Patchelicious Posted June 6, 2017 Posted June 6, 2017 EVERYTHING that Specialized Stellenbosch does :-)Like selling various brands?
rudi-h Posted June 6, 2017 Posted June 6, 2017 3 pages and no mention of price yet... 1) price2) brand and product variety...3) service quality
Jase619 Posted June 6, 2017 Posted June 6, 2017 3 pages and no mention of price yet... 1) price2) brand and product variety...3) service quality That's because none of us own our own businesses apparently. . .
Patchelicious Posted June 6, 2017 Posted June 6, 2017 3 pages and no mention of price yet... 1) price2) brand and product variety...3) service qualityThats because if the value is there, price is not the biggest issue.
Paul Ruinaard Posted June 7, 2017 Posted June 7, 2017 3 pages and no mention of price yet... 1) price2) brand and product variety...3) service qualitySorry i am passionate about this stuff: You could not be further off the mark IMO. Price is the last thing you should worry about. Focus on value and addressing the customer's pain, even on commodities - if you have stock of something that i want and you are the only one who has it i will buy from you irrespective of price as i need what you have. Or want it.... But lets break this down. I have sold for about 30 years now and have worked on some massive deals and have watched some really good sales guys amplify the pain the customer is in to the point that they are asking for the solution, and they never worry about price. Sure its not commodities but they always sold at full price. Ruan Deysel - when he worked at Fritz in Paulshof - that was when I met him. Him and i spent about a week going back and forward on Specialized Epic vs an Ellsworth when i wanted a bike to do the Epic on. He never pressured me - just laid out the pros and cons on each. Then we went to groupset and wheels. Same thing. I ended up with XTR and the top of the range DT SWiss hoops - which served me very well. My brother still has the bike 12 years later.... But only once we had agreed the final config and quantified all the value did we get to a price and every time i objected he referred back to the discussion around the needs i had laid out for him in the beginning. Eventually i was asking if we shouldn't add things in to make sure it was going to get me through the Epic... He is another guy that i have followed around the industry for a long time. He openly tells you that his price is high but his quality is tops. He has a massive discussion with you before he even recommends a solution. Sure its not like this for commodities - i agree - having stock makes a difference like i said above. I very rarely give a price to anyone before i have been through the above cycle. Service is driven by this consultative approach. Most LBS's havent got a clue and want to stuff whatever is on the floor down your throat and never ask what you had in mind, rather selling "what's on the truck" and not worrying an iota about creating a value added relationship. BTW - if the customer is solely focused on price, someone can always undercut your price and he will go away - so he's not worth having as a customer....
CAAD4 Posted June 7, 2017 Posted June 7, 2017 Sorry i am passionate about this stuff: You could not be further off the mark IMO. Price is the last thing you should worry about. Focus on value and addressing the customer's pain, even on commodities - if you have stock of something that i want and you are the only one who has it i will buy from you irrespective of price as i need what you have. Or want it.... But lets break this down. I have sold for about 30 years now and have worked on some massive deals and have watched some really good sales guys amplify the pain the customer is in to the point that they are asking for the solution, and they never worry about price. Sure its not commodities but they always sold at full price. Ruan Deysel - when he worked at Fritz in Paulshof - that was when I met him. Him and i spent about a week going back and forward on Specialized Epic vs an Ellsworth when i wanted a bike to do the Epic on. He never pressured me - just laid out the pros and cons on each. Then we went to groupset and wheels. Same thing. I ended up with XTR and the top of the range DT SWiss hoops - which served me very well. My brother still has the bike 12 years later.... But only once we had agreed the final config and quantified all the value did we get to a price and every time i objected he referred back to the discussion around the needs i had laid out for him in the beginning. Eventually i was asking if we shouldn't add things in to make sure it was going to get me through the Epic... He is another guy that i have followed around the industry for a long time. He openly tells you that his price is high but his quality is tops. He has a massive discussion with you before he even recommends a solution. Sure its not like this for commodities - i agree - having stock makes a difference like i said above. I very rarely give a price to anyone before i have been through the above cycle. Service is driven by this consultative approach. Most LBS's havent got a clue and want to stuff whatever is on the floor down your throat and never ask what you had in mind, rather selling "what's on the truck" and not worrying an iota about creating a value added relationship. BTW - if the customer is solely focused on price, someone can always undercut your price and he will go away - so he's not worth having as a customer.... Yes, but did you do the right thing and buy the Ellsworth?
