So Typical

[coffee]

Friday nite:
Customer: I really need an external DVD player. Can you please check a price for me? I need it bad.
Me: Sure, I will look into that and get back to you.

Sunday Night:
Customer calls: Iam still waiting on a price for that DVD player.
Me: Im very sorry. I have been a bit swamped. I will have it for you Tomorrow morning before 9:30AM. Will that work for you?
Customer: Sure, No problem.

Monday Morning:
Me calling Customer: I have that price for you as I promised. It will be 69.00 and I can have it for you in 2 days or less.

Customer: Ok, I will have to think about it and call you back.

 

[cypress]

lmao happens all the time

 

[Porthos]

Customer: Ok, I will have to think about it and call you back.

The customer then goes on Amazon and finds one cheaper and never calls back.

The reason I don't sell stuff like that anymore unless its an add on to something I am doing for/selling the customer already.

 

[mraikes]

...
Me calling Customer: I have that price for you as I promised. It will be 69.00 and I can have it for you in 2 days or less.

Customer: Ok, I will have to think about it and call you back.

He had already checked Amazon before even getting your quote.

 

[coffee]

No kidding. Why would he bother to ask if he checked Amazon first. He should have just ordered it.

Its like Iam suppose to hunt down hardware and order it and accept it in for free? Not hardly. Well, Perhaps he might still call. He is in a rest home - but come to think of it, He is probably a total penny pincher. I hope if he buys one its a cheapo one and breaks - lol....

 

[sapphirescales]

4 mistakes:

1. You didn't tell him a quote immediately. You should know they cost about $20, so factor in whatever profit margin you want and offer an immediate quote.

2. You didn't have it in stock. You're right. Why would anyone buy from you when it takes just as long for you to get it compared to ordering it on Amazon themselves and getting it delivered right to their door? They're calling you because they want it NOW. They don't need access to your Prime subscription. They want to buy the damned product from you right now.

3. You took way too long to call him back. If I were him, I would have been steamed.

4. Your quote was ridiculous. I know you have to make a living, but charging any more than $45 for the same thing you can get for $20 on Amazon makes the convenience of getting it immediately not worth it to most people.

I know you were busy and this was really low on your totem pole, but you could have began a great relationship with a client that would have used you for other things in the future. Instead you treated him like he didn't matter, made him wait for DAYS just to get a 2 minute quote, then told him that he'd have to wait another 2 days just to get it in at over TRIPLE the cost of Amazon. No wonder he said he'd call you back.

Shops like you are why I do so well. But at least you answered your phone. Most of my competitors don't even do that...

EDIT: Look, I'm not trying to be a jerk here. But you have to understand how crappy the whole thing went down for your potential client. If you want to be able to charge more than Amazon, then you have to OFFER more. Whether that be better service, greater convenience, or something else, you need to bring something to the table. You can't compete on price. You need to offer better service and convenience. If you don't, then you're just gouging your customers and they'll obviously not want to buy from you unless they have no choice (and if they have no choice, they'll be resentful to you for gouging them).

Offering better service and convenience and charging them for it is NOT gouging them or taking advantage of them. But if you're not offering anything but a higher price, then that's exactly how it feels to your potential client. One thing is for sure, this guy is never going to call you again. And whoever he calls next that takes care of him will get all his referrals. It's a snowball effect. Brushing off one little client like this can cost you THOUSANDS of dollars over the next decade or two. I hope whatever you were so busy with was worth it.

 

[coffee]

4 mistakes:

1. You didn't tell him a quote immediately. You should know they cost about $20, so factor in whatever profit margin you want and offer an immediate quote.

2. You didn't have it in stock. You're right. Why would anyone buy from you when it takes just as long for you to get it compared to ordering it on Amazon themselves and getting it delivered right to their door? They're calling you because they want it NOW. They don't need access to your Prime subscription. They want to buy the damned product from you right now.

3. You took way too long to call him back. If I were him, I would have been steamed.

4. Your quote was ridiculous. I know you have to make a living, but charging any more than $45 for the same thing you can get for $20 on Amazon makes the convenience of getting it immediately not worth it to most people.

I know you were busy and this was really low on your totem pole, but you could have began a great relationship with a client that would have used you for other things in the future. Instead you treated him like he didn't matter, made him wait for DAYS just to get a 2 minute quote, then told him that he'd have to wait another 2 days just to get it in at over TRIPLE the cost of Amazon. No wonder he said he'd call you back.

Shops like you are why I do so well. But at least you answered your phone. Most of my competitors don't even do that...

