In the wonderful world of customer dis-service, it’s easy to find sales guys that seem to not understand what their job is as sales guys. How many times have you walked into a retail establishment to invest in some kind of electrical or electronic device, appliance, or whatever, and walk out feeling not-so-thrilled about your purchase? Well, I would imagine the experience might go kinda like this:
Buyer: “Hello, I’m interested in buying a new TV” Salesperson thinks to self, “Which TV pays me the most today” Salesperson: “Can I interest you in this beauty right here? It’s a great product, and xyz is a GREAT brand.” Buyer: “Ummm… is that gonna work with the rest of my stuff?” Salesperson: “This TV should be able to handle anything you want to throw at it, It’s got plenty of hookups and a great picture! Would you like to take it with you, or schedule a delivery?” Buyer: “Does it have a warranty?” Salesperson: “Yeah, the manufacturer warranty that comes with it doesn’t cover very much though. I highly recommend investing in our Protection Plan. It includes in-home service if you have a problem with it.” “Also, you may want to consider letting our experts set up your TV, they will optimize your display for the best picture.” Buyer: “How much does that cost?” Salesperson: “It requires an additional investment of $299, but it’s well worth it, let me show you our demo.” Buyer: “No thanks, I’ll just take the TV.” Salesperson: “Do you want to extend the warranty as well, as we discussed? These things can give you a lot of trouble if you go through the manufacturer.” Buyer: “I thought you said xyz was a great brand.” Salesperson: “It is, but almost any of these will probably give you problems at some point, so it’s best to stay protected.” Buyer: “Can I buy it later?” Salesperson: “Unfortunately, we cannot extend the warranty after you purchase and take it home.” Buyer: “Well, I guess I have no choice but to take it now.” Buyer thinks to self, maybe I should have gone somewhere elseIs there any reason whatsoever you should trust this salesperson is trying to sell you a product that meets your needs? Has he or she given you any reason to trust anything that they say?
So how do we know the difference between the two? Here’s some indicators:
A good salesperson, (or trusted expert,) will “qualify” you. Qualifying is basically like interviewing you in order to determine which product is the best fit for you. There are some good things to know about before one can honestly recommend an appropriate product. What kind of TV do you watch? Are you a gamer? Relentless movie watcher? Sports addict? Do you have cable? Satellite? What are you gonna hook up to it? I know to some this might come across almost like an interrogation, but my theory is if you approach a salesperson, and they don’t immediately ask you four or five questions about how you intend to use the product, you should find another salesperson.
A trusted expert should be enthused and knowledgeable about the products he or she is selling. If you are not an expert, but know more about the products than your salesperson, then chances are they aren’t serious about their career as a salesperson, and won’t be serious about helping you invest in the right product for you. I fix computers for a living, and by extension, I live on tech blogs. If I were looking to buy a cell phone, and my salesperson had never heard of phonescoop, I’d be done with him/her.
Salespeople on commission are more likely to be Trusted Experts, than Annoying Salespeople. A lot of people think of commissioned salespeople as pushy types just trying to get a sale, but of you have a good commissioned salesperson, they don’t want the product coming back because they didn’t do their job. Trust me, it’s hard when you’re trying to reach a sales quota, and have to work extra hard because you’re trying to make up for returns too. Also, as a salesperson, when you’ve spent time with someone, and found the best product for them, it’s only polite that they ask you for the sale. It’s not pushy, it’s like asking for your paycheck on payday. That’s not to say that non-commissioned salespeople can’t do a good job too though.
If you’re in the process of looking for a new computer, make sure your sales guy or gal takes the time to determine what kind of user you are, what you plan on using your computer for, or any special needs you may have. Make sure they sell you what you need, and not necessarily what’s in their best interests to sell. Also, check out my previous post, A Word On Warranties for advice regarding those pesky service plans.
Pandora, however, builds you a completely custom “station” using a particular song or artist as a “seed” and intelligently selects songs for playback based on musical styles and influences similar to your seed song. Don’t believe me, Try it! It’s awesome! You can also tell it “I like this” or “I don’t like this” as it plays songs, and it gets better at playing songs that fit your vision of your station. Best part? The advertising is minimal. Check it out, you won’t be sorry!
My name is Trenton Knew, owner and chief technician of The Computer Caretaker. I have been proudly serving the greater St. Louis and St. Charles areas with computer repair, maintenance, installation, upgrades, virus removal, spyware and malware removal since January 2009. I would like nothing more than to serve you for all of your computer needs. Experience The Computer Caretaker difference TODAY! 