horrific comment at a non ebmm dealer

[koogie2k]

heheheh....yeah man...storms do it to me..LOL

I have been working on the bass thing and I have put many hours on it....just aggravating and then for someone to say we play inferior instruments sends me off the deep end...hahahhaha...but, yeah, put one in his hands and let the music do the talking. Your idea is probably best...LOL....

And Steve...love ya too bro!

Family man...that is what this place is.

 

[pauldogx]

I used to try and argue with folks like that-----but its a serious drain of positive energy from your chi-----these folks can literally be like ingesting poison. Just remember the wheel of KARMA!!!!! it never stops spinning. Maybe for ruining your afternoon the universe has a good greek meal lined up for him at the place Luke ate at!!!!!!

 

[francric]

Hey Koogs, why don't you start a bon fire with "your firewood" so you can keep warm and have some toasted marshmallows during that storm...................

 

[Hookpunch]

You know when I picked up my Silo, the comments I heard were

"Why don't we carry more of these?"

"There are never any on display because the staff buys them up."

When I took it into the Twelth Fret for an insurance appraisal.

"That is a nice guitar!"

So they ain't all ignorant.

 

[koogie2k]

Hey Koogs, why don't you start a bon fire with "your firewood" so you can keep warm and have some toasted marshmallows during that storm...................

hahahaha....yeah man. We are getting pounded. Love my Hummer...gets through it all.....

Hookpunch...I get the same thing at my local store....I even help the store move 'em out. They don't tend to hang in the store very long here.....

 

[edensdad]

It's like talking politics or religion with someone - everyone has a strong belief/opinion.

I just remember that I am happy with my opinions about JP or MM, or whatever.

I don't need to defend myself or others, and I don't need to convince others (and probably won't).

 

[fbecir]

I don't need to defend myself or others, and I don't need to convince others (and probably won't).

True. The only person we need to convince to buy a MusicMan is Fogman ...

 

[Music Man]

+1

One of my favorite quotes: "Never argue with an idiot. They'll bring you down to their level, and beat you with experience."

From my experience, people see things the way they want to and there's really nothing you can do to change that. The only way to get on the right side of an argument is not to have one in the first place.

I love that quote!

One of my first experiences was when I firts got my petrucci and I was actively gigging. I remmember someone coming up to me and saying "Is that a new Strat", I said NO it's a Ernie Ball Music man, and then he replied "Wow they are making guitars now too huh" But you know what I was that way until JP moved to music man, I had no Idea that EB made such fine guitars. Now I am hooked so much that I am trying to get my boss to see the light and get some balls in our store!

 

[slukather]

+1

One of my favorite quotes: "Never argue with an idiot. They'll bring you down to their level, and beat you with experience."

Quote of the year, l love it.

But everyone has a right to their opition, but if he's just saying that, cause he's jealous of JP talent (or any other EBMM artist), thats just stupid, and it's even worse when they know nothing about EBMM or never played one.

But l find salesmen put down other guitar companies if they don't sell them in their store, so normally l don't put much weight in what they have to say and go with what l like.

Scott.

 

[beej]

I find I don't buy from salespeople that put down anything

 

[pauldogx]

I worked in music retail and now I work at a marine dealership. The number 1 rule of sales is NEVER,EVER put down or badmouth your competition. This is an instant turn off to most people---but you will get people that actively try to get you to badmouth other brands----but ya can't do it---its an sure fire sales killer and on top of that its unprofessional!!!!

 

[Big Mike]

I worked in music retail and now I work at a marine dealership. The number 1 rule of sales is NEVER,EVER put down or badmouth your competition. This is an instant turn off to most people---but you will get people that actively try to get you to badmouth other brands----but ya can't do it---its an sure fire sales killer and on top of that its unprofessional!!!!

Absolutely agree 100%.

 

[edensdad]

I worked in music retail and now I work at a marine dealership. The number 1 rule of sales is NEVER,EVER put down or badmouth your competition. This is an instant turn off to most people---but you will get people that actively try to get you to badmouth other brands----but ya can't do it---its an sure fire sales killer and on top of that its unprofessional!!!!

I experienced that buying my last truck. I went to all the major players and was really turned off by the majority of the sales people putting down or pointing out the weaknesses of the other guys product. Since I did a lot of research and knew the specs on all the competeing trucks - they couldn't BS me, but they tried.

The people that were really honest with me got my business - and the same is true with music stores. When a music sales person tries to dazzle me or blow smoke up my ***, I walk.

Even though the pricing is a little higher, I actually prefer the boutique type music stores that carry MM or Mesa or Rivera or Anderson guitars or whatever to the mega big box stores full of $300 mexican Fenders. Not only do you get better product, you get people more invested in the product they sell - like Perry at Express Music in Seminole, FL - great, knowledgeable guy - awesome MM collection.

