What you like from your dealer...

[envy-guitars]

Hey guys.

What do you guys like and dislike, expect and demand from your local Music Man dealership. What things tick you off as a customer, what things really impress you as a customer about your local Music Man dealership. And what attributes would mean that you would travel to visit a store.

I think it would be very interesting what people say about this, especially with me being a dealer. I would love to know how to improve my dealership and make my customers even happier!

Thanks
Shaun

 

[bkrumme]

This is a great concept! I love when dealers ask for feedback from customers and potential customers. I've never purchased from your store, so I can't say for certain how you do things, but here are some general likes and dislikes of mine.

Here are a few things I like:

1. Great personality from the salesperson. If I can talk to somebody about the product I'm looking for and enjoy the conversation, I'm going to be more likely to buy.
2. Price Matching guarantee. Most of the big stores do this, some of the little stores do this.
3. "Extras" For instance, when you throw a set of strings or some picks or a T-Shirt in with the order it gives a more personal feel to the transaction. It ceases being all about the money and starts being a relationship with the customer. It doesn't have to be anything big either.
4. Talking to an actual person. When I'm planning on the purchase of a new instrument or amplifier I want to speak to an actual person. And someone who is knowledgeable. I tend to shy away from purchasing these large ticket items from an online retailer (MFI, SamAsh) unless I can speak to someone who knows what they're talking about (Dubaldo or DCGL).

Here are a couple things I dislike:

1. Misinformation. I see it all the time in big stores. The salespeople don't know what they're talking about and feed a line of BS to the customer. I get so pissed when they do this. I feel sorry for some of the unsuspecting parents and kids.
2. Understaffing. I know that in the current state of the economy everyone is cutting costs and part of those costs are workforce, but this has been a problem for a long time. There never seems to be enough salespeople to handle the customer traffic in a store. I sometimes get frustrated and leave. If I have to wait 30 minutes just for someone to ask me to hold on while they help a customer who was there first, I'm likely not to stick around.

 

[BigMESA]

I like how my dealer prices his guitars so low it makes your credit card dance out of your pocket. I can get a fully loaded JP6 Mystic Dream for only a couple hundred more than they go for used on eBay. Who wouldn't love that!

 

[adouglas]

Things that tick me off:

- Pricing above the market. Don't mark it up and make me jump through the ridiculous hoop of price matching. I can just as easily take my business to the next guy, and I will. Be competitive from the get-go...don't make your customer work. I'm willing to pay a LITTLE bit more to support a local business, but some shopkeepers are just nuts. Your pricing ON THE TAG should be in line with what I can find in ten seconds on the net.

- Related to the above... ignorance of the free availability of information. I can find out prices, availability, etc. etc. with the click of a mouse and I'd be stupid not to do so before walking in the door. You should assume that I'm an informed customer, so don't try to snow me.

- Misinformation/poor training. This one REALLY gets me going. If I can become more informed than the salesperson about a product simply by surfing the web for 20 minutes and/or reading a magazine, then precisely what function is the salesperson fulfilling? Know your product at least as well as your customers. Collect and use little gems of information whenever you can. Wouldn't it be cool if a guy showing you a Bongo knew a little bit of the instrument's background? Or was able to talk about why the MM pickup is in the "sweet spot?" Or the difference between alnico, ceramic and neodymium?

- Two of the three most important things a person can say are "I don't know" and "Let's find out." If you don't know the answer don't BS me. Admit it, find the answer and get back to me.

- Don't stroke my ego by paying false compliments when I'm hacking around with an instrument. That's insulting.

- Instruments that are poorly set up/out of tune.

Things I like:

- Being offered assistance, but only when I'm open to it or seeking it.

- Salespeople that engage me in real conversation to get information that will help them serve me better (and who then act on it).

- Enthusiasm about the product. (e.g. "We just got in something really sweet...check this out!)

- Prompt, clear responses to requests for information. Return your phone calls and emails.

- Transparency and honesty. Be a person who I want to do business with, not an adversary.

- Reasons to go to the store besides shopping. Clinics and such. Related activities designed to increase interest in music (one local shop has jam sessions one Friday a month, for example, and they have regular email newsletters/reminders). Engagement with the local music scene.

- Engagement with the Internet community. Pete DuBaldo and Brandt get a lot of business because they're regulars on the net.

- A good website with good pictures. TPB is fantastic. So is BassCentral. You're not going to survive these days if you can't sell, and be competitive, online.

