Dude, seriously??

[Chrismor]

Only once have I had to deal with salespeople when buying computers, and that was ordering office computers from a 4 letter company (hint: rhymes with hell).

The sales person kinda hit a brick wall with me though. Damn my knowing exactly what I want, with no deviations required, wanted, or necessary.

When I do personal computer work though, I know of a small store in Dublin. I can go in there, rattle off a list of parts, and be told straight up no it can't be done, I have it in stock, or it will be in on Tuesday. Simple, effective, and I get trade discounts.

C.

[McGoddess09]

Try having boobs.

Just gonna point this out, but Lupo DOES have boobs. (Not meaning that in any derogatory way, Lupo!)

[lwb]

Do guys have problems with girls treating them like idiots in the kitchen section of a store or anything? I think I'd feel better if they did.

Yep. The wife doesn't like to cook. I do, so I go into kitchen sections of stores all the time. My wife goes with me (usually to make sure I don't spend too much money) and I am always ignored in favor of her, even though I'm the one asking the questions/looking at the stuff.

As for the computer shopping thing, I got talked down to at a computer store once (relevant to the story, I teach Computer classes at the local tech college)

DA: Dumb A$$ sales weasel

DA: You need some help?
Me: No, just looking. (comparing specs on different computers)
DA: You need to get one with 2GB of RAM (This was before the great Vista crunch of 2006. I needed something simple to watch videos on in bed)
Me: I know what I'm looking for thanks.
*This repeats 3 more times with different things, including size of the monitor)
DA: Sir, I'm the expert here. Let me help you find something you really need.
Me: Look here, young man (note: I was only 24 at the time ). I teach computer classes just up the road at $Local_Tech_College. In fact, I'm still wearing the badge that identifies me as a computer professor. I am, in fact, the expert and, in my expert opinion, your store doesn't need my money.

[lupo pazzesco]

Just gonna point this out, but Lupo DOES have boobs. (Not meaning that in any derogatory way, Lupo!)

<Looks down> Well...they ARE really hard to miss...so, no big deal!
just big boobs...

Yep. The wife doesn't like to cook. I do, so I go into kitchen sections of stores all the time. My wife goes with me (usually to make sure I don't spend too much money) and I am always ignored in favor of her, even though I'm the one asking the questions/looking at the stuff.

As for the computer shopping thing, I got talked down to at a computer store once (relevant to the story, I teach Computer classes at the local tech college)

<Snippy of the story>

part 1: That sucks, but I love cooking too, and even as a female, I get talked down to, especially when it comes to buying kitchen knives. Um, hi, yes, I DO know what santoku is, I have 3 so far, thanks... And yes, I AM aware that henkel is a great brand, but not on my budget, buddy!!

Re: The computer store tale. What an ass. and that was the exact attitude I was receiving, too, despite having given the guy a long, itemized, detailed list of what exactly I was looking for! I'm no teacher, but still, that should count for something, shouldn't it, the fact that I did a lot of research beforehand?

Ugh, People...

[Broomjockey]

<Looks down> Well...they ARE really hard to miss...so, no big deal!
just big boobs...

*giggles immaturely*

*composes self*

That reminds me, I need a proper veggie-cutting knife.

[Dips]

I just don't understand the logic of arguing with a customer who knows what she wants.

I do some sales as part of my job and when a customer knows exactly what she wants it makes my job selling to them EASY.

And I don't make commission. If I did make commission, I'd even happier to get an easy sale.

[Magpie]

part 1: That sucks, but I love cooking too, and even as a female, I get talked down to, especially when it comes to buying kitchen knives. Um, hi, yes, I DO know what santoku is, I have 3 so far, thanks... And yes, I AM aware that henkel is a great brand, but not on my budget, buddy!!

Ah, but knives are the one masculine skill in the kitchen. It is the job of the man of the house to be knowledgeable about knives so he can select the right ones for his poor helpless wife, and to keep them sharp so the poor dear doesn't cut herself.

I'd mock more, but both my husband and his brother-in-law are very into knives (relative to their wives). I'm just the wrong kind of engineer to care that much. I am, however, the one who knows how to use a steel.

[Hyndis]

I just don't understand the logic of arguing with a customer who knows what she wants.

I do some sales as part of my job and when a customer knows exactly what she wants it makes my job selling to them EASY.

And I don't make commission. If I did make commission, I'd even happier to get an easy sale.

Agreed.

If the customer knows what they want and you have it available, that should be an incredibly easy and fast sale. Sure you're not going to be able to upsell them, but at the same time the entire transaction takes only minutes from start to finish, and thats a pretty good profit margin for a very fast sale.

Think of it in terms of $$$ per minute. Spending hours on some customer waffling about who doesn't know what they want, or do several quick sales on a customer who knows what they want. One approach is definitely more profitable than the other.

[draftermatt]

I just don't understand the logic of arguing with a customer who knows what she wants.

I dable in sales at times (I'm the assistant project manager in addition to everything else) so I can kinda answer this.

Sometimes people, whether construction professionals or Joe the homeowner, think they need our product for their project.

And there have been times (more than I can count) where they really didn't, and using our product was going to cost them a helluva lot more money in the long run (or in some cases, not be safe, but that's self explanatory).

My boss and I go out of our way to talk them out of using our product. You might ask why we do this as a sale is a sale.

Well for starters, reputation. We don't need word getting out that we sold someone product that they didn't need. Also because if they are professionals then they'll remember us the next time they have a project that does need it and they'll call back.

And finally, because sometimes the Joe the homeowner projects are more trouble than they're worth since they don't know anything about it. That's why I've become the defacto guy in working with them as my boss and his boss don't have the patience to.

Back to the OP: I've never understood the mentality of trying to sell what someone clearly doesn't want. To anyone, regardless of sex, creed, etc.

I can't say I've ever personally dealt with it, but people often tell me I'm scary to talk to for some reason.

[Dips]

draftermatt, what you're saying isn't news to me. We do things the same way where I work.

I read the OP and I can't see anyplace that she was buying something that she didn't need.

Unless I missed something that was an easy sale and the salesman decided pissing off the customer by arguing was a better option than selling her what she wanted.

[draftermatt]

draftermatt, what you're saying isn't news to me. We do things the same way where I work.

I read the OP and I can't see anyplace that she was buying something that she didn't need.

Sorry Dips, didn't mean to insinuate anything, just saying I can see somewhere where screwing up an easy sell is justifiable, which I thought was your (probably rhetorical) question.