How many Show Shoppers are looking in?

[Bonibelle]

I think that because I tend to obsess over big purchases, I try to be as well educated as possible before I even go to a home show. You can be pressured and swayed by a real good sales pitch, but ultimately it is your signature that goes on that check. And if you are ready to do it on the spot to get the once in a life time deal, and you haven't done your homework, then the old saying BUYER BEWARE applies. If I can go back to the very first thing that I remember about this forum...if your tub is a good fit, if it is in your right price range and if you are happy (the price, the brand,the dealer) then that is all that you need. Getting support and help on here is an added bonus. At some point every one of us has a question (stupid or redundant or whatever). My idea of this forum is that it helps you to live with and enjoy  the choice that you made, IT shouldn't ever make you feel bad or regret your choice. Only you have that right  :-/ If I made a poor choice , I would have no problem letting everyone know not to make the same mistake.  But if I am satisfied, then let me be satisfied.

[hymbaw]

A salesperson has to be a likeable person, especially in today's shopping environment.  The old days of fast talking, high pressure sales is gone.  If the customer does not like you, if you misrepresent yourself or your competition, if you do not establish trust, the shopper will not buy from you.  Especially the under 60 crowd.

Term,
 There not gone yet. I do see the consumer you refer to above, they are our lifeblood. But the sucker born every minute is not gone. The largest dealer here in my area(as far as units sold) is a fast talking, high pressure, snake oil salesman. When talking to other dealers you find out that we all get complaints from consumers about how they treat potential buyers, yet they continue to sell a ton of spas.

I don't know how to be the salesman these people respond to, nor do I want to be. I'll just try to be the honest, forthright, relationship building, empathetic, likeable sales guy and see how it goes.

[Snowbird]

This week there is a Home & Garden Show at the Convention Center in Pittsburgh.  I have some serious landscaping problems that I have do idea how to fix.  I could take 10 days and put 50 or 100 miles on my car or spend hours on the phone contacting individual contractors and be no further ahead.

But here are all those contractors in one spot too.  Tomorrow $10 gets me in to learn a lot in one afternoon.  And the contractors get all those potential customers in one spot.  Isn't that their goal?  It is their time to shine and my time to learn.

I intend to walk around and see what's available.  Maybe stop and listen in as they answer other people's questions.  I will look at their displays and learn something.  When I have some general idea of what is available, I will find the contractors who seem be able to do what I have in mind and talk to them.  Their expertise can lead me where I need to go.

One thing for sure, I will spend no money tomorrow.  In fact, this project won't get started until next summer or later.  But I have to know what the options are and get a ballpark figure on cost then budget my time and money to get the job done.

If I run into a contractor who seems impatient wth me, or is pushy or seems unprofessional, I will never go back to him - not tomrrow, not next week and not next year.  If he wants to be considered for the work, he is going to have to deal with my ignorance.  Some might feel this is a waste of their time, but that is the only way they can get my business.  If he can't be respectful of my needs now before he has my money, will he be any different after he gets my money and I need warranty work?

Here is an example.  In 2001 I went to a home show and looked at spas.  I talked to the local Thermospa manager and I told him up front I wouldn't be buying for a while.  

He was very friendly, didn't rush me, answered all my questions and even gave me a video.  We never talked price because I knew it would change by the time I was ready to buy.  I kept that tape handy because I knew I would eventually buy a spa.  

In 2005 when we were ready, I dug out that video and watched it for the 5th or 6th time.  He was the 1st dealer I called and if it had been the same person that came to my home, I might be sitting in a T-spa today.  Too bad their price tactics and his saleman blew it for him.

The point is that he treated me fairly and honestly and I remembered him and gave him first shot.  He spent a little time (about 15 minutes at the show) with me as an investment in the future.

[Ruby]

Ruby, this is a great post, and no offense intended, but this is a classical close, "the floor model close".  What is more classical are the screw ups and appologies that get you a brand new one instead of taking the one he sold to 50 other people.

The excitement of opportunity and the emotion of greed in reverse, the savings.  

Now that is my competitor, he took a Hot Tub shopper out of the market and he knew how to do it.
_________________________________________________
Ok-so I still don't know how to do quotes but...
_______________________________________________

JMcD,
No offense taken.  I agree and disagree with you.
I agree because, yes, I was an impulsive buyer that day.  BUT, a new bed was also on our want list as our cheap box spring and matteress were over 15 years old and we had both been complaining about it for a while.  Shopping for a bed is easy.  There isn't that much to learn about a bed.  Your choices are few 1.) Conventional either soft or firm, 2.) Waterbed (been there, in fact, I used to sell them) 3.) Sleep Number or 4.) Memory foam.  The fact that tempurpedic had a 120 day trial period was good because, let's face it, until you sleep on it, how do you really know if it's comfortable?  We had the $ in the bank (tax return).  The price was right, so I bought it.  There's not much that's gonna go wrong with a bed. Yeah, the "classical screw-ups" sucked at the time but I feel it worked out to my favor.  I received a lot of extras besides getting brand new vs. demo that weren't in the original deal.  (didn't even get a ducky with my tub!)

If you want to think of him as a competitor, that's your choice but...I disagree because 1.) I didn't go there to buy a tub, I went there to learn about them  2.) He didn't take a Hot Tub Shopper out of the market-I still bought one-when I was ready and when I had the funds in hand.  If anything took me out of the market that day, it was the high pressure SPA SALES PEOPLE that wore me down.  3.) Even if a spa was offered to me for 2500.00 that day, I still wouldn't have bought one because I didn't know enough about them yet. I do research on anything that "runs". I check repair history mostly and get an idea of the cost of future repairs after the warrenty period.

[jsimo7]

Ruby, this is a great post, and no offense intended, but this is a classical close, "the floor model close".  What is more classical are the screw ups and appologies that get you a brand new one instead of taking the one he sold to 50 other people.
 
The excitement of opportunity and the emotion of greed in reverse, the savings.  
 
Now that is my competitor, he took a Hot Tub shopper out of the market and he knew how to do it.
_________________________________________________
Ok-so I still don't know how to do quotes but...
_______________________________________________

JMcD,
No offense taken.  I agree and disagree with you.
I agree because, yes, I was an impulsive buyer that day.  BUT, a new bed was also on our want list as our cheap box spring and matteress were over 15 years old and we had both been complaining about it for a while.  Shopping for a bed is easy.  There isn't that much to learn about a bed.  Your choices are few 1.) Conventional either soft or firm, 2.) Waterbed (been there, in fact, I used to sell them) 3.) Sleep Number or 4.) Memory foam.  The fact that tempurpedic had a 120 day trial period was good because, let's face it, until you sleep on it, how do you really know if it's comfortable?  We had the $ in the bank (tax return).  The price was right, so I bought it.  There's not much that's gonna go wrong with a bed. Yeah, the "classical screw-ups" sucked at the time but I feel it worked out to my favor.  I received a lot of extras besides getting brand new vs. demo that weren't in the original deal.  (didn't even get a ducky with my tub!)

If you want to think of him as a competitor, that's your choice but...I disagree because 1.) I didn't go there to buy a tub, I went there to learn about them  2.) He didn't take a Hot Tub Shopper out of the market-I still bought one-when I was ready and when I had the funds in hand.  If anything took me out of the market that day, it was the high pressure SPA SALES PEOPLE that wore me down.  3.) Even if a spa was offered to me for 2500.00 that day, I still wouldn't have bought one because I didn't know enough about them yet. I do research on anything that "runs". I check repair history mostly and get an idea of the cost of future repairs after the warrenty period.

Very good points ruby. It makes sense.