- A GOOD luthier/tech on staff. I'll drive a long way for a good tech (consider setting up independent operations that share space...he/she doesn't necessarily need to be an employee).

- A decent selection of good products, preferably with some unusual stuff. A lot of music stores that focus on band instruments and lessons have a token selection of crappy electric instruments. Why bother?

- Using the internet to determine fair trade-in value. At Guitar Center, I once traded a bass for a new amp, and the guy immediately went online and looked up similar basses on eBay. I didn't get quite as much as I could have by eBaying it, but it was close enough that the hassle of selling privately wasn't worth the few extra bucks. That impressed me tremendously.

- Rigs that are ready to play through, complete with cables and a place to sit down.

 

[colinboy]

Things that tick me off:

- Pricing above the market. Don't mark it up and make me jump through the ridiculous hoop of price matching. I can just as easily take my business to the next guy, and I will. Be competitive from the get-go...don't make your customer work. I'm willing to pay a LITTLE bit more to support a local business, but some shopkeepers are just nuts. Your pricing ON THE TAG should be in line with what I can find in ten seconds on the net.

- Related to the above... ignorance of the free availability of information. I can find out prices, availability, etc. etc. with the click of a mouse and I'd be stupid not to do so before walking in the door. You should assume that I'm an informed customer, so don't try to snow me.

- Misinformation/poor training. This one REALLY gets me going. If I can become more informed than the salesperson about a product simply by surfing the web for 20 minutes and/or reading a magazine, then precisely what function is the salesperson fulfilling? Know your product at least as well as your customers. Collect and use little gems of information whenever you can. Wouldn't it be cool if a guy showing you a Bongo knew a little bit of the instrument's background? Or was able to talk about why the MM pickup is in the "sweet spot?" Or the difference between alnico, ceramic and neodymium?

- Two of the three most important things a person can say are "I don't know" and "Let's find out." If you don't know the answer don't BS me. Admit it, find the answer and get back to me.

- Don't stroke my ego by paying false compliments when I'm hacking around with an instrument. That's insulting.

- Instruments that are poorly set up/out of tune.

Things I like:

- Being offered assistance, but only when I'm open to it or seeking it.

- Salespeople that engage me in real conversation to get information that will help them serve me better (and who then act on it).

- Enthusiasm about the product. (e.g. "We just got in something really sweet...check this out!)

- Prompt, clear responses to requests for information. Return your phone calls and emails.

- Transparency and honesty. Be a person who I want to do business with, not an adversary.

- Reasons to go to the store besides shopping. Clinics and such. Related activities designed to increase interest in music (one local shop has jam sessions one Friday a month, for example, and they have regular email newsletters/reminders). Engagement with the local music scene.

- Engagement with the Internet community. Pete DuBaldo and Brandt get a lot of business because they're regulars on the net.

- A good website with good pictures. TPB is fantastic. So is BassCentral. You're not going to survive these days if you can't sell, and be competitive, online.

- A GOOD luthier/tech on staff. I'll drive a long way for a good tech (consider setting up independent operations that share space...he/she doesn't necessarily need to be an employee).

- A decent selection of good products, preferably with some unusual stuff. A lot of music stores that focus on band instruments and lessons have a token selection of crappy electric instruments. Why bother?

- Using the internet to determine fair trade-in value. At Guitar Center, I once traded a bass for a new amp, and the guy immediately went online and looked up similar basses on eBay. I didn't get quite as much as I could have by eBaying it, but it was close enough that the hassle of selling privately wasn't worth the few extra bucks. That impressed me tremendously.

- Rigs that are ready to play through, complete with cables and a place to sit down.

Your a 100% spot on mate!

Hey Shaun,

Welcome to the forum.I checked out your ebay shop and your prices are very competitive for europe i must say especially for the ltd edn blue dawn silo.
I bought my first musicman from another well known uk dealer and the price was very expensive.i know european prices are more than the usa coz of import taxes etc etc but us hardcore EBMM guitar players buy 2nd hand or from other members or travel to the usa to buy one over there and bring it back.We know as much if not more than most dealers on here and all buy these guitar on a very regular basis.
If the prices in the uk and europe in general were abit more competitive then i know that myself and the other european members would buy more from our local dealers like yourself.
Are you goin to LIMS this yr?

