Burned out hi fi salesman

Lrsky

Again, I appreciate what I interpret to be your good intentions and sincerity here.

But 25 years later, I still cringe at my memories of fellow audio salesmen peering through the glass door to check out a customers car before deciding if they should pounce or continue reading the paper, and/or cheesey leading questions like "Is that a DAYTONA?! (watch)" or salespeople whose most valuable asset was their own watch, trying to project that they were somehow on the same level as what they assumed to be a rich customer.

And to me, this type of superficial analysis contributes to all of the worst stereotypes about high end salesmen with patronizing, chippy attitudes.

While we are on the subject, here is an anecdote for you:

A few years ago, I had a similar conversation with a guy who specialised in selling rare, low mileage air cooled Porsche 911s and Turbos.

He explained to me that one of his best customers was an African American man who drove up to his showroom in a rusty old van wearing a ripped T-shirt and dirty jeans.

The moral of the story is that after he treated this customer with SERVICE and RESPECT, he bought his first car the very same day on the spot.

As he began to trust the salesman, he confided that he ran a cable television company in NYC (made $ millions) but was so sick of being stereotyped either negatively because of his race or positively because of his job that he went shopping IN DISGUISE with the old van and T-Shirt routine, just to see which salesmen would treat him well, regardless of appearances.

To me, this simple lesson in business could cure the majority of problems in high end audio stores and has nothing to do with noticing whether or not someone's shirts are monogrammed.

Cheers

Cwlondon

The reason that all the components HE has heard sound within 5% of each other is based on the principle that 95% of ALL stereo equipment is absolute JUNK to begin with.

he went shopping IN DISGUISE with the old van and T-Shirt routine, just to see which salesmen would treat him well, regardless of appearances.

It is a routine, isn't it? Either that, or an urban legend that gets recycled over and over in order to prove a point. But exactly what point does it prove? That someone should introduce himself deceitfully in order to expect honesty in return? What a disingenuous way to get what you really want, whereby the only one who wins the petty game is the one who ultimately outclasses even you.

Evita,
I've been thinking the same thing but could not figure out how to say it so nicely. Bravo.

Evita

Yes, very well and elegantly stated - the "routine" is ultimately deceitful and manipulative itself. It is sad that people would feel the need to employ that behaviour themselves, and I also appreciate your response.

But on some level, I have to say that I have more empathy and side more with the chippy Porsche buyer, than the hi fi salesman who feels his rarified expertise is wasted when someone innocently asks for their cheap speakers to be repaired.

Because in my experience, there are far more chippy, patronizing, lazy "if you have to ask you can't afford it" salespeople then there are customers wearing disguises. Isnt that why we started this thread?

And those so called salespeople somehow graviate to high end audio stores in higher percentages than other industries which, in my opionion, is one of the reasons that our hobby is hopelessly stuck in a contracting, cottage industry, nobody gives a damn about it mode.

I can see how urban myth stories like this would get started, but your post also prompts a memory of a fellow banker who went into Bergdorf Goodman in midtown NYC with his slinky new younger girlfriend and was treated badly by the salesperson, he thought because he was wearing torn jeans. (Now this guy was not in "disguise", simply badly dressed and a bit of a slob. )

Well, his chippy reaction was to plunk down the Amex Card and buy a $100,000 sable coat for the babe. And in this instance I suppose the salesperson is rewarded despite being a jerk, and the customer is happy because he got to act like a bigshot?

But in the end, what high end audio needs is neither disguised, nor macho big spenders.

What the purveyors of our hobby need to do is a better job educating and delighting paying customers, a better job differentiating, branding, packaging and promoting their products, a better job bring the beauty of music and art into more peoples' lives, and to do all of this with a level of professionalism, charm, charisma, integrity and VIP red carpet service that justifies higher margins which will enable them to have a successful business.