*My apologies if I have allocated this thread to the wrong Category.*
So I went to a local computer hardware store the other day, to price up some items that I wanted to purchase. Being that I am a bit old skool, I like to go inside shops, look around and test out the sales staff.
Sales Guy - Let's call him Colin.
Colin: Hey, can I help you with anything.
Me: No, I am just looking thanks.
*Awkward silence as I looked him in the eye
After about 5 minutes of walking around the store, I saw something I liked and matched prices on my phone off the internet.
Me: Can you beat internet prices?
Colin: We can match them.
Me: No, I asked if you could BEAT them (In a joking manner)
Colin: That's not my decision
*Another awkward moment. 5 seconds silence whilst I waited for Colin to use an ounce of initiative and see if he could find out more info.
Nothing!
Me: Ok, let's just say I wanted to buy 7 of these machines, would you be able to provide a discount.
At this stage, I couldn't have thrown a bigger bait for him to bite
*Customer buying signal - ALERT ALERT*
Colin: I wouldn't be able to decide that, it's a head office decision. I can give you the number of you like, so you can call them.
Me: No, that's not how it works (In a joking way).
*Pulls out my business card and hands it to him
Me: Tell you what, why don't you ask the head office to reach out to me, so we can work something out.
This the most shocking part
Colin: We dont really have contact with them, it'd be best if you contact them directly.
*Hands me my F*cking business card back*
Me: Right ..... *Lost for words*. Ok, I'll give them a call.
I then walked out of the store.
So, let me get this right, I walked into the store, showed the intention to purchase some pretty expensive equipment - then they allow the customer to walk out the door, without even knowing my name? Good lord..
Apart from being a private equity bloodbath, this is the very same reason why businesses like Toys R Us go into liquidation.
The store in question was not even a big chain, more of a multiple independent, selling high ticket premium goods, so I would imagine there sales staff or going to be on-point.
I see this failure day in, day out.
KNOW WHO YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE.
I believe the failure of this, is the reason why retail businesses fail... and even for all businesses for that matter.
They are people just like you & Me..
Rant over.
As you were.
So I went to a local computer hardware store the other day, to price up some items that I wanted to purchase. Being that I am a bit old skool, I like to go inside shops, look around and test out the sales staff.
Sales Guy - Let's call him Colin.
Colin: Hey, can I help you with anything.
Me: No, I am just looking thanks.
*Awkward silence as I looked him in the eye
After about 5 minutes of walking around the store, I saw something I liked and matched prices on my phone off the internet.
Me: Can you beat internet prices?
Colin: We can match them.
Me: No, I asked if you could BEAT them (In a joking manner)
Colin: That's not my decision
*Another awkward moment. 5 seconds silence whilst I waited for Colin to use an ounce of initiative and see if he could find out more info.
Nothing!
Me: Ok, let's just say I wanted to buy 7 of these machines, would you be able to provide a discount.
At this stage, I couldn't have thrown a bigger bait for him to bite
*Customer buying signal - ALERT ALERT*
Colin: I wouldn't be able to decide that, it's a head office decision. I can give you the number of you like, so you can call them.
Me: No, that's not how it works (In a joking way).
*Pulls out my business card and hands it to him
Me: Tell you what, why don't you ask the head office to reach out to me, so we can work something out.
This the most shocking part
Colin: We dont really have contact with them, it'd be best if you contact them directly.
*Hands me my F*cking business card back*
Me: Right ..... *Lost for words*. Ok, I'll give them a call.
I then walked out of the store.
So, let me get this right, I walked into the store, showed the intention to purchase some pretty expensive equipment - then they allow the customer to walk out the door, without even knowing my name? Good lord..
Apart from being a private equity bloodbath, this is the very same reason why businesses like Toys R Us go into liquidation.
The store in question was not even a big chain, more of a multiple independent, selling high ticket premium goods, so I would imagine there sales staff or going to be on-point.
I see this failure day in, day out.
KNOW WHO YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE.
I believe the failure of this, is the reason why retail businesses fail... and even for all businesses for that matter.
They are people just like you & Me..
Rant over.
As you were.
Dislike ads? Become a Fastlane member:
Subscribe today and surround yourself with winners and millionaire mentors, not those broke friends who only want to drink beer and play video games. :-)
Access Restricted: Unlock 1,000,000+ Posts
Stop Peeking Through the Keyhole.
Open the Door.
You hit a wall because the best advice isn't free—it's earned. Since 2007, MJ DeMarco has been active here daily (99.9% active rate), building a war room for entrepreneurs who refuse to settle for mediocrity.
- Active Daily: Life-changing content posted dozens of times every day. No dead threads.
- MJ's Inner Circle: Direct access to the author of The Millionaire Fastlane.
- Vetted Network: Connect with founders scaling to 7 and 8 figures.
- Proven Roadmaps: Strategy over motivation. Execution over "hustle porn."
"SCALED TO 6-FIGURE MONTHS"
"Tips and advice here saved me from huge mistakes, others allowed me to scale my business to 6-figure months."— User MitchC
"INSANE QUALITY OF PEOPLE"
"The number of high quality people I've met from this forum has been insane. All of it predicated on building real value."— User Richard Peck
"You are the average of the five people you surround yourself with."
Are you surrounding yourself with success?
