I’m a fan of Geoffrey James’ blog, Sales Machine on BNET, the CBS interactive network. Today’s post, How to Completely Blow an Easy Sale, gives us the line-by-line of his encounter with a salesperson whose technique James describes as “almost cosmically inept.”
Unfortunately, even in a challenged economy, when you’d think salespeople would be studying up on anything and everything that would help them do their jobs better, and, incidentally, uh. . . sell stuff, this is all too common. At the end of his post, James asks readers, “Has anything like this happened to you?”
Well, Geoffrey, yes, as a matter of fact. Just the other day. At Micro Center. And your post reminded me that it’s been a long time since we shared an Adventure in Customer Service. Here you go . . .
Pete was gleeful this past weekend when we set out for Micro Center. It’s where he goes to get a Mac buzz. Pete’s a MacHead, don’tcha know. The rest of us paltry peons who remain stuck in the PC parallel universe are subject to his assistance with Windows-related problems along these lines: “This wouldn’t happen with a Mac” or “Once you go Mac, you never go back” or “Macs rule and PCs drool.” Yep, it’s like being back in Junior High and being reminded of how cool you are not. Whatever.
Anyway, on the way to Micro Center in St. Louis Park, Pete tells me he’s been going to this store for decades. Did I know Micro Center only has something like 28 stores? (This is relevant because Best Buy has a gajillion, or what? I’m not sure). As we’re walking from the parking lot into the store, he continues with the assertion that he just likes going to Micro Center because of all the nerdly people who hang out and work there. They are so helpful and interesting. ”Like the grandma nerd we just passed with the big Micro Center shopping bag?” I respond. Yes! Just like that granny! Okay, then.
I was along on this pilgrimage because once again I am considering going over to the Dark Side ™. My netbook has valiantly served me for about two years, proving that location independence is possible. However, its baby 1GB processor has been pedaling furiously and constantly during that time like Barney Rubble‘s vehicle. Now it’s beginning to show signs of fatigue.
To be fair, my netbook was probably never intended by its manufacturer to be a primary computer. I made it one, though, and it has performed admirably. My business and personal needs are currently addressed with Cloud-based applications and average to low processor speed. I don’t need a tricked-out amount of RAM to run the devil’s spawn latest version of Windows. And I don’t need a lot of hard drive space for files, preferring to store them on the web. Instead, I want a computer that’s very simple and easy to take along. And attractive. Kind of like my husband. :)
It’s not that I don’t appreciate Apple. Believe me, I do. But, I’ve always gazed jealously upon Apple from afar, aside from an Apple IIC back in the day. I swoon over the iPad, but the touchscreen keyboard and difficulty with multi-tasking may not be for me, if its reviewers are to be believed.
I swooned, too, over the MacBook Air when it first came out, but its solitary USB port was a dealbreaker. I’ve been impressed by Pete’s MacBook Pro, but I didn’t want a laptop that size – it’s big. Pete thought maybe I wanted a plain old MacBook, but I’m not a fan of the white case and my friend Becky’s issues with hers still frighten me. So I was interested to go along to zero in on what the solution for my next computer might be.
This is how we met J—, an older gentleman (and I’m quite old, so he looked to be in his mid to late -60′s) who was working in the Apple section at the back of the store. We were the only customers in his section during most of our encounter with J—. Therefore, you might assume that we got J—’s undivided, friendly and professional attention. You’d be wrong.
J— had to be chased down multiple times for questioning on the new MacBook Air. At one point, I inadvertently jiggled a USB-based inventory control device on the MacBook Air I was examining at the counter. J— was very put out that he had to come over and re-set the ringing alarm I had set off, despite my profuse apologies. This is the way, rather than have J— offer up its improvements or god forbid demo the features, I discovered the new MacBook Air has multiple USB ports.
J— walked away from us several times after he responded to one question just as we were ready to ask another. His responses were so tersely dead-ended they bordered on rude. It was clearly an imposition for us to keep coming back to him with additional attempts to get more information. We, in turn, were decidedly underwhelmed by his lack of interpersonal skills.
