How many Show Shoppers are looking in?

[Wisoki]

When you are sure we know enough to make an informed decision and recognize the merits of your tub, you can show us your product.

How will you know the merits of my tub BEFORE I show you my tub?

[quote/]While we are looking for a tub that fits our needs we can talk price.

This might take 30 minutes or 30 days.  If you try to rush me, I’ll have to wonder why.[/quote]

Ummm, because I don't get paid unless you buy a spa.

[/quote]Finally, if you tell me that a price you will sell a tub for today might not be available in an hour or a day, I will be gone for sure.
[/quote]

Well, if you are looking for the best deal (which EVERY spa shopper is) you are going to get that deal on a demo, if the demo is sold, while you are going to "be back" adios deal.

[jsimo7]

I guess nobody got the scarcasm..  Hence the angry, wink, smiley face...  Thats what the icons are for.  Lighten up folks.  

pkud You are so correct with your sarcasm. The response you made is how some dealers come across to customers . In another post someone said maybe the be-back bus will pull up to your store after the show and you will sell then. If dealers conduct themselves as you jokingly put in this post you will guarantee the be back bus wont show up.
The money you guys spend to be at a home show is huge and the dealers and their employees should do everything to make the customer feel like you have interest in them, and you should have. Get as many leads as possible, ask for the sale... after you have given the customer the info he needs about your product, if he won't buy now follow up, I bet you would be the only dealer that follows up with potential customers, and you will have a much better chance to sell them when they buy. The salespeople that are there for the few days of the show and then gone, sure won't follow up. You won't win all the time but with some effort you will get a good share.
 I have been a 100% commission sales person (2 yrs) and now 100% commission sales mgr for 23 yrs working WITH 7 sales people that do not work FOR me, we work together. If you answer questions that the customer asks and then asks non confrontational questions you will win many more customers in today's sales process. Until you answer the customers questions you have not earned the right to ask a question. The process of answering a question with a question is so 80's-90's and looses your creditability very quick. It is 2006 and the customers have many more choices and info at there fingertips. If a customer asks where your product is built simply answer the question and then give a benefit to that place. It may be built in Widget USA  and let the customer know why.  Widget is close to suppliers, or space is a better value there, or some logical reason why that location was chosen by the parent company, because I'm sure there is a reason why Widget USA was chosen by the company. Then just move on and answer thier other questions and give logical reasons for your answer.  Ask questions that pertain to a customers reasons for buying. Some customers try to be bad a$$'s from the start but will soften quick when they find out you won't argue or bash others. Some will be a$$'s all the way through but those are  the 10%ers move on from then and don't let there attitude ruin your chance with the 90%ers taht want to buy.  Any customer question deserves to be answered. Every customer deserves a good presentation and that is your best tool for a sale.  Some questions  may be a test to see your response, don't let your tongue and a poor attitude remove your chance to win the sale. I learn new things everyday and went to a 3 day sales training from a person half my age in Nov 05 and was amazed how much I picked up from that investment of my time. This has gotten long and I apologize.  Good luck to all and remember sales is a state of mind that is controlled by attitude.

[shabba34]

Thank you Jismo, for seeing the post for what it is...  Be direct with your answers.  Spend the time necessary.  Get the lead of persons not ready to make the commitment.  Follow up, and your numbers will flourish.  To snowbird and ssbraun, sorry that that post came off as it did.  I can understand your response if that was how I or anyone else actually was.  I have a respected business carrying the same product since 1988.  I haven't come this far acting as a jackass, I just portray one on the internet.

[ssbraun]

pkud...If that was truly meant as a joke, I did in fact miss it.  This is me lightening up  !

Group hug ...

Steve

[shabba34]

pkud...If that was truly meant as a joke, I did in fact miss it.  This is me lightening up  !

Group hug ...

Steve

[ssbraun]

er...let's stick to the hug...that lipstick is just too much

S

[shabba34]

er...let's stick to the hug...that lipstick is just too much

S

All right, I'll man it up...

[anne]

jsimo7, AWESOME POST!

