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What sales tactic raises concern for you?

Rfisher

Ideal_Rock
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This has been on my mind lately - and posting the question here was prompted by my reply in a recent thread.
We all know that EnchantedDiamonds ran an ‘out there’ promo some time before they disappeared.
GIA is running a special on reports - it was suggested maybe due to keep temps on thru a short expected lean period.
There’s ‘going out of business’ stores that aren’t really going out of business - they bring in new stock and stay for years.
Aside from regular sales and promotions (and I guess regular is a subjective word)
At what point does some ‘above and beyond typical’ sales promotion go further in your mind than a sales pitch and passes over to your concern for that company’s viability?
As in you wouldn’t absolutely trust them with your funds/property?
 

pristine

Rough_Rock
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Well, speaking from a vendor's point of view, and our own situation, we have a liquidation sale on that will probably last a few years at least. My husband was a wholesale supplier to jewelers, and he is reaching retirement age. Because he was a supplier, we have a very large inventory. Being a "mom and pop" shop, we only have the time to list so many items at a time, so it will take us awhile to list, release and sell everything. That being said, in our case, we are accredited by the Better Business Bureau, so I guess that helps people with the trust issue.

I can't speak for other vendors. Every situation is different, as it is in life. I would just recommend researching each specific situation that you come across.

I hope that helps?
 

PreRaphaelite

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I worked in sales for a time. My ‘training’ was mostly in saying whatever it took to make the sale, even pure lies, so obviously it was the wrong career for me and I couldn’t wait to get out of there.

Consequently, any business that runs staffers on commission or quota is dead to me. I can’t be sold on anything I don’t already want, and I can’t be upsold, either.

This makes me largely invisible in any retail environment, and it’s a real effort to avoid laughing out loud when people approach me (it just happened again recently) to recruit for an MLM.

Coupons, though.... that’s a pet peeve. If there are coupons for something, I avoid the product entirely. Yes, I know that’s illogical.
 

kenny

Super_Ideal_Rock
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I don't want to be approached by any salesperson, anywhere, in any store.
If I want help I'll ask for it.

Another sales technique I despise are those free sample stands at Costco.
Costco is already crowded, and these sample stations draw crowds that block the aisle even more as people linger to stuff their faces. :angryfire:
They don't line their carts up along the wall single file.
They just stop in the middle of the space with the cluster of carts positioned in the most thoughtless aisle-blocking way possible.

It's unsanitary that many people leave paper containers they've eaten out of in the carts.
Plus it's nearly always something that smells and is unhealthy for you.

I never take a sample. :snooty:

I also can't stand those single product sales reps who hawk their wares at Costco.
I always walk past just looking away.
I don't answer their sales pitch, "Sir, how much is your monthly bill for product X?"

I just want to be left alone to shop in peace.

Now you kids get off my lawn. :bigsmile:
 
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CBPearllover

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Feb 19, 2019
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I had a mattress salesman at the Texas State Fair go on a tangent how he was straight commission, and how difficult it was to get proof of his income for a home loan :confused: I was like.....uh, dude..... I just want to know about latex and hybrid mattresses. It feels like a "sales-at-any-cost" approach, I have to research things like crazy before I pull the trigger on anything. I don't do impulse. Anyone trying to push for a same-day sale, pushes me right out the door.
 

rockysalamander

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"We are running a special today..." which means either they already jacked up the price or bought way too many.

"We have another buyer for the X and you'll need to buy/place a deposit to get it first..." Ummm...no. Either you have another buyer and are going to disappoint them or you are a big fat lier. I don't want to buy from you either way now.
 
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JPie

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I went into a clothing store in Chicago and the sales associate was super aggressive. At one point I saw her peering at me through racks of clothes and that’s when I decided it was time to leave.
 

Karl_K

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Does it make sense?
Someone selling something for well under market is a big warning sign.
In a competitive market place with everyone selling the same goods its a race to the bottom and someone who undercuts everyone else long term is not a good sign at all.
You may be one of the lucky ones that gets your product before they burn through the "stupid money" that is funding their disaster.
You might even get exactly what you ordered and payed for if your one of the lucky ones.
Then when the low cost seller has a sale that is a huge red stop sign that no one will get lucky.
 

mrs-b

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I hate the whole 'ask me to tell you the price!' routine. If you don't put a price on something, it says to me that it's one price for me, and a different one for somebody else. I hate that. And perpetually asking for prices is a bore - both for me and for the vendor. And, according to a different thread recently on this board, it's also a good way to get yourself blocked by a bad tempered vendor!
 

MeowMeow

Brilliant_Rock
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1,645
I hate the whole 'ask me to tell you the price!' routine. If you don't put a price on something, it says to me that it's one price for me, and a different one for somebody else. I hate that. And perpetually asking for prices is a bore - both for me and for the vendor. And, according to a different thread recently on this board, it's also a good way to get yourself blocked by a bad tempered vendor!

