Walking Into A Brick & Mortar High End Audio Store

Fact is the internet is the biggest competition for any B&M store these days.

So B&M stores need to "know your enemy" and figure out a strategy to compete. The economics of scale with a mom and pop B&M shop surely cannot compete on price, so the only thing left is SERVICE!!!!!

Discouraging customers from coming in unless they are going to buy is the worst form of customer service. THat's all about the what the dealer wants, not the customer.

Guess what? No dealers/stores without customers. No customers without a reason to come in.

Customer service is THE ONLY ANSWER!!!!

Talk as in most things is not only the cheapest form of customer service, but possibly also the most valuable.

People long to talk to others about their problems. The internet tries to provide this sometimes via chat sessions, etc. but it can only happen best face to face.

Smart businesses will talk to their customers and listen to what they say to help improve the business. If they do not or cannot.....well good riddance.

Are you kidding? Audiogon allows 40-50% off of retail. Brick and Mortar if your lucky 10-20%. These people are not going to buy there no matter how nice the salesperson talks.

"Are you kidding? Audiogon allows 40-50% off of retail. Brick and Mortar if your lucky 10-20%. These people are not going to buy there no matter how nice the salesperson talks."

Well, then I would say the B&M shop is doomed and nothing will change that.

I can offer my perspective from the other side...I own an Internet business, selling jewelry (average purchase $1500), so my business competes against B&M stores - I try to poach customers based on price, and convenience, but I'm at the disadvantage of not being able to shake a customer's hand, or show them product face to face.

I can tell you that for B&W stores that don't take care of their customers, who provide poor, inattentive service, they are screwed - I will eat their lunch, and they should fear my business. But I'm also partnered with some B&M stores, and get to talk strategy with them, and the stores who DO take care of their customers, and provide personal, attentive, considerate, friendly service have nothing to fear from me. I'm a fly on an elephant's back to them, I'm meaningless. They will beat me 9 times out of 10 for a sale. Because people WANT good service, they want pleasant interpersonal buying experiences. They only come to me when they realize that there's no point paying more when they're not getting more, and I then win the sale.

For all you B&M stores out there, you should never concede that you're going to lose the sale to the cheaper, online vendor. It should be your mission to convince every customer who walks in your door - even those who you believe want nothing to do with buying from you - that YOUR shop is the place to be, and the place to buy from. If you take the attitude that buyers will buy online no matter what, it will become self-fulfilling and you will lose. I believe this because the only reason my business pays the bills is because there are enough of you out there who've already conceded defeat to online vendors like me.

And FYI - many of my customers are men, buying for their gals, so this isn't a "men are different than women" thing either.

When one is eminently doomed, it is probably a good idea to revisit ones strategy and priorities, at a minimum.