The oringial question: top 5 things I want to know:

1) Can I tell if you are going to be honest with me?
2) Are you going to condescend to me if I am new to spas, and trying to learn?
3) Are you going to answer my questions directly, rather than leading my questions to some other topic YOU'D rather discuss? And if you think I'm asking the wrong questions, EXPLAIN THINGS TO ME!!!! If I ask "How many jets/pumps/etc does this spa have?", DO NOT SAY "Well, how many are you looking for?" AHHHHHHHHH! Say, well this one has #, but may I suggest that you not fucus so much on the number of jets in any given spa, but instead.....and then explain however you do about why not to focus on a number.
4) Are you going to push me to buy a spa RIGHT NOW or are you going to respect my need as a consumer to make a well-thought out, informed decision? I understand as a consumer that whatever great deal on a floor model you are offering may not last, but DONT use that to push me.
5) When you tell me about the merits of your tub, are you going to do so by just explaining how glorious your tub is, or by comparing it to another brand? Tacky, tacky, tacky.

So let me ask a question, too: what sort of consumer is more likely to be at a show? (and I really dont know)

a) someone ready to buy, knows what they want, has wet tested and is just there to get a good deal sice it is a "show"
or

b)someone just starting to shop, using the show as a way to see a bunch of spas and dealers at once, who does not know about wet testing, etc.

I'm guessing the answer is b. If I am right, how the h@!! do you expect to sell many spas that day? Arent you better off establishing a good relationship wth someone who will learn a lot and come back to your showroom since you were the best dealer at the show? Maybe you tell them that if they come back to the showroom within x number days, your honor the "show price"?

I get it that having a booth at these events is pricey, but I dont get how you can sell that many tubs in that environment. Granted, I avoid events like that like the plague.

[drewstar]

Anne

I like your answer. I 've been mulling over the  J_McD original question,  and  think you hit the nail on the head.   When I go to these shows, I'm looking for info, trying to see who has what, get ideas, leads and futiure contacts when I want to buy.  The first thing, despite what I say or ask, I'm looking at the vendor and ultimately want to know

1)  Is he honest?  Or just trying to sell me?
2) Does he have the product I want?  Am I getting good useful information that will help me decide,  or just a pitch?  
3) Do I like this person? Do I want to do business with them?

[jsimo7]

Thanks anne .. it got longer than I wanted it to be and I know many won't read something that long. The main point is, the salesperson will set the tone for the presentation. The customer may try to throw us off but if we use accurate info, in a polite manner, and treat each person with respect, even when we don't get it in return right away, you will watch people's trust grow very quick. It will set you apart from the average salesperson.

[Ruby]

Good response, Anne.  A lot of the things you touched on was what I was thinking-just didn't have time to write.  Just to elaborate a little bit though...

When I started thinking that I wanted a tub, I obviously knew NOTHING about them.  What I did know was that I was hurting from my accident, I would probably be getting a settlement eventually and I wanted to put that settlement towards something that would help future permanant residule(sp) pain from my accident ie. arthritis or whatever.

My neighbors invited me to go to the home show with them, and I thought why not, I'll check out Hot Tubs.

Like most other first time shoppers,  I figured about 4-5k.

I don't remember exactly what my questions to the dealers were, but I'm sure to them they were stupid.  I know "how much?" was one of them.  "What do I look for in a good tub" was another.  I remember the first booth that I went to, don't remember the brand, but it was a tub that was shown with the sides off and it had reflective sheets of insulation.  I remember the kid there said whatever I do, don't buy from the snake "over there" selling Master.

I left that booth and walked around and gathered info on all the spas at the show.  There were some pretty fancy, smancy tubs there.  I didn't know you could get stereos and TV's and lights-it was all new to me.  It was overwhelming to me, first the sticker shock then the sales people who came on very strong if I stopped to look at their wares.  

Then I focused elsewhere...  Came across Tempurpedic beds, King sized, adjustable w/massager...laid on it ahhhh...
me:"how much is this?"
sales guy: 2500 if you take this one and take delivery tonight, last day of the show, only an hour left and I don't want to take it with me. We thought we had it sold, but it fell through".
me: "give me a minute, I need to call my husband"

To make a long story short-got the bed-not without screw-ups, but got a brand new bed a few days later with lots of stuff thrown in because of the screw-ups.  