Yup this. If a vendor says DM me for price for something already cut or fabricated I just refuse to buy from them. It's a waste of my time and theirs for me to ask the price just to find out it is out of my price range.
 

tinatark

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jun 2, 2003
Messages
135
I don't want to be approached by any salesperson, anywhere, in any store.
If I want help I'll ask for it.

Another sales technique I despise are those free sample stands at Costco.
Costco is already crowded, and these sample stations draw crowds that block the aisle even more as people linger to stuff their faces. :angryfire:
They don't line their carts up along the wall single file.
They just stop in the middle of the space with the cluster of carts positioned in the most thoughtless aisle-blocking way possible.

It's unsanitary that many people leave paper containers they've eaten out of in the carts.
Plus it's nearly always something that smells and is unhealthy for you.

I never take a sample. :snooty:

I also can't stand those single product sales reps who hawk their wares at Costco.
I always walk past just looking away.
I don't answer their sales pitch, "Sir, how much is your monthly bill for product X?"

I just want to be left alone to shop in peace.

Now you kids get off my lawn. :bigsmile:

LOL. i just got the perfect silk rug from their road show vendor. Have been looking for months!
 

Daisys and Diamonds

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22,496
i think the worst thing is getting people (customers) into debt that they cannot afford

and i acknowledge i have a jewlery purchase on a store credit card that is putting the squeese on my personal finances right now
it certainly wasn't a problem when i got it but my crystal ball was on the blink at the time
i can just manage mine but i can see how people get in the cr#p

all ive ever done is sales
nothing as glamouse as jewlery but i have a few personal ethics i abide by
i will not sell shit - ive said that in a job interview and still got the job

its my good name on the line too and i spent the last 14 years working for a large Australian hardwear giant who were known for selling cheaper stuff but we also had the best brands as well

try to get the person to buy the best they can afford if spending more money means they get a better quality product that will last longer and do the job better

acknowledge occasionally a cheaper product will do the job just fine
Don't sting a customer just because i know better

and don't sell something something they have no need for but make sure they buy everything or at least make sure they know what else they need
they might not want fries but if they don't have a paint brush its just a waste of their time


i personally would hate to be on commission or incentive
 

sledge

Ideal_Rock
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i think the worst thing is getting people (customers) into debt that they cannot afford

Several years back I was buying a new $50k truck and had the luxury of paying cash. It gave me flexibility to negotiate price and overall was a very fun experience at the dealership.

One annoyance is putting sales people as go betweens with no decision making power. Finally after a couple of trips I leveled with the guy and said get your manager and stop wasting my time or I'm walking and buying elsewhere.

Before that conversation, when the sales guy left to talk to his manager, I overheard a couple in a nearby office talking about their purchase. I have no idea their finances, but I know they were looking at an $80k SRT Cherokee. It didn't appear they had any money down and was stretching over max term. Last I heard was nearly a thousand per month for 96 months or something like that. That's 8 years.....on a car!

I think the sales guy and the couple was uncomfortable but they were contemplating it. I finished my deal pretty shortly after so I don't know how it turned out for them but I hope they didn't buy for their own sake.
 

missy

Super_Ideal_Rock
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I loathe telemarketing calls. At all hours. Infuriating. And it's not just limited to our landlines. However it's mostly on the landlines. My dh doesn't want to give up our land lines though so we are stuck. I never answer the phone if I don't recognize the number. I am just over dealing with telemarketers. And they are always so freaking annoying too. I say excuse me please remove us from your calling list and they keep talking. So I hang up. Yes even for police charities etc. Really makes me angry. Don't freaking call my home ever again. I don't say that but I think it. I do say remove us from your call list please and then I hang up because inevitably they just keep talking. And when they call in the evening I really get pissed. I am awake before 4AM and do not call me at 8:30 PM or I will come to your home and hurt you. Not really but we do have the ringer off in the bedroom now since we got a few late calls.

Yup telemarketing phone calls and telemarketers in general get me pretty heated.



jerrytelemarketers.gif


What I also don't like is if the price is not listed as on IG etc. and I have to ask about a price. I do not care for that. Don't waste my time and I prefer not to waste yours. I prefer to see the price beforehand so I can know if it is within my realm of possibility and if not no one's time is wasted by needless questions if you kwim. That is an annoying sales tactic I could do without.
 

Johnbt

Shiny_Rock
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313
I always have a good chuckle when I'm driving and see a store with a large BOGO sign out front.

Buy One Get One? Isn't that how it works everywhere? You buy one, you get one.

I only get excited when it says Buy One Get Two. :mrgreen2:
 

Rfisher

Ideal_Rock
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Good points and stories, y’all.
 

