RE: ShopTalk: What's fair re;selling?

[Royce Engler]

Here's some perspective from a different angle...   My son sells new cars for a living.  He has probably heard and been taught most of the questions that we all hear from customers.  Here are a few and the "appropriate" responses....    -" I can get that much cheaper at _____."   Let's face it.  The dealers know exactly what the cost of the car is for any dealer.  They know what the holdbacks are, and exactly how much profit can be made.  Sooooo.....knowing that and that there really isn't a significantly cheaper price somewhere else, the correct answer is:  Well, you'd better go get that price at the other place before they take it off the table.    - When the customer is trying to get you to sell the item for cost, ask them where they work.  Then ask them if they work for free.  They will immediately say of course not.  Then tell them, neither do I.   Most new car salesmen make $300 average commission on a sale....on a car that sells for $20-$30,000.  They make more on the big ticket cars, but $300 is the average.  For every 4-6 people who come in the store, on average, only one ends up buying a car.   Royce  -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of tflan Sent: Tuesday, December 17, 2002 11:08 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: ShopTalk: What's fair re;selling?   ----- Original Message ----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, December 16, 2002 11:35 PM Subject: Re: ShopTalk: What's fair re;selling?   Hi your own self;-) I was about to get to your point eventually. I agree 100%. I've had it happen to me only a little differently. I've had guys listen to conversations between me and a customer as to how to do this or that. He'd then go buy components somewhere else, assemble them, and bring them to me for corrective action. Also, I've had guys listening in on conversations with another clubmaker who followed the clubmaker out of the store to get him to build stuff rather than pay me. Unconscionable to be sure.   Unethical? Well I must say that ethics stop with customers. They're looking for the best deal. Businessmen are fair game. Dickering, shopping around, lying about who's offering the best deal . . . you name it, I've had it happen. Perhaps the prime example of this occurred when I was working part-time for a high volume shop. The guy sold OEM equipment only, no custom stuff at all, and he did a tremendous repair business. This company grossed nearly a million a year in sales - no exaggeration! Nearly every customer, from buyers of OEM new or used to the guy who wanted a club regripped, shopped, dickered, lied about who sold what for less, argued about prices, returned merchadise they bought because they couldn't hit it, and on and on and on. The owner was a nervous wreck. Customers drove the guy absolutely nuts with their demands for "deals." I didn't have the problem. I just quoted the retail price and let the customer argue with the boss. I'd say fully half of the "regulars" were as crooked as hell. That ration wasn't as great in my shop simply because I absolutely refused to dicker.   TFlan       Hi TFlan, Here's a different spin, Let's say you have a stick n glue guy walk in your shop and buy iron heads for $55.60 and steel shaft's for $22.00 and grips at a buck ea. while watching you sell the same set for $300.00 and he tells your customer he can do the same thing for $199.00, but you offered the place of business and the demo's to see what he hit the best as well, as a selection of heads and shafts to pick from, this guy would be considered a snake and thrown out of the store and limited to mail order, I believe as some have said that the line is drawn where it either benefits your business or detracts from it. If your actions at the range detract from their business than they are UN ethical and if they don't then they are not. David