Anywhoo-back to tubs.  That was my first exposure to hot tubs and because of the high pressure of the sales people, I put the tub on the back burner for a while.  When I was ready to look again, I had a more realistic idea of price and started doing research online, asking questions of people who owned tubs etc.  I got into a conversation with a customer of mine and that's when I first heard of Marquis.  I thought at first that they were an off brand because I hadn't heard of them-they weren't at the show.  The more I researched the more interested I got.  We  got our tub about a year after that first encounter at the show.

So I guess what I wanted to say is, just because you don't sell at the show, doesn't mean you won't get the sale.  Be patient, don't come on too strong, and be there to educate, not to sell.  They'll come back when they're ready.

BTW-we LOVE the bed.

[East_TX_Spa]

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.

That's one of the points that were covered extensively in a couple of consumer trends seminars I recently attended and a position with which I concur.

Terminator

[J._McD]

Ann, very good post, you pose some very intelligent questions and they are certainly consumer oriented.

Actually, I believe the answer to be C: people who came to the home show for some other non-specific reason, walks by your display, see the Hot Tubs they hear so much about and would certainly desire to have one.  They enter the display and the questions will begin.

You see, we know nothing about the person asking the questions, and as you have noted in these threads, salespeople are interested in only the potential buyer.  This is where the "rub" starts.  We try to sort them out with greeters who will determine where they live (apartments and condo's ?? = no sale unless they are moving), what their interests are and then they are introduced to the owner and a salesperson will take over.  Generally speaking, showgoers are seperated into 4 categories D L S B, Dreamers (that is what made america) Lookers, that is where we plant the seed, Shoppers, this is where we go to work, and Buyers.

Some display will give them yellow, red or green ballons.

Our greeters will give everyone a brochure ($1.25 each and not likely to be given out freely by most selling displays, we will go through 500 or more in a show, what's the word, ka-ching) representing our products and see that their questions are answered.  

Who know's we may fulfill their dreams or plant a seed that developes into a sale in the future.  Our main focus would be with the shoppers and the buyers.  These are determined by those who are looking see what is here and others who identify themselves as looking to buy.

Your question, "can I tell if you are going to be honest with me?"  That is a really good question, and the women have a very good sense about this, call it intuition, but there are times you just don't know.

How would you or others evaluate that issues?

In many ways a show is like the roulette wheel that spins and and stops on 1 number and you get paid.  Sometimes your number comes up, but more often than not, you just spill your candy and tell them all you know, give them a couple dollars of marketing materials, encourage them to come back (those are "be backs") and that dosent happen often although their intent is sincere, because when they hit overload and know moer than when they started, everthing they looked at melts together and they buy from the silver tounged salesperson that offers them such an unbelievable deal.

When we follow up after the show, we do find a lot that bought and we ask what we could have done different, to which they tell us how nice we are, BUT the great bargain they got because the "closer" told them the salesperson quoted the wrong price, but he will honor it, but only right now before you leave.

There are a thousand stories about closing.  Most people think they will see it coming, but they don't.  $42,000,000 in unpaid consumer rebate money proves that point, but that is another story.

[drewstar]

Some display will give them yellow, red or green ballons.

I like that. Kind of like tagging the customers so the sales folks can quickly see who's been identified as imediate sale, looking or bonehead.

I've got to pay more attention to the color of the balloons vendors give me this weekend.   What color do you pass out to Pain in the butts?  Brown?


Why do they always give me a brown balloon?

[J._McD]

.................Then I focused elsewhere...  Came across Tempurpedic beds, King sized, adjustable w/massager...laid on it ahhhh...
me:"how much is this?"
sales guy: 2500 if you take this one and take delivery tonight, last day of the show, only an hour left and I don't want to take it with me. We thought we had it sold, but it fell through".
me: "give me a minute, I need to call my husband"

To make a long story short-got the bed-not without screw-ups, but got a brand new bed a few days later with lots of stuff thrown in because of the screw-ups.  

BTW-we LOVE the bed.

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.