4 ms·

Walked in looking for $100 gloves, got $1500 of gear. A lesson in sales

22 points by Swizec 8y ago

langhaarzombie 8y ago
Something very similar happened to me some days ago. I went to a new espresso shop to take a look around and see what they have to offer. Ended up having a nice chat with a shop assistant who is a coffee passionate himself and learning a lot about different kinds of beans, espresso machines and what techniques lead to which results (and yes, I bought a bag of beans and took a couple of brochures with me). It is incredible what an impact engaging in a real conversation can have opposed to plain "buy that product" talk. Also, as of my experience, it is becoming a lot more important to not just sell a product but also tell a story with it. Consumer oriented companies can no longer survive if they solely compete in price and quality. They must try to sell not only a product but rather an experience in order to stand out.
sharkmerry 8y ago
>> "Congratz! Motorcycling is awesome; welcome to the club. Do you have a helmet?" >> "No, they offer loaners at the class. I just need a pair of gloves." >> "Oh, those are sweaty and smell bad. I like to start a new rider from the top down. Your helmet is the first and most important piece of equipment you're going to bond with. It's like the living room for your face." "No thank you. Please help me with gloves" He wasnt even that good of a salesman, you just seem to be a mark.
- Swizec 8y ago
  I also had to fit a 2 hour conversation into an article. I apologize if my writing skills didn’t fully convey the experience for you
  - sli 8y ago
    Just a heads up, the link is now inaccessible. HTTPS fails with a misconfiguration, and HTTP sends me to a WebFaction placeholder page.
    - Swizec 8y ago
      Yeah I just saw the email that Webfaction disabled my sites for some reason
  - sharkmerry 8y ago
    I think it conveyed it fine, it just makes you seem a little naive. I think you are just an overexcited early rider. I was too, but I had someone who was an experienced rider and not a salesman with me so I didnt get roped into purchasing $1000+ of gear without owning a bike or having a license yet also you're final conversation doesnt sound happy. "We don't have your size in stock, but I can order it for you" "Fine. Just do it. I'm ready to get outta here"
    - Swizec 8y ago
      That was me being tired. If you look at the pics you’ll see I was super excited and happy with my purchase. And I agree I’m a fresh rider and naive and overly excited and I prob could have bought cheaper gear to start with. But I’d rather pay for more gear than for more skin. Same reason I wear an overpriced full face brain bucket on my boosted board.
- poulsbohemian 8y ago
  Perhaps rather than denigrating Swizec, you could take note of the key message from his posting: An informative seller. I'm the kind of guy that only goes into a store if I know what I need. In, out, 5 minutes. Generally this is because American retailers have been reduced to cash register operators rather than knowledgable salespeople. When you meet someone who actually understands their business - in this case offering expertise on helmets and gloves - they stand out and yes, you do become more likely to open your wallet because you can now understand the value. Compare this to most shopping experiences where the only apparent difference between products is the price, and where the seller is literally reading the box art to try to explain anything about it to you. I suspect Swizec will be very happy with his purchases and will be a return shopper. Once upon a time, it was articles on business fundamentals like this that drew me to HN.