 

[Music Man]

I worked in music retail and now I work at a marine dealership. The number 1 rule of sales is NEVER,EVER put down or badmouth your competition. This is an instant turn off to most people---but you will get people that actively try to get you to badmouth other brands----but ya can't do it---its an sure fire sales killer and on top of that its unprofessional!!!!

I also work at a music store I manage the pro sound side and that is my number one rule, NEVER put down someone else's product to sell yours. If you don't have the necessary knowledge to sell your product based on its features than you are just not doing your job.

 

[robelinda2]

One of my favorite quotes: "Never argue with an idiot. They'll bring you down to their level, and beat you with experience."

i must remember this! so many arguments i lose cos the other person is a complete moron.

 

[DrKev]

I've been playing guitars for maybe 18 years, and I have a PhD in physics, so I'm no idiot when comes to the ins-n-outs of gear and all that stuff. The number of times that I've had some kid in a store telling me stuff that's just total crap like he's some f-ing guru 'cause he works in a music store..., EBMM dealer or not! Cryogenic whatsits and new types of magnetic fields that never existed before and stuff that's specially aged for better tone and we only stock this overly expensive thingy because the stock F----r or EBMM or whatever ones are rubbish, blah de blady f-ing blah.

I've been living in France for six years now, and my level of French is OK. But I'll need Tristan and François to help me with this...

...how do I say...

.."Cut the bull**** kiddo, I'm not some idiot customer who knows nothing and think the sun shines out your ass just because you work in a f--ing guitar store!"

or would "Tu vient de perdre un client, connard, au revoir!" suffice just as well?

Nothing against the French, it's just been a long time since I dealt with Irish idiots. And music store idiots are the same all over the world.

 

[candid_x]

(hope no-one minds if I ramble about this stuff)

Maybe we should also consider the up side of this. If music stores hired knowledgeable, intelligent, personable, professional salespeople, we’d be paying an additional $2-300 for each guitar or amp we’d purchase. With the marketplace as competitive as it is and profit margins leaner than a stick, the idealism of better service doesn’t justify the expense to the average buyer.

So, I’ll smile at the know-it-all kid behind the counter when he talks smack, and save myself the $200 and the grief.

Now, store owners, they should know better. They have to be on their game, because buyers will overlook the help but not the keeper.

Not going to mention names, but a couple of friends of mine just closed down a store. They were authorized to sell EBMM guitars, and sold a few here and there to those who demanded them. Rather than invest in MM stock, they chose the $99 beaters, because that’s where their most immediate profit came from, if they could sell the volume.

I’ve consulted retailers professionally for 25 years, and there’s no tougher business to keep alive, especially for the privately owned local shop. With MF and GC and the like grabbing massive market share, it’s my opinion that the only present opportunity for a local music store is to specialize. There’s no guarantees of success, but their odds greatly improve through niche marketing and networking.

The trick is to choose a niche that isn’t overly obscure, a brand with a loyal endorsement from a few well respected major league players, high level quality control and customer service, and in touch with players. It doesn’t take a genius to choose Music Man as their frontline.

Bruce

 

[Big Poppa]

so bruce you are very close.....I cant really bag on dealers here but I am very good at predicting their longevity......

 

[candid_x]

Understood, BP.

 

[DrKev]

If music stores hired knowledgeable, intelligent, personable, professional salespeople, we’d be paying an additional $2-300 for each guitar or amp we’d purchase.

I don't know about that. Look at clothing stores. A lot of those stores pay their staff similar wages to people working in music stores and they will often demand previous experience and knowledge of the retail clothing trade. (Or am I just plain wrong on that?)

But yes you are right, it is no doubt a very difficult business to stay alive in. Guitars are a lot of money tied up in slow moving stock. We've all seen guitars sitting on a wall for months on end before they are bought. Here in Paris, there quite a few stores that stock EBMMs and many of those guitars still have the old uncompensated nuts. I have a sneaking suspicion that EBMMs move faster than other brands here, but that's still not very fast.

What I can't understand is that, in what I imagine is such a competitive business, just about every body in Paris stocks the same brands of guitars, the same brands and selection of strings and picks and accessories and all at the same prices. There is no real competition. What they have done is share the market more or less equally but that just leads to suspicion of price fixing and all that sort of crap.

And of course they don't care about customer service or loyalty or having staff that know the products well, and one could argue that they don't have to. Unfortunately, that's what I'd like to see. I'd like to find a store where they give a damn about recognising return customers. I'd like to give them my loyalty. Heck, if I'm paying €7.50 (almost $10) for a pack of strings, I'd like to the money to go to people that I respect. If I am to buy the Luke or Silo Special I want, I'd be putting down about €2500 (over $3200). I'd like the person who gets the comission on that to have helped and guided me in my investment, to have had some degree of interest in whats best for a valued customer, rather than some snotty nosed kid who thinks he won Willy Wonka's golden ticket because he works in a guitar store.

Too bad, but, as the French never actually say, c'est la vie!