, Focal, Dynaudio, Scan-speak, etc. quality drivers.

The guy (who I think was the owner?) told me that their best line was Boston Acoustics, and that I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between Boston and those other overpriced drivers.

Needless to say, I was out of there very quickly and gave my business to someone else.

On the other side of things... if anyone is in the New England area and is looking for a great dealer (no pressure, relationship style, patient, helpful, respectful, etc.) give Goodwins High End in Waltham a try. They are awesome.
tbg
5,263 posts
 
It is the same when you go to a car dealer. What does this suggest?
tonywinsc
583 posts
 
I think age has something to do with it. In my 20's sales people assumed I was either not serious, had no money or didn't know anything about the product I was shopping for. But now that I am 50, salespeople are a little more respectful, I find.

I like to visit stereo shops in the different towns I visit around the world. Some places are cold and indifferent and some places the sales people like to chat and talk shop. One of my best experiences in a stereo store was in Las Vegas in the 90's. I literally traded the shirt off my back for a Half Speed Master recording of APP's Tales of Mystery and Imagination. I was on a vehicle hot fuel test and the shop owner liked the corporate vehicle logos on my shirt. So I took off my dirty smelly shirt and grabbed a clean shirt out of the trunk of my car. Love that record.
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