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WebWord Weblog Posting Posting Date: December 16, 2002 Perspective: An answer to dumb PC salespeople -- "But on visits to retail stores on both the East Coast and West Coast, it was the same depressing story: The salespeople may have been scrubbed, cheerful and polite--but they were utterly incompetent when it came to explaining the ins and outs of the products they were selling or the underlying technologies."
Reader Comments...
Almost everytime I go into a computer store I end up overhearing an employee telling blatant untruths to potential customers. Sometimes I bite my lip and walk away, or sometimes I jump in and help the customer with their problem. My main piece of advice to customers is never, ever buy the extended warranty. Posted by: Mac on December 17, 2002 03:03 AM
Yeah I hear a lot of lies told to people, particularly about extended warranties, I only intervene if I'm in a stroppy mood though...
I wonder if car mechanics and designers feel the same way with Auto sales people? Usability people are not alone... Posted by: beanball on December 17, 2002 01:57 PM
What is really frustrating is walking into a store where they sell Macintosh alongside PCs and hearing the stupid salesman (who is normally a PC guy) telling the customer how they would do much better to buy a PC. Maybe it's just the *itch in me, but I always say something like "excuse me, do you normally work in the PC department? Shouldn't you have a Mac salesperson out here?" It always makes them think I'm a "secret shopper" (spies employed by research firms or employers to evaluate the performance of salespeople) and they usually fly right after that. Posted by: Lydia on December 17, 2002 03:48 PM
There's a joke that I heard when I was working in a computer store around 1979: Q: What's the difference between a computer salesman and a used car salesman? A: A used car salesman knows when he's lying. Posted by: Barry Parr on December 17, 2002 04:42 PM
A friend of mine in Australia told me his recent story when looking for a PC. Most of the sales people he initially communicated with bombarded him with technical information that he did not understand - thinking this would impress him. It was only when he visited an Apple store that he was made to feel more comfortable. Perhaps Apple are looking at the total 'customer experience' more effectively than other PC stores? Or he may just have fallen on a better sales staff. Is the sell any different for male or female buyers. In this case my friend was buying as PC for his wife. Posted by: Daniel Szuc on December 18, 2002 07:59 AM
Daniel, I think the sell is definitely different. Men are expected to know technical details, women are not. I've actually been approached with the line, "That's a real cute number, huh?" I felt like I was in a car dealership. I should point out, this was when I was in a Comp(uter) USA store that had an Apple store inside it and it was the PC guy on the floor. In actual Apple stores, I have never been treated that way, but I still get a more cautious approach than guy friends. A couple of the sales guys I talked to, though, had spec charts handy and when they could see that I knew a little bit more than which model was the cutest, they'd whip them out and go over the differences with me. Age plays a factor, too. My pop, who does not spend all day on computers, but builds his own and tinkers on the Internet so has a fairly grounded knowledge, always gets the "old timer" treatment when he goes into stores to help my family members buy computers. What ever happened to just figuring out what the customer wants and steering him to the right thing for his needs? Posted by: Lydia on December 20, 2002 01:07 PM
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