Is It a Lie or Ignorance? Either Way, Beware

When shopping for high-ticket tech items I continue to stress Do Not rely on the information from the retailer or salesperson.  In general, retail has little or no respect for the consumer.  To exaggerate and lie is part of the sales job.  What is that sales job?  To get you to say Yes!

My daughter, Joy, called me when she was shopping for a laptop.  The salesperson, where you don’t always get the best buy, was laying on the pressure to get all the extra services and an accidental replacement plan.  All she wanted was a laptop and did not go into the store expecting a barrage of exaggerated claims of services one ‘must’ buy with the laptop

The salesperson tried to make her believe that since the manufacture does not supply the recovery disc in the box her only choice was to have the store make them for her.  I set her straight on that one.  We then discussed the antivirus/optimization service and how that was unnecessary.  This pressure is tense, especially at this particular retailer where she spotted such a great deal on the laptop.

Then came the pitch to buy an Accidental Replacement Plan.  The price of this plan is outrageous.  It is over one third of the retail price of the laptop.  However, the plan includes a onetime battery replacement.  To help justify the high cost of this plan a salesperson must use any means available to get you to say Yes!  My instruction was to convince my customer into believing a battery replacement could cost $100 or $150.

My daughter’s salesperson made the ridiculous claim that her replacement battery will cost $200 - $300 and possibly $400!  I felt embarrassed for the guy!

Then I thought about it.  It could be ignorance.  In retail, people reluctantly have to fill in whether they are cross-trained or not.  Her ‘salesperson’ could have just come from the Receiving Department.  The Technology Department can be daunting.  I do remember Joy using the word incompetent.

I am glad Joy called.  She knew enough to feel his sales pitch was questionable.  However, how many people buy into this stuff?  How many people do not ask an independent person for advice?  How many people indiscriminately believe the lie from the sales guy or the ignorance from Receiving.  Either way, beware!

When you walk into the sales arena unprepared, be prepared to be taken advantage of.

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The definition of a chump:

a gullible person, a sucker; someone easily taken advantage of, the target of a scam.

Learn from a former salesperson and trainer how salespeople drive sales. Learn how to keep more money in your pocket where it belongs! There are two ends of every sales stick!  One end cries 'chump.'  The other end boasts 'champ.'  I know which end of the stick I want to be.  How about you?