Again, I am going to have to respectfully disagree. There is no “interview process” in this transaction. This not akin to a job interview where the employee and employer - in the best of circumstances - have something closer to equal power in the relationship. Instead, this is a case where the consumer has money that the dealer wants. Yes, the dealer has something the consumer wants, but the dealer is not unique in that regard. A much better analogy would be when I hire a contractor to do work on my house. I suppose there are some contractors who walk away if they discover that I’m talking to other contractors - “shopping for” other contractors? - but that usually means they are way overpriced and/or not to be trusted (and maybe just a little bit crazy, lol!).
Was I Expecting Too Much
Hi everyone. I'm looking for a heading check with a situation I encountered yesterday.
Background:
I'm planning to upgrade my turntable later this year - Q3 is my target. After my research, I've narrowed down to AMG and Brinkmann. I was able to audition an AMG Viella yesterday, and was looking to audition a Bardo or Taurus for comparison. I know my thought of trying to fit in a Brinkmann demo was last-minute, and some dealers are particular when it comes to appointments and allowing them time to setup their demo.
The Situation:
So I called the local Brinkmann dealer and inquired to see if a bardo or taurus happened to be setup. The salesman I spoke with said they had both, and he was going to check if a demo was possible. After a few minutes, I get a phone call back from the owner who seemed rather dismissive of my request. I explained that I'm currently doing my research and looking to hear some demos to help down-select, and that my purchase would be a few months from now. He asked for my budget which I found strange as I already stated what I was interested in demoing. Then the conversation turned to what gear I already own, which I understand sort-of. Then the owner basically said it doesn't make sense for me to demo anything now and to call back when I'm ready to purchase.
How am I going to know what I want to purchase without demoing the options?
Was I expecting too much by asking to hear equipment that I'm interested in? My opinion is a sale isn't guaranteed and an audio dealer, just like any other dealer, needs to invest some reasonable amount of time to capture a sale. You don't capture all the sales, but I didn't think I was being unreasonable in my request and certainly was not trying to waste anyone's time. I was pretty transparent with where I'm at and I guess he was reciprocating my transparency by telling me to go away. I felt "less-than" by this experience. As if I wasn't worth investing any time into.
Thoughts?
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This is a standard sales technique - for auto sales. For Stereo equipment not so much. Car sales is a different business model. How should a bm shop deal with tire kickers who will waste their time, then go buy online? I have known people who think they are clever doing that - there are people like that who post regularly on Agon. Churches and 2-parent families are in decline, politicians’, athletes and media stars’ behavior is execrable. What is the source of morality, ethics or integrity now? It’s no surprise that there are greedy merchants like that. All you can do is avoid them. Naming names would be the honest and helpful thing to do in a thread like this. Vagueness can potentially tar and feather the reputation of shops which avoid such miscreant behavior. If it’s an accurate report based on personal experience, it’s not legally actionable. Let a salesman who behaved this way, and shop which condones it, reap what he sowed. |
All good points. And as @markimiller suggests, IF this is the dealer in question, he might be an old burnt out purveyor of audio hardware that's ready to trade in his surplus gear for a golf cart. My intent is not to win (or, lose) an argument here but, rather, inject a viewpoint based on decades of experience for consideration. I mentioned in an earlier post that it is unfortunate that the dealer missed an opportunity for a face-to-face with this (potential) customer. It could have paid off for both of them? My approach to potential customers was one where neither party was over-leveraged, or under-leveraged. This seemed to work out well for me, and my customers. Your example of a job interview does fit into the dynamic. The dealer's career objectives (both short term and long term) does depend on the outcome(s). The dealer's career is enhanced (or, diminished) by what is about to happen so, yes, he does have a vested interest in who is is "interviewing". In this regard, whether we're aware of it our not, everyone we do business with (where there is a lot at stake) is going thru a mental checklist to see if they really want to do business with us. Our portfolio included providing technology, home theater, distributed audio, etc. and using your contractor example, we were given the advice that if the customer/client is badmouthing the other trades on the job, it's probably best to bow out of the project. They aren't going to like you, either. And we may be unintentionally communicating the wrong messages to the dealer, contractor, etc. and disqualify ourselves before we even get started. Probably the best outcome, for all concerned. In my career, I had to look under every rock to discover business opportunities and was never in a position to pick and choose only elite customers/clients. But I'll say, looking back, after 70+ hour average work weeks, I should have had a better filter on whom I did business with. I missed a lot of life and living. But, I did offer an extraordinary level of service. Wonder if that will be included in my o'bit?
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