  - sharkmerry 8y ago
    maybe i was harsh but how do we know the seller is informative? He just said the things that made swizec purchase items. Perhaps he was, but he has an ulterior motive. I will still gladly ask for recommendations, and still refuse them. This salesperson ignored the customers original request, Swizec seems not to care, to me, that means the saleserson is making it obvious he/she is putting himself and his/her sales infront of making the customer happy, Also, was this worth it for the salesman? If he could've sold $100 pair of gloves in 5 minutes, instead of $1500 over 2 hours. a 15x multiplier on sales but also a 40x multiplier on time... > Once upon a time, it was articles on business fundamentals like this that drew me to HN. I think https://stratechery.com/ https://stratechery.com/ is now closer to what you are looking for.
    - poulsbohemian 8y ago
      I think we're just coming at it from two perspectives. Given your commentary below, it sounds like you are a rider and have experience in this space, thus you were skeptical of the story. In that light, your comments make sense. My observation was simply that it sounded like a knowledgeable, or at least nominally helpful salesperson. You could be right, they may have simply been acting in their own best interest. And, it worked - they got a big sale by appearing friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable, and to my reading that was the point of the story - those things pay off in bigger sales. I've had nearly the opposite kind of experience when I went to buy ski gear. The salesperson clearly didn't know anything about what they were selling. They could have sold me a $100 pair of gloves, as I was in the market and had no idea what they should cost. Likewise, had someone educated me I might have purchased a more expensive helmet. Instead, I walked out and eventually ended up with bargain bin gear that has served my needs just fine.
BatFastard 8y ago
Word from the wise, stay off motorcycles! It is not that you are a bad rider, just too many people in heavy cars not paying attention. I have been hurt myself and had a few friends die. Just not worth it.
- kazinator 8y ago
  Also, yes it is that you're a bad rider, too, statistically. You had a month of lessons and then got on top of a 1600 cc bike. Or you thought one beer was okay.
- mikestew 8y ago
  Word from the experienced: you knew they weren't paying attention when you turned the key, ride like it. It's what has helped me avoid motorcycle-car collisions for over 35 years. The only thing I've hurt riding motorcycles is my ass. Bicycles, OTOH, I've been hurt myself and (yup) had a few friends die. But motorcycles still are not as safe as cars, which still aren't as safe as riding the bus, which isn't as safe as staying home. Decide for yourself where you want to be on the risk tree.
  - JoeAltmaier 8y ago
    I'd add, if you're a young blood without a lot of money but want a performance vehicle, you buy a motorcycle. So maybe quite a bit of self-selection for accidents.
  - kazinator 8y ago
    > which still aren't as safe as riding the bus That mass coffin without airbags or seat belts? There have been awful bus accidents throughout history with many passengers dying.
- marssaxman 8y ago
  I've been hurt myself, I might die, and riding is still, without a doubt, worth it. What are you preserving your life for, anyway? For me, motorcycle riding is a significant source of joy. If I gave it up, sure, I might live a longer life, but I wouldn't enjoy it as much.
firstfewshells 8y ago
Anyone else seem to have an NET::ERR_CERT_COMMON_NAME_INVALID error in Chrome on Windows?

