A Lousy Salesman
Yes I am. A lousy salesman.
Customer with brand new custom-made stereo for his big BMW SUV showed up an hour early for his install to look at what products we had for sale. I showed him our 250 watt Schosche subwoofer that we sell for $295 installed. “Never heard of that brand” he said. “Look at this Rockford I can get on ebay for $179! And it’s 500 watts!”
He shows me the Rockford. “That’s a good brand,” says I, “let me look it up and see what it really is. Might be a better deal than what I can offer you.”
Mistake number one, salesman: Never let on that your customer can get a better deal somewhere else.
So I looked it up. “It’s just a woofer and a box, no amp at all,” I told him. “You’d still have to buy an amp, and pay to have it installed. Of course that’s your choice, and if you choose that, we’d be glad to install it for you.”
Mistake number two, salesman: Don’t make it easy for your customer to make an independent choice.
Next, I got in the vehicle to look at the radio and the install. I pondered the dash, looked at the way the unit would fit. He watched me for a couple of minutes, then said “You’ve never done one of these before, have you?” I told him he was right.
Mistake number three, salesman: Never admit to your inexperience.
“That does not bode well,” he said. I could feel his discomfort, and understandably – a very expensive vehicle, and I would say in near showroom condition, although ten years old. “I can tell you’re uncomfortable with me working on your vehicle,” I ventured. He offered no argument. “Well,” said I, “maybe it would be better for you to bring it to someone who does a lot more car stereo than I do.”
Mistake number four, salesman: Don’t ever suggest that there might be a better alternative to yourself!
I told him about Garner Stereo, a much larger local store that does nothing but car stereo. Angrily, he objected that if I didn’t do the work for him, his whole day was wasted. I countered that it was still early in the morning, and he had the whole day ahead of him.
Mistake number five, salesman: If your customer is angry, don’t argue!
I won’t begin to recount what choice words he had to describe his experience with my business from that point on. Suffice to say, you would not want your children to be present to hear them. But I will tell you this: I am so relieved that I was such a lousy salesman! And so thankful for my many loyal and happy customers who would rather do business with a lousy salesman like me than take their chances with someone who won’t tell the truth and won’t help them find the best choices to fit their needs.