Cheers,
Colin

 

[bkrumme]

Things that tick me off:

- Pricing above the market. Don't mark it up and make me jump through the ridiculous hoop of price matching. I can just as easily take my business to the next guy, and I will. Be competitive from the get-go...don't make your customer work. I'm willing to pay a LITTLE bit more to support a local business, but some shopkeepers are just nuts. Your pricing ON THE TAG should be in line with what I can find in ten seconds on the net.

This one really gets to me, too. Small shops try to do that all the time. There's a chain of Mid-Sized stores here in Cincinnati that does the same...

- Instruments that are poorly set up/out of tune.

Unfortunately, this is par for the course. Most shops don't have an in-house tech to set up the guitars for them. And if they do, they're the first to go when money is tight...that's what happened to me a long time ago in a galaxy far far away...

A good website with good pictures. TPB is fantastic. So is BassCentral. You're not going to survive these days if you can't sell, and be competitive, online.

This is the same for DuBaldo Music and Drum City Guitarland as well. Great sites with updated pics ALL THE TIME.

A GOOD luthier/tech on staff. I'll drive a long way for a good tech (consider setting up independent operations that share space...he/she doesn't necessarily need to be an employee).

This makes me want to strike a deal with a small shop in the area. All of the guys used to come to me for tech work...and a lot of them still do. Maybe I could make some money...

 

[Lou]

I like my dealer to be good looking.

 

[paranoid70]

I'd like my local store to start carrying Music Man again. I like the folks there, they do great repair work, but stopped carrying Music Man guitars just before I bought my Silo.

 

[Slingy]

I don't like to wait too long at the register and give a deal once in a while. People remember that stuff.

 

[Jason2112]

adouglas pretty much hit the nail on the head. I've had pretty good luck with my local dealer but they are not without faults:

- Greet your customers as they come in and say thanks/see ya when they leave. Show some appreciation that customers want to shop at your place and that you want them to come back.

- Suggestive selling is fine, but too many shops pick one extreme over the other. My local shop doesn't suggest anything, and there may a time when I'm so infatuated by the guitar I'm buying that maybe I would have sprung for that Moody strap (at a discounted price of course).

- Freebees - I just spent $2000 for a guitar, hit me up with some swag (t-shirt) or some free accessories (picks, strings, polish, etc). I'm a sucker for free stuff, even if it wasn't technically free.

- Aesthetics/product placement - how can I try out that Bad Cat amp if it's crammed behind a Marshall MG halfstack? I know certain brands want/demand placement, but if you make it difficult for your customers to try everything, then they'll go somewhere else.

Here's a few other things that I think work:

- Contests/Promos - who doesn't want to win something really cool? Who doesn't want their band to get free publicity?

- Demos/Clinics - This is an easy way to get people in your store. Even if you can't get a pro to do it, have your onsite teacher or tech do a product demo or give a free lesson once a month.

Some day I plan to open my own shop. There's no room for another one in my neck of the woods, but in the next few years I'll be out of here and who knows.....

 

[Jack FFR1846]

Good things:

Having a good selection of guitars that I like. Many EBMM models. Being able to compare models just to learn is a huge plus during research phase and will bring me back when I'm ready to buy.

Being able to play the guitars. I don't mind asking or having a sales person take the guitar down for me to try, but I never buy a guitar I have not played a bit (usually a lot) first.

Being recognised and treated with respect when I come into a store that I frequent a lot. (see the bad section as to why I say this)

Being able to trade in an instrument (or more than one) towards a new one. I know that a guitar that is market priced used at $500 won't bring $500 towards a new one, but getting a reasonable trade value is important. Case in point....a local used dealer...Daddy's Junky Music will typically give me 50% in cash or 75% towards a trade.... of what they'll sell for.....when I'm looking to trade up.

Having the guitar reasonably set up on the floor. I am amazed sometimes how some places literally take the guitar out of the box, throw it on the wall and do nothing to it. Then they sell to some newbie and don't set it up at all. If it plays like crap because of a poor setup....to me, it plays like crap.

Getting little freebies unexpectedly. When I went into a big guitar store, where I spend a bunch of time and have bought a few guitars, I had the Sub 1 when I first bought it. It was missing the trem bar. The guitar manager went through his box of trem bars, found a correct one and gave it to me. He's also given me full floyd kits when I was looking to buy one spring. These things stick with me.

Knowledge is important. I'm still a newbie. Explaining short scale vs standard scale. How different woods are different. How one guitar line might have a model with 6 different levels and prices and going through the good and bad of each level.