22 points by Swizec 8y ago

Something very similar happened to me some days ago. I went to a new espresso shop to take a look around and see what they have to offer. Ended up having a nice chat with a shop assistant who is a coffee passionate himself and learning a lot about different kinds of beans, espresso machines and what techniques lead to which results (and yes, I bought a bag of beans and took a couple of brochures with me). It is incredible what an impact engaging in a real conversation can have opposed to plain "buy that product" talk. Also, as of my experience, it is becoming a lot more important to not just sell a product but also tell a story with it. Consumer oriented companies can no longer survive if they solely compete in price and quality. They must try to sell not only a product but rather an experience in order to stand out.

sharkmerry 8y ago

>> "Congratz! Motorcycling is awesome; welcome to the club. Do you have a helmet?" >> "No, they offer loaners at the class. I just need a pair of gloves." >> "Oh, those are sweaty and smell bad. I like to start a new rider from the top down. Your helmet is the first and most important piece of equipment you're going to bond with. It's like the living room for your face." "No thank you. Please help me with gloves" He wasnt even that good of a salesman, you just seem to be a mark.

Swizec 8y ago
I also had to fit a 2 hour conversation into an article. I apologize if my writing skills didn’t fully convey the experience for you
- sli 8y ago
  Just a heads up, the link is now inaccessible. HTTPS fails with a misconfiguration, and HTTP sends me to a WebFaction placeholder page.
  - Swizec 8y ago
    Yeah I just saw the email that Webfaction disabled my sites for some reason
- sharkmerry 8y ago
  I think it conveyed it fine, it just makes you seem a little naive. I think you are just an overexcited early rider. I was too, but I had someone who was an experienced rider and not a salesman with me so I didnt get roped into purchasing $1000+ of gear without owning a bike or having a license yet also you're final conversation doesnt sound happy. "We don't have your size in stock, but I can order it for you" "Fine. Just do it. I'm ready to get outta here"
  - Swizec 8y ago
    That was me being tired. If you look at the pics you’ll see I was super excited and happy with my purchase. And I agree I’m a fresh rider and naive and overly excited and I prob could have bought cheaper gear to start with. But I’d rather pay for more gear than for more skin. Same reason I wear an overpriced full face brain bucket on my boosted board.
poulsbohemian 8y ago
Perhaps rather than denigrating Swizec, you could take note of the key message from his posting: An informative seller. I'm the kind of guy that only goes into a store if I know what I need. In, out, 5 minutes. Generally this is because American retailers have been reduced to cash register operators rather than knowledgable salespeople. When you meet someone who actually understands their business - in this case offering expertise on helmets and gloves - they stand out and yes, you do become more likely to open your wallet because you can now understand the value. Compare this to most shopping experiences where the only apparent difference between products is the price, and where the seller is literally reading the box art to try to explain anything about it to you. I suspect Swizec will be very happy with his purchases and will be a return shopper. Once upon a time, it was articles on business fundamentals like this that drew me to HN.
- sharkmerry 8y ago
  maybe i was harsh but how do we know the seller is informative? He just said the things that made swizec purchase items. Perhaps he was, but he has an ulterior motive. I will still gladly ask for recommendations, and still refuse them. This salesperson ignored the customers original request, Swizec seems not to care, to me, that means the saleserson is making it obvious he/she is putting himself and his/her sales infront of making the customer happy, Also, was this worth it for the salesman? If he could've sold $100 pair of gloves in 5 minutes, instead of $1500 over 2 hours. a 15x multiplier on sales but also a 40x multiplier on time... > Once upon a time, it was articles on business fundamentals like this that drew me to HN. I think https://stratechery.com/ https://stratechery.com/ is now closer to what you are looking for.
  - poulsbohemian 8y ago
    I think we're just coming at it from two perspectives. Given your commentary below, it sounds like you are a rider and have experience in this space, thus you were skeptical of the story. In that light, your comments make sense. My observation was simply that it sounded like a knowledgeable, or at least nominally helpful salesperson. You could be right, they may have simply been acting in their own best interest. And, it worked - they got a big sale by appearing friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable, and to my reading that was the point of the story - those things pay off in bigger sales. I've had nearly the opposite kind of experience when I went to buy ski gear. The salesperson clearly didn't know anything about what they were selling. They could have sold me a $100 pair of gloves, as I was in the market and had no idea what they should cost. Likewise, had someone educated me I might have purchased a more expensive helmet. Instead, I walked out and eventually ended up with bargain bin gear that has served my needs just fine.

BatFastard 8y ago

Word from the wise, stay off motorcycles! It is not that you are a bad rider, just too many people in heavy cars not paying attention. I have been hurt myself and had a few friends die. Just not worth it.

kazinator 8y ago
Also, yes it is that you're a bad rider, too, statistically. You had a month of lessons and then got on top of a 1600 cc bike. Or you thought one beer was okay.
mikestew 8y ago
Word from the experienced: you knew they weren't paying attention when you turned the key, ride like it. It's what has helped me avoid motorcycle-car collisions for over 35 years. The only thing I've hurt riding motorcycles is my ass. Bicycles, OTOH, I've been hurt myself and (yup) had a few friends die. But motorcycles still are not as safe as cars, which still aren't as safe as riding the bus, which isn't as safe as staying home. Decide for yourself where you want to be on the risk tree.
- JoeAltmaier 8y ago
  I'd add, if you're a young blood without a lot of money but want a performance vehicle, you buy a motorcycle. So maybe quite a bit of self-selection for accidents.
- kazinator 8y ago
  > which still aren't as safe as riding the bus That mass coffin without airbags or seat belts? There have been awful bus accidents throughout history with many passengers dying.
marssaxman 8y ago
I've been hurt myself, I might die, and riding is still, without a doubt, worth it. What are you preserving your life for, anyway? For me, motorcycle riding is a significant source of joy. If I gave it up, sure, I might live a longer life, but I wouldn't enjoy it as much.

firstfewshells 8y ago

Anyone else seem to have an NET::ERR_CERT_COMMON_NAME_INVALID error in Chrome on Windows?