Onhwy61, Shoppers are potential buyers. I'm both a shopper and buyer, and I'm afraid I have the bank statement history to prove it.
I was looking for a cable recently and budgeted $150. I narrowed my choices to 3. One manufacturer bragged that his cable was the best, and he would gladly sell it to me but did not take returns. That left me with 2 choices. Another manufacturer agreed to give me a 30 day trial saying he would recredit my card minus shipping if it was returned. The 3rd manufacturer asked lots of specific questions about how and where I was planning to use the cable. He said he had a cable for $100 more that would be absolutely perfect. When I said I wouldn't go there, he asked if he could send me the cable for audition at no charge, and asked me to evaluate it against the competition's cable.
Sure, he's trading me up, but I respect a guy who is confident in his product, and is unafraid to take a risk. He isn't worried about getting screwed or feeling sorry for himself for maybe working for free, and he's not counting pennies thinking about a restocking fee. That's a real sales person!
Granted, speakers and components are different from cables, but the principal stands. Of course it's safer to get the fee, but does it cost you more business in the end? It would be intersting to hear from dealers and manufacturers.
I was looking for a cable recently and budgeted $150. I narrowed my choices to 3. One manufacturer bragged that his cable was the best, and he would gladly sell it to me but did not take returns. That left me with 2 choices. Another manufacturer agreed to give me a 30 day trial saying he would recredit my card minus shipping if it was returned. The 3rd manufacturer asked lots of specific questions about how and where I was planning to use the cable. He said he had a cable for $100 more that would be absolutely perfect. When I said I wouldn't go there, he asked if he could send me the cable for audition at no charge, and asked me to evaluate it against the competition's cable.
Sure, he's trading me up, but I respect a guy who is confident in his product, and is unafraid to take a risk. He isn't worried about getting screwed or feeling sorry for himself for maybe working for free, and he's not counting pennies thinking about a restocking fee. That's a real sales person!
Granted, speakers and components are different from cables, but the principal stands. Of course it's safer to get the fee, but does it cost you more business in the end? It would be intersting to hear from dealers and manufacturers.