IMO the customer dictates how the salesperson will react. There is always the "know it all guy" that can’t stay silent or the "everything is overpriced" how do you expect a salesperson to react? I talked at length to a Sonus Faber rep. regarding the Maxima Amator after a brief demo I told him the speaker was to polite(soft) for my taste he respected my opinion and suggested the Nova series. Since the Nova 3 was set up I listened and concluded the Nova 3 was superior to the Maxima, he disagreed but we respected each others opinion. If you make an effort to give a positive first impression you will never have an issue.
What's your experience with snooty HiFi salesmen?
I began my Hifi journey in 1976 at a shop in Birmingham MI called Audio Dimensions. He was a Magnapan and ARC dealer who was kind to a 15 year old kid who bought a set of MG 1s with paper route money. The ARC amps he carried were about $4K back then- a LOT of money in 1976. In the beginning I drove my MG 1s with an old Fisher Studio Standard integrated amp. Since those lovely innocent days I have encountered some real buttholes. They act like they are doing me a favor as they quiz me about what gear I have and if I'm listening to "approved" recordings. Needless to say I don't buy from those guys. Several wives and businesses later I'm back into the hobby with a much vengeance as a 61 year old can muster given only so many free hours in a day and only so much cash to apply due to my other vices: Classic cars and salt water fishing.
Have you ever encountered a really good or really bad dealer (or employee) that changed your buying actions?
Darko posted a video on this topic which I found really enjoyable. Many of you have already seen it but for those (like me) who discovered it much later here's the link:
https://darko.audio/2022/09/audiophiles-are-snobs-with-money-to-burn/