How do you like your store demo?

Waste little time at dealer demo's. Only dealers that will give you a loaner, at no charge, are really worth doing business with. How it sounds in your system is the only demo you need. I know, that is a tough business model but it often will clear the place of gawkers and let the dealer focus on the serious, since it is reasonable for the dealer to get a credit card number and put a hold on the card for a nominal amount. When it comes to speakers, serious dealers will deliver and set up the demo, especially if the speakers are $5K plus items.

Everybody needs the once in a lifetime experience of being 'dealed', at the Lyric store in New York City. Ego and arrogance rule there. They sell to a mostly high net worth client that love 'attitude'. Average sale is about $35K. They have been around for almost fifty years and I cannot understand why. If you go, listen for the 'subway' in the basement.

a high-end dealer friend of mine told me that probably 2/3s of the customers who walk in his store are either gawkers or there to sample his wares with the view to buying it cheaper on the net. the other 1/3 are there with some real intention to purchase. he also states that while he (like most experienced salespeople) can suss out the non-buyers almost immediately, it's far sounder practice to be patient and set up demos for everyone, both because people do make surprisingly impulsive purchases and because positive word of mouth and longterm goodwill is absolutely essential to staying in business. now this particular dealer has been around for at least 25 years, so he must be doing something right; like theo, i don't see how these guys who bum rush customers, or charge for demos, can possibly survive

Chas...are you starting anew in the wonderful world of high-end audio retailing?

I personally like the dealer to set up the room and let me listen with out him in the room. I want to hear the equipment not a sales pitch. Then once I have listened have him sit down and discuss the pros and cons. What I find in most dealers is that they don not want to set up A-B comparisons if you down to two makes/models. Some dealers don't even really want you to demo the equipment. It seems that they want a quick sale. I am in sales too but understand that a purchase can be minor on monumental purchases depending on the customer. The customer will reveal which within a few minutes once you spend some time with them. As far as treated, I want to be treated as the person that brings the money in the business that keeps the business open. Some audio dealers have aneed to use the customer as a foundation to structure their own personnal ego and arrogance rather than bolster their wallet. In Denver there are a couple dealers that amze me they stay in business. Other dealers sell based on discount. Discount is nice, I love saving money. But if the product doesn't trip the trigger audiably what good is the price? The art of good selling seems to be lost in the world that supports Wal-Mart rather than the locally owned shop that provides a higher level of service.