MaisOuiMadame

Ideal_Rock
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Anything too pushy, really... I guess I am just a plain girl and even the high end luxury brands and their extreme CS are a touch too much for me. I recently bought a perfume and got a long, personal, handwritten thank you note (my name, our convo, my perfume correctly mentioned) via snail mail, three event invites and numerous e-mails within a month. Somehow I don't feel pampered, but slightly stalked...
 

missy

Super_Ideal_Rock
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The best is when you enter a store and you are acknowledged (that is always nice) and they say please let me know if I can be of any help and then leave you alone until/if you need them. Perfect. IMO. Acknowledge, offer and then let me browse and only assist if I ask.
 

rockysalamander

Ideal_Rock
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Yup this. If a vendor says DM me for price for something already cut or fabricated I just refuse to buy from them. It's a waste of my time and theirs for me to ask the price just to find out it is out of my price range.
I wonder if some gem cutters do this to avoid advertising a price that would not match a retailer's price. If you deal directly with a cutter, and they charge $1000, you pay $1000. But, if you bought that same gem via a middle-person, you might pay $1500. If the cutter had posted the $1000 publicly, that might discourage some of their middle-person buyers. With a web-presence, some sellers post a stone and the price, which is basically retail. A wholesaler price likely exists and a wholesaler would need to inquire. But, usually if a web seller says "ask for price" that equals "way too much for my budget."
 

YadaYadaYada

Super_Ideal_Rock
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I read somewhere that the "DM for price" is a tactic that garners more interest on IG and therefore the posts from that seller will get seen more than another seller that posts the price. Kind of how FB picks and chooses what posts get seen and the posts with more likes will get seen more often.

No idea if that is true and I absolutely loathe this practice, I always thought it a convenient way to avoid paying taxes on that income or certainly under reporting.
 

the_mother_thing

Ideal_Rock
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I can relate to/agree with several sleazy sales tactics already posted above. I’ll add another: once I have made a decision (e.g. not to buy something), I really loathe someone trying to convince me my reason/s or decision are wrong/bad and I should buy it anyway. It’s insulting, disrespectful, and makes the seller appear desperate to make a sale. And in my mind, if they are desperate to make a sale, what is the actual state of their operating model?
 

Rfisher

Ideal_Rock
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I can relate to/agree with several sleazy sales tactics already posted above. I’ll add another: once I have made a decision (e.g. not to buy something), I really loathe someone trying to convince me my reason/s or decision are wrong/bad and I should buy it anyway. It’s insulting, disrespectful, and makes the seller appear desperate to make a sale. And in my mind, if they are desperate to make a sale, what is the actual state of their operating model?

Ooh this one resonates with me.
 

MeowMeow

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I wonder if some gem cutters do this to avoid advertising a price that would not match a retailer's price. If you deal directly with a cutter, and they charge $1000, you pay $1000. But, if you bought that same gem via a middle-person, you might pay $1500. If the cutter had posted the $1000 publicly, that might discourage some of their middle-person buyers. With a web-presence, some sellers post a stone and the price, which is basically retail. A wholesaler price likely exists and a wholesaler would need to inquire. But, usually if a web seller says "ask for price" that equals "way too much for my budget."

That's a fair point. I didn't take into account the middle people. I was thinking more non trade. But yeah as you said. It usually means item is out of budget. And the seller had better be prepared to field all the people who want to know the price of it without getting a pissy attitude assuming they weren't serious buyers just because they *horror* asked a question and didn't buy because, shocker, it was too much for them at the time.

I pretty much stick only with vendors who will let me ask a bunch of questions about whatever it is first. 99 percent of the time because I'm not rich and can't spend whatever I want whenever I want. I have to say thank you for the info and come back a month or two or even longer to make my purchase.

But the ones who were patient and kind to me I always remember and come back to them for whatever it was because I appreciate good customer service and feel it should be rewarded.
 

Slickk

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I didn’t have a response that seemed relevant when this thread first appeared. I’m easy going and have had mostly beautifully easy jewelry transactions. However, I have recently experienced a somewhat annoying sales tactic.
I reached out to a much-loved vendor for pricing on a setting. Very straight forward name-brand setting. The representative was super responsive with a quote :clap: When I thanked them for the price and said I would get back to them soon, I was told that platinum would be going up shortly so I best order soon/now :doh: I was not ready to commit yet and again told them so. Well...I have been receiving phone calls and emails (friendly enough for sure) for weeks. I do want to work with this vendor, but I admit to feeling a little put out by these sales tactics. So, there it is...:hand: :think:
 

kenny

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Recently I went to a coffee house I was checking out because I intend to perform there for open mic night.
Though the ONLY way I consume coffee is at home for $0.17 a cup I decided to order a cup to support the music venue.

The chalk menu said a small cup of coffee was $2.15, but the human charged me $2.75.
I said the menu says $2.15 and she said there's been a price increase.
I said nothing and pointed at the menu and waited in silence.
She wouldn't budge so I walked out.
 
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