Today's New York Times


wow ... very interesting !

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/25/garden/the-new-audio-geeks.html?hpw
adam18

Showing 3 responses by phaelon

Wolf - LOL. Now that I think about it, wasn’t there some sleazebag dealer in New York who used to have strippers hostessing in his joint? He used the girls in his ads too.
"My local tire shop does a better job of reaching out to potential clients.”

Yeah... mine too Wolf. The vast number of neglected opportunities is mind boggling. One small part of a very large image problem is that dealers don't really want to be bothered with the curious. When visiting an upscale salon for the first time, it’s just natural for a newbie to be somewhat awestruck, and want to touch and hear everything... especially the big system in its own room that he can’t afford. A good salesperson needs to be patient and understanding. This isn’t to say that he has to be infinitely accommodating, but some finesse is important. I can’t tell you how many guys that I’ve advised to go to a high end salon instead of a “Best Buy” type place, who came back to me saying they walked out feeling like assholes. These were guys who were willing to spend enough money to be treated respectfully.
A parallel:

During my (mis)guided youth, there was no place in the world that I rather be than a nudie bar. Eventually, if a guy puts in enough time into these places, he gets a pretty good feel for the business. I came to to understand what appeared to be two different business models at work. In one model, a girl works the room, making the rounds endlessly, asking every customer for a drink or a dance. The fives and tens pile up and she makes a living. In the other model, a girl hates working the room and is only there to meet Daddy Warbucks. She will make the rounds with just enough enthusiasm to keep the management happy, but the last thing she wants is to be occupied with a small timer when someone she thinks she could cultivate into a cash cow walks in.

I think a similar dynamic takes place in high end audio, where a salesmen might be reluctant to be tied down to a guy who walked in with a cool grand burning a hole in his pocket and consequently miss the opportunity to sell a big baller.