EDIT: Look, I'm not trying to be a jerk here. But you have to understand how crappy the whole thing went down for your potential client. If you want to be able to charge more than Amazon, then you have to OFFER more. Whether that be better service, greater convenience, or something else, you need to bring something to the table. You can't compete on price. You need to offer better service and convenience. If you don't, then you're just gouging your customers and they'll obviously not want to buy from you unless they have no choice (and if they have no choice, they'll be resentful to you for gouging them).

Offering better service and convenience and charging them for it is NOT gouging them or taking advantage of them. But if you're not offering anything but a higher price, then that's exactly how it feels to your potential client. One thing is for sure, this guy is never going to call you again. And whoever he calls next that takes care of him will get all his referrals. It's a snowball effect. Brushing off one little client like this can cost you THOUSANDS of dollars over the next decade or two. I hope whatever you were so busy with was worth it.

Thanks for the input.

They say critics give your best advice.

Well, Taken and I will be making changes based on that.

My cost actually came to 32.00 bucks so, I do not think I was gouging him. I do not want to buy some cheapo DVD and then having to service when it breaks. Besides, That included delivery also.

 

[Briggsy]

I have to agree with Sapphirescales on this one.

The customer indicated that he "needed it bad" on a Friday. You didnt ring him back despite saying you would - he had to ring you back. You then rang him on a Monday and told him you could have it in by Wednesday. 5 days for someone that needs it desperately isn't good service.

Although yes, he probably had already looked on Amazon for a quote first, past experience has shown me that people will pay substantially more if they're urgent for something and it can be provided straight away.

We all get busy and I could understand it if he was asking for something complicated and time consuming - but this could have taken 10 minutes.

By not ringing him back, you've more or less given the impression that he's not a valuable customer - and you've lost a potential customer going forward. This relatively low profit job could have led to a nice earner 6 months later.

All customers are valuable - whether they spend £/$10 or £/$10,000 dollars. That $10 dollar USB hub this time could be an order for 10 office desktops in 6 months time.

Sorry to sound harsh, but on this occasion, the customer was right. Chances are that he'd already ordered a replacement from elsewhere by the time you rang - but he didn't really like to say.

 

[sapphirescales]

Thanks for the input.

They say critics give your best advice.

Well, Taken and I will be making changes based on that.

My cost actually came to 32.00 bucks so, I do not think I was gouging him. I do not want to buy some cheapo DVD and then having to service when it breaks. Besides, That included delivery also.

I don't think you were gouging him either. I'm saying that's how it feels to clients when you quote them triple the price of Amazon, unless you're offering them amazing service and they're willing to pay for it. The difference between a cheapo DVD drive and a good one aren't very big:

Cheapo ($13) - "PC Treasures?" Who has even heard of this company???:
http://www.microcenter.com/product/468304/8x_USB_20_External_DVD_RW_Drive_Black

Good Quality ($18):
http://www.microcenter.com/product/474005/Ultra-Slim_Portable_DVD_Burner_-_Drive_with_M-DISC_Support

I sell probably a dozen of these $18 units a month at $45 a pop. That's $324/month or nearly $4,000 a year! Not too shabby for a piece of technology that's basically obsolete these days. And I get at least a few people that call me every month looking for one. Just keeping this one thing in stock has allowed me to create hundreds of relationships over the years and has led to untold thousands of dollars in other jobs and referrals as a result. Treat every caller like they're important unless they're being intentionally flippant or cheap. You never know who they might know. I got a major contract with a local car dealership because I sold the owner's son an external hard drive enclosure for $15 (my cost was about $5). Was it really worth my time and effort to make $10? Not really. But meeting people and building relationships is what builds your business.

 

[callthatgirl]

I had a blower motor go out on my truck, or so I thought. Pep Boys quoted me $378 to fix it. I found the part online for $60 something like that. I found their markup and was like WOW. Then I realized that I don't know how to install the part and deal with issues, so I said go ahead. Like I'm going to fix that right?

They call after an hour in the shop and say it's actually the connector and the quote is now $250 instead. I looked up the part, it's $12 online. I said go ahead, like I know how to repair that connector lol.

Looking up parts, from my recent auto repair experience really put me in check. He was out part hunting, good luck with that buddy!

 

[Mercenary Roadie]

The part might have been $12 but you are not including labor and overhead that they have to pay and don't forget the tools you would need.

 

[callthatgirl]

That's what I was saying, or what I meant....

 

[frase]

Answer the phone on a Sunday night?

 

[DanF]

I do check different shops and prices when buying out new things, so I'd expect that our clients do it as well... and understand that.

