The gauntlet
I post this article out of Forbes not because I am down on Best Buy; to the contrary, I have always been helped and had good experiences at the store. I post it because I HAVE recently noticed a marked increase in what I call the "gauntlet" of sales while trying to conduct business. Read the experience description from Forbes:
"A few days ago, I visited a Best Buy store in Pinole, CA with a friend. He’s a devoted consumer electronics and media shopper, and wanted to buy the 3D blu ray of 'How to Train Your Dragon,' which Best Buy sells exclusively. According to the company’s website, it’s backordered but available for pickup at the store we visited. The item wasn’t there, however, and the sales staff had no information.
But my friend decided to buy some other blu-ray discs. Or at least he tried to, until we were 'assisted' by a young, poorly groomed sales clerk from the TV department, who wandered over to interrogate us. What kind of TV do you have? Do you have a cable service, or a satellite service? Do you have a triple play service plan?"
I don't visit a lot of stores but during the holidays it seemed like I was attacked with clumsy "help" trying to get me to purchase things I didn't want to purchase. I know how to say "no" but I've noticed an almost robotic element to the process lately whether it is in person or on the telephone. The programming of these 'bots needs some refinement. In another case I recently called to change television service and was nearly held hostage by two humanbots who wouldn't tell me prices because "the system needs a little more information" and then awkwardly tried to give me "an incredible deal" on my phone and Internet service no less than five times. Third try: "Mr Harden, this is the best deal on bundled services we've ever offered so why don't we go ahead and get you signed up for phone and Internet today. . ." Fourth try: "Sorry, my system is a little slow because we've had so many people calling for this incredible deal on bundled services. . .we can still sign you up." All before I had my price for even basic cable.
Does this stuff really work? Is this what sophisticated market research tells these companies to do in order to increase business? To me it is poor script work, crappy training and a half-assed effort to work. It lacks any appreciation of the customer. It results in a few sales but fewer customers. As the cable lady was reading here list of questions to me with increasing intensity, I thought how she might have handled the situation differently. More helpfully: "I understand you only want basic cable, Mr. Harden, but I would like to compare the price for your basic package with our new bundled services offering. I think you will like this offer." Is help too much to ask?
I'm actually starting to enjoy these sales practices. It makes me not want to buy anything from the companies that do it. My latest was XM radio. It's nice, but it's not a luxury I really miss. They don't want to let you cancel, so that made it a lot of fun to get cancelled.
Most of the companies doing this are selling you crap. By that I mean, they're selling you goods and services that are not making you money, educating you, and the goods won't be worth much in a year. They are money holes. It's my theory that it's why they must resort to these tactics.
Think about cable. Have you ever seen them offer an educational bundle with things like History, Discovery, etc. only? For whatever reasons, they always want to make sure that you have the BS channels in there too. Anyhow, they don't have a product with value to sell, so they have to try these tactics. More will fall for these tactics than would buy on value alone. Many have the "more is better" mentality, so they sell on these bundles rather than discussing the quality programming, of which there isn't much to talk about.
Compare what they're selling with things you must have. Take food for example. Good food kind of sells itself. Imagine Best Buy trying to sell shoes. How about Best Buy's "Geek Squad" coming to fix your roof or furnace. No thank you.
With the economy being what it is, every dollar counts. These sales tactics just ease the decisions as to where my dollars go. For those of us that can spot the BS, it's easy.
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It's not the best way to handle a potential sale - but it's done by a script that they have to run through. And no doubt they're being monitored to make sure they're asking every question listed, relevant or not.
Here's a non-script experience surprisingly at Costco:
Due to age and treatment, my hearing has gotten particularly bad. So finally owned up to the reality and headed down to Costco to their hearing aid center (also tried the Hearx center but the costs of their aids were about the price of a small car). Costco's service is usually impeccable and their warranty/guarantee policies are unmatched.
So I make to the center and there's only one woman there talking to a co-worker. I finally get her attention and in answer to my question about making an appointment, she gave me a card and told me to call a particular number.
I called. No call returned.
Okay - so maybe it's the holidays. I waited until after new year, returned to the store to find two women behind the counter, one at a computer desktop with her back to the counter, another fiddling with a hearing aid at a side counter. Both ignored me until I made enough noise that the one at the side counter noticed.
Without approaching me, and from a good ten feet away, she asked, "Is there something I can help you with?"
I bit perplexed since the only thing they sold at that counter was hearing aids and she was standing far enough way that I strained to hear her, I said that I would like to make an appointment for a hearing test and have a hearing aid outfitted for me.
She then came over, pointed to a sign, and said, "Well we're out on vacation third week in January and won't be able to make an appointment for you until sometime in February.
I was a bit disappointed and she asked if I had my hearing recently tested. Told her that I was last tested in 2009 and was told I would probably need a hearing aid.
She said, "Well you waited two years to come here so you can wait until next month for an appointment."
I thanked her and left.
Eventually found help elsewhere.
- Jeff
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