When selling bikes mean more than riding bikes

[Guest dilldesigns]

I've had a passion for all things cycling since 11 years old. from sketching frames to taking a bail on a single track and laughing after,

to even offering my services for free at my then LBS. So truth be told, it physically hurts me when i see bike shops take advantage

of peoples passion for cycling. They know you enter a bike shop for a very specific reason, to engage in cycling matters and its

here where a bike shop is good or it is great. heres an example.

 

I enter an established shop, but much like the ruling government, they have lost touch of the peoples needs.

the sales man is pushing a expensive road bike onto someone that is hesitant. Overpowering them with stats and tech, this and that,

the guy clearly isnt comfortable in buying, but the salesman persists. So i suggest he should consider the hubsa

for a cheaper second hand option, he doesnt know the hub but thanks me for the advice, at which point the salesman tries his

best to discredit buying from the hub, saying size this and second hand that. totally forgeting that cycling is a passion, and

that a bike shop should yes try sell a bike, but yes also keep the passion alive with options and engagment.

 

Then you enter another shop, they greet you and engage socially before even trying to sell you something. They

remember to put passion before sales and this results in happy customers and not overpowered customers, which

inevitably results in return business.

Edited April 5, 2014 by dilldesigns

[stringbean]

Great post.Nice to see your passion.See you a noobie here.All I can say is Dont loose that passion for cycling and end up where spending more time behind a keyboard talking crap on the hub is more important to you that spending time on the bike.

[gummibear]

 

 

I enter an established shop, but much like the ruling government, they have lost touch of the peoples needs.

the sales man is pushing a 15k road bike onto someone that is hesitant. Overpowering them with stats and tech, this and that,

the guy clearly isnt comfortable in buying, but the salesman persists. So i chirp in and mention he should consider the hubsa

for a cheaper second hand option, he doesnt know the hub but thanks me for the advice, at which point the salesman tries his

best to discredit buying from the hub, saying size this and second hand that. totally forgeting that cycling is a passion,

 

Another one hit wonder flaming a lbs

Plain and simple....if you made a chirp like that to me,i would throw you out the shop.

[TALUS]

I am unclear about a few things: are you saying the customer walked into the cycling shop to chat or to buy a bike ( maybe he wanted to be somewhere else completely?). Do you think that new bikers are knowledgable enough to buy secondhand from the internet? Was he actually being given bad advice? I buy from my LBS and the internet. I also understand that selling is their job - can not hold that against them. Hardsell is bad, unethical selling is bad but selling per se is reality

[CAAD4]

Op how long have you worked at Trail and Tar?

[Guest dilldesigns]

thanks for the good words stringbean. not to worry about me being a keyboard cowboy.

im out there thrashing three times a week. noob i am, but we all need to start somewhere

 

gummibear, i also value your comment, not too sure how calling a bike shop good is

flaming it though. im guessing its the new lingo in luxemberg, in saying that, i hope

your store has a flaming year.

 

talus, i get where you coming from, salesmen also gotta eat, i too buy online and offline.

chatted with the guy for a couple minutes and he was looking to buy and knowledgable,

just a bit strapped for cash, hence me giving him advice on possible second hand bikes.

 

caad4, i wish i worked there, but im quite happy in my current job.

 

the point of this article is to remind people of the passion for cycling,

whether your on a rusty trap or a carbon fantasy. putting money and sales aside,

its about getting people behind the bars and in the sun.

[BarHugger]

If there was a little more passion (and honour) that other fake mega thread would be a two pager.......and not referencing the noobness BS from some sales personnel

[BeegMig]

I find that no, one proper bike shop is about the money alone. They all started, and survive from the love for cycling and the love of the machine.

 

Those that are just about the money don't last long.

Edited April 5, 2014 by BeegMig

[NotSoBigBen]

thanks for the good words stringbean. not to worry about me being a keyboard cowboy.

im out there thrashing three times a week. noob i am, but we all need to start somewhere

 

gummibear, i also value your comment, not too sure how calling a bike shop good is

flaming it though. im guessing its the new lingo in luxemberg, in saying that, i hope

your store has a flaming year.

 

talus, i get where you coming from, salesmen also gotta eat, i too buy online and offline.

chatted with the guy for a couple minutes and he was looking to buy and knowledgable,

just a bit strapped for cash, hence me giving him advice on possible second hand bikes.

 

caad4, i wish i worked there, but im quite happy in my current job.

 

the point of this article is to remind people of the passion for cycling,

whether your on a rusty trap or a carbon fantasy. putting money and sales aside,

its about getting people behind the bars and in the sun.

 

Generally if its only to 'remind people of the passion' bike shops are not trashed by name but ja that's just me

[Joe Low]

Bridge helped me Saturday before an Argus when SAA damaged the bike coming down from Jhb. That shop will always be fine with me.

[Tumbleweed]

Another one hit wonder flaming a lbs

Plain and simple....if you made a chirp like that to me,i would throw you out the shop.

 

Me too. I work in a bike shop on Saturday mornings. It's out of love for the sport and because of a friendship with the owner. I have had the annoyance of a know-it-all interfere with a sale. It's rude. Terribly so. What is dildosigns doing eavesdropping on a conversation between a shop worker and a customer? Sounds like the behaviour of a lurker. If you want to give advice, buy your own bike shop. Go ahead. Deal second-hand. Become a hub broker. To diss a shop based on an overheard conversation just sucks. Your agressive assertion about what is this best way to shop for a bike is no better than the alleged behaviour of the bike shop employee. Were you privy to the whole interaction between the customer and the bike shop employee? I doubt it.

[Shebeen]

Classic tumbles

http://blu.stb.s-msn.com/i/D0/F4A48030FC13069BE77384E103A43.jpg

[Tumbleweed]

Classic tumbles

http://blu.stb.s-msn...7384E103A43.jpg

 

[FrancoisC]

Ignore Tumbleweed and Gummibear.

They were abandoned children.

[canadonis]

I think we need to guard against any petty unpleasant experience being the justification to 'expose' lbs as offering poor service or not customer focused but rather money focused.

 

Admin needs to have very strict systems in place to manage these types of comments or the hub will lose its credibility.

 

I'm not defending the store in question but consider these alternative perspectives;

 

To most cyclists Technical details are very important so if they do not receive these from the lbs when considering a new purchase they would go to one that does offer the details.

 

Buying second hand rather than new - yes there are many pros and cons of each and really it's very subjective, so we may not agree with a different position regarding this but are we not arrogant to not accept this differing view.

You don't mention your relationship to the prospective buyer,

1. if a friend then why go into an lbs if you going to buy second hand in any case; would you expect a different response from a BMW salesman if you told him you going to buy a car off Gumtree will they also be Compared to the government.

2. If he wasn't a friend, was it your position to discuss the hub.

 

I remember the fable of 'Chicken little and the sky falling on her head' when I read this post.

 

 

 

 

[Tumbleweed]

Ignore Tumbleweed and Gummibear.

They were abandoned children.

 

Ouch…

 

And we were always the last to be picked when we played footie as kids…