Sometimes you may not be able to match the price, other times you may be able to slightly lower your margin to make the sale. What's important is to give your customer your best experience. If you're not ready to bet the cheapo DVD drive (I agree with you), explain to him why yours may be slightly more expensive than others. At times I refuse to sell them cheapo stuff. Case in point... laptops... there is no way I will sell a cheapo 300 euro laptop with a rubbish celeron processor, I just don't like it. After all, any sales I make on hardware is additional income, my main income is the service.

sapphirescales made some very good and valid points.

As a note, I hear what you're saying, we also get frustrated when that happens

 

[coffee]

@frase knee jerk reaction. Yep. Normally I do not. Everyone needs a break now and again.

Update to this:

I talked to the customer the other day. He recommended me to a friend and the friend dropped off his laptop for me to check over. I gave my customer a 10.00 break on the price.

As for gouging - No I do not do that. I do not think I was gouging on this at all. If it were a sub 20.00 cost I would say that your gouging a bit but it depends on your costs. It may cost 20 but after taxes and shipping its a different story. However, I do not buy the cheapest on the market. I want something that will last for the customer. Thats why I choose the dell model as I think they do ok.

Also, I am not a big brick N mortar store. I cannot afford to stock everything. How many people really come in and ask for a external DVD writer? Most are built into laptops or desktops unless its a replacement of an existing one. Those I do have in stock. However, I am just a Sole small time tech and I am not going to bind up all my money in stock. If they need it right away they can go to wally-world or best buy and pay their prices.

So, My new customer is happy and I have ordered in the DVD drive and will call him when it hits.

Thanks everyone for your posts.

 

[frase]

@frase knee jerk reaction. Yep. Normally I do not. Everyone needs a break now and again.

Also, I am not a big brick N mortar store. I cannot afford to stock everything. How many people really come in and ask for a external DVD writer? Most are built into laptops or desktops unless its a replacement of an existing one. Those I do have in stock. However, I am just a Sole small time tech and I am not going to bind up all my money in stock. If they need it right away they can go to wally-world or best buy and pay their prices.

So, My new customer is happy and I have ordered in the DVD drive and will call him when it hits.

Thanks everyone for your posts.

Same I dont store stock, just get it when required, have had occasions when customer wanted it NOW!

 

[mikeroq]

1. You didn't tell him a quote immediately. You should know they cost about $20, so factor in whatever profit margin you want and offer an immediate quote.

I agree on that. For such a simple you should quickly look up a price and then give it to them. I wish I could quote items. They all have to go through my boss which I can mostly get them instantly but he is only there about half the day. Even when he is there he sometimes doesn't want to give me a price right then.

2. You didn't have it in stock. You're right. Why would anyone buy from you when it takes just as long for you to get it compared to ordering it on Amazon themselves and getting it delivered right to their door? They're calling you because they want it NOW. They don't need access to your Prime subscription. They want to buy the damned product from you right now.

I know we miss out on a lot of business because of this. We have quite a few items in stock, but always seems to be something common that we are out of or just don't have. Especially for the walk ins. When I try to offer ordering it for them most decline, "I can order it too", or "I'll get it on amazon".

For example one thing well sell is receipt paper. In the past we used to get it by the pallet direct from paper companies. So we would get like 10 cases or each or more at a time. Once we got low we would order more. We almost always had it in stock. Now we just buy a couple at a time from amazon or buy it when someone wants it. This leads to us not having them in stock most of the time. In fact this happened recently.

Timeline:
Friday 4/21/17 - Customer calls needing a case of paper, boss goes searching. Overheard boss tell them on phone he will have some on Tuesday (4/25). They call back saying they think they have enough to make it and to order the paper. I tell boss they think they have enough to get through the weekend and to order them a case of paper.
Tuesday 4/25/17 - Customer calls looking for the paper. Paper was never ordered
Friday 4/28/17 - Paper was ordered
Monday 5/1/17 - customer calls again for status
Tuesday 5/2/17 - Paper received near end of day
Wednesday 5/3/17 - customer picked up paper

?!?!? What a mess, and this is not an isolated incident sadly.

 

[Your PCMD]

This is the way it would go for me.

Customer: Do you have an external DVD drive?

Me: Not in stock, but can have one here for you today for just $49.95 if paid in advance, however you could try Amazon and get one for $25-$40 but you'll have to wait 2 days or more to receive it and remember, I do offer a 1 year warranty whereas the seller on Amazon will not.

Customer: Thank you for the information (buys it from me or doesn't)

See what I did there? I could care less because it will not make or break me. In fact, 90% of the time customers will buy it from me because of the warranty part. No the seller will not offer a 1 year warranty, but the manufacture does - if you get the right brand. Typically I get LG and I get them for $17 at Microcenter which is just an hour down the road and I'll drive down to get it because you know, time away from the shop.