Paul Ruinaard Posted June 7, 2017 Posted June 7, 2017 Yes, but did you do the right thing and buy the Ellsworth?No - bought the Specialized but i have debated whether i made the right choice many times after that - the price shot up and then Fritz closed his doors in Paulshof so for a long time you couldnt get spares... I have always lusted after an Ellsworth since then. Seems like they are on their way back.
Hackster Posted June 7, 2017 Posted June 7, 2017 Have informed shop staff is an interesting one. Knowing a lot about bikes and cycling doesn't mean you're necessarily a good sales person. The good sales person is someone who knows a lot but, more importantly, is able to tailor his conversation to suit the client. Put things in terms your customer can understand. you got to know people as well as you know bikes...
Patchelicious Posted June 7, 2017 Posted June 7, 2017 Have informed shop staff is an interesting one. Knowing a lot about bikes and cycling doesn't mean you're necessarily a good sales person. The good sales person is someone who knows a lot but, more importantly, is able to tailor his conversation to suit the client. Put things in terms your customer can understand. you got to know people as well as you know bikes...We are looking for a Sales Manager at the moment, and this is the biggest thing that is missing fro all the candidates. "Don't sell me what you have, sell me what I need."
100Tours Posted June 7, 2017 Posted June 7, 2017 We are looking for a Sales Manager at the moment, and this is the biggest thing that is missing fro all the candidates. "Don't sell me what you have, sell me what I need." Happened to me recently. There are 2 Pyga stockists in my area. Wanted to buy a Pyga - one shop called the factory to confirm cost, colours and availability. The other offered me 10k off a 1 year old bike that they had in stock.
ChrisF Posted June 7, 2017 Posted June 7, 2017 Have informed shop staff is an interesting one. Knowing a lot about bikes and cycling doesn't mean you're necessarily a good sales person. The good sales person is someone who knows a lot but, more importantly, is able to tailor his conversation to suit the client. Put things in terms your customer can understand. you got to know people as well as you know bikes... We are looking for a Sales Manager at the moment, and this is the biggest thing that is missing fro all the candidates. "Don't sell me what you have, sell me what I need." THIS is why I enjoy doing business with Danie at Cycle4Life. Though he is a serious racer and knows his bikes, he takes the time to get to KNOW the customer in front of him, then sets about finding the solution ..... Same with Mike at Specialized off Durban road. MOST of the others are good at selling what is on their floor at the moment ....
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted June 7, 2017 Posted June 7, 2017 Happened to me recently. There are 2 Pyga stockists in my area. Wanted to buy a Pyga - one shop called the factory to confirm cost, colours and availability. The other offered me 10k off a 1 year old bike that they had in stock.Sigh. 2 minutes is all it takes to pick up the phone and call.
Hairy Posted June 7, 2017 Posted June 7, 2017 We are looking for a Sales Manager at the moment, and this is the biggest thing that is missing fro all the candidates. "Don't sell me what you have, sell me what I need."Shortly after leaving school I work at a LBS. There was a particular client that would come in every now and then, asking questions RE a range of bikes and then asking how they compared to others, etc , etc, etc. Long story short, I played open cards with him RE the bike, his intentions of riding, encouraged him to look at other LBS's bikes/brands and make a holistic call on what he wanted. Anyway, no one else paid him much attention (very casually dressed, not flashy in anyway) ..... he walked one day on a cold rainy day and bought the most expensive MTB in the store on the spot and I helped him load it in his Porsche. He bought the bike that was right for him at the end of the day.
Hairy Posted June 7, 2017 Posted June 7, 2017 Shortly after leaving school I work at a LBS. There was a particular client that would come in every now and then, asking questions RE a range of bikes and then asking how they compared to others, etc , etc, etc. Long story short, I played open cards with him RE the bike, his intentions of riding, encouraged him to look at other LBS's bikes/brands and make a holistic call on what he wanted. Anyway, no one else paid him much attention (very casually dressed, not flashy in anyway) ..... he walked one day on a cold rainy day and bought the most expensive MTB in the store on the spot and I helped him load it in his Porsche. He bought the bike that was right for him at the end of the day.So Patch... is that a good paying job on offer at your place of work
Pure Savage Posted June 7, 2017 Posted June 7, 2017 I find that if you take your recently serviced bike to another shop and they complement the up keep then your shop does well. Also, I just dig the Cloete's at Crown cycles.
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