I really like seeing stock (both new and used) online with good pix!!!


the bad:

If I come in and get the vibe from a commissioned sales person that since I've bought 10 things but nothing from him, that he's giving me the clear cold shoulder and ignoring me....walking out of his way so as not to talk with me. This has happened to me.

jack

 

[Smellybum]

Good Thread.


Things I want from a dealer (or I usually make my excuses and go elsewhere...)


Knowledge - They should know more than me, or be able to speak to someone who does.

Price - I'm here to buy, I'm not buying a used car - don't F*&( about - just give me a deal

After care - Don't just take the money and run, - setup a clinic, have a jam night, keep me involved, I'll spend more...

A window display/Website that keeps me excited, - most UK guitar shop websites are mass-produced crap - I want a company that goes the extra mile in photography and information (DaveB holds the photography awards) - no generic photos, the actual guitar I'm looking at should be the one in the picture otherwise, I'd be better buying from the EU....... -same in the shop the window should be like a magent that pulls you in....

Make me feel like I got a 'never to be repeated deal' - make me feel special.
Sorry for the rant, but I worked retail 16 years ago, these were the principles that made bums millionaires, and millionaires rock stars, I miss those days, some shops today seem to have given up - and it's only become all about price because dealers don't go the extra mile...

 

[Lefty71]

what i don't like

When a dealer spams the FS, WTB, and Craigslist/Ebay threads with their ads.

 

[Purple ASS]

Welcome Sean.
Good to see a great selection of EBMM's available in the UK. Apart from DaveB's I know of nowhere else. Nice pics too I notice, great too see that you responded quickly to previous suggestions. Now if I only had the cash for that BFR AL !!!!!!

 

[luv]

1. guitars set up and tuned properly. super difficult to want to buy any guitar from a store that doesn't even make their product presentable. if you sell guitars and don't have someone on staff that can reasonably set up or at least tune a guitar, you are not going to sell many guitars to actual players. i have a local dealer that starts with Guitar and ends with Center that has walls full of out of tune and poorly set up guitars....and has 5 employees standing at the front counter talking about the Hinder show that they might go see.

i wouldn't buy a car from a dealer that put me in a vehicle that smelled like fast food, needed an alignment and was covered in dust inside.

2. competitive pricing

3. employees that want to help - they can look however they want to look, but be courteous, approachable, helpful and professional.

Edit

to be fair, i do have another GC in town (we have 3 in denver) that has a much better staff and presentation than the one i mentioned above.....i think it comes down to the store manager or owner...not sure if they are individually owned or not.

 

[robelinda2]

I love my dealer. I hope he remains my dealer.

 

[Sweat]

Easy, guitars in stock or ability to order what I want without a hassle, pricing, really important in todays world, good communication and someone who gives a damn about me.

I generally buy from DuBaldo Music due to all the reasons I mentioned above Pete and Nick take great care of me all the way around and you cant ask for more, i am a freak because I buy and sell alot of guitars, sell them to get something different but thats how I roll, but there are lots of good dealers out there and some bad ones as well.

I think the GC I use is a superior, the guys know me and what i like and always are very helpful which is important as well, but since thay cant negotiate pricing anymore makes i a touch harder to buy MM from them, but still buy other stuff.

Again no BS and good pricing wins

 

[jamminjim]

Hey Luv - what is your impression of the GC in Centennial?

 

[paulstew64]

Hi Shaun

So many good ideas already for you.

I live in Cheshire and it's a real pain finding a decent EBMM dealer. I have 1 locally that I know of and he has 1 Luke BFR in stock. The staff know little about the guitar because they're too busy playing the PRS and Suhrs. Make sure your team really know the guitars and are passionate about everything they sell and sell it with a smile.

Occassionally it would be great to hear from a good dealer (at least you're making an effort). With the current £/$ rates and guitar prices rising again, good part-exchange deals are useful ( we're told the second hand market is still buoyant) and interest free credit. We don't want rip off APR 29% or even 19% when base rate is 0.5%.

Let's face it, if we're spending £2,000 on an Al (yes I've seen your ad on ebay and would love the guitar) you've got to make to easier for us to afford it, otherwise known as removing the barriers to purchase.

There's lots of other ideas to help your business but as I'm in marketing don't see why I should give it all away for nothing (athough I can be pursuaded). PM me if you want to know more.

Paul

Radiance Red Luke

 

[jamminjim]

I love my dealer. I hope he remains my dealer.

Rob -I'd be willing to bet your dealer is hoping you remain as a customer.