Now, I could be wrong, but I believe Micro Center employees work on commission. You’d think J— would have been all over us like a cheap suit to engage and assist. We’ve been known to buy big ticket items on impulse, and there we were – wanting to know stuff. This, at least to me when I’m in the position of selling things to others, is a buying signal. J— might have asked what issues we were looking to address, or how we envisioned using the computer in an effort to make a recommendation. J— could have even then tried to finesse us into a buy, I’m certain. I’ve seen it happen with us before!
I could totally envision us pulling the trigger should J— have offered a seemingly painless way to take the pretty thing that met our needs home that very morning. But, no. This did not even aproach happenstance. Instead, here I type on the netbook, and we’ll be purchasing the new MacBook Air elsewhere.
J— demonstrated that either he didn’t really want to be at Micro Center that morning helping customers, or possibly he just didn’t want to be helping us. It’s hard for me to take rejection other than personally. And I felt rejected, just like back in Junior High. There I was, almost ready to take the plunge out of the kiddie pool and into the deep end with the cool kids. I perceived J—’s role was to facilitate my propulsion to the pinnacle of nerdly ecstasy while adroitly earning a commission off my purchase. J—couldn’t be bothered.
If a $1200+ sale isn’t effort-worthy in J—’s frame of reference, what might be? As long as we’re living temporarily in junior high land for purposes of this story, how much would I have to potentially spend with J— to get him to like me? Or at least treat me like a customer? One that might even come back and purchase more stuff from him with the zeal of a new convert?
Pete found the OS upgrade, which he had come for, as advertised at $130. J— pulled the family use version – a + $50 difference – out of the locked case instead and handed it to him. This lack of attention to detail on J—’s part went undiscovered until we reached the checkout. Then it was a lengthy process to make the exchange. This was sweetened by a different employee, a 12 year old (seemingly) named Justin, whose efforts at human interface were personable, smiley and apologetic for the length of time it took. That was okay, though, because it gave me enough time to go back to the Apple Department, and look at J—’s nameplate.
Back in the car, we wondered if J— was having a bad day, or perhaps a bad life , on the sales floor at Micro Center. Perhaps, we thought, he never envisioned himself at his age having to work that kind of job? I wondered about him, so obviously unhappy. Maybe something terrible had happened just that morning and it was all he could do to get himself to work. Or something. I’m like that in my imagination.
Then, as we pulled out of the parking lot, we agreed: the customer’s role is not one which has to deal with whatever personal issues or shortcomings in the salesperson.
J—, we know it’s a tough economy, but let’s put on your big boy attitude and serve your customers in the way they deserve. If something happened that morning or in your life in general, don’t come into work. Call in sick, call in sick of work, whatever. Quit this job and do something that brings you joy.
J—’s “I can’t be bothered” attitude harshed my morning and Pete’s overall Mac buzz. Worse, J—, as a representative of Micro Center, undid all the praise an influencer gave the company and resulted in zero conversion. Not good for anyone.
Related articles
- GSLO: Micro Center, Other Distributors Inquiring About Apple Peel 520 (eon.businesswire.com)
- Long term review: the new MacBook Air (independent.co.uk)
- Micro Center Teams Up with SandForce Offering a Blazingly Fast 64GB SSD for $99.99 Introductory Price (eon.businesswire.com) – Note: this is a promoted article in which Micro Center claims it is “deeply passionate about providing product expertise and exceptional customer service.”
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Peter and Betsy Wuebker are location-independent professionals who share what they know about travel, simplicity and integrating work with life. 
The customer service advice, um, or the dis-advice was excellent. And what was really awesome was the customer experience I got here at Passing Thru. As in, you made me laugh. Not once but a couple of times.
1. the statement “This wouldn’t happen with a Mac” was actually uttered by me, today, as Marc and I fought to compress a video file.
2. I want a computer that’s very simple and easy to take along. And attractive. Kind of like my husband.
…bwhahahahahahahaha … LOVE IT!
3. a 12 year old (seemingly) named Justin .. my goodness, they do seem to get younger, eh? Because it sure ain’t me getting older!
All this to say, you, darling Betsy, have customer experience down pat.
Eliza has an awesome blog post here: 8 Ways To Break Your Computer
Haha! Thanks, Eliza! I’m glad you enjoyed it. Alas, we will continue to shop at Micro Center, but I only will if I can avoid J— like the plague.
What a great story. You’re probably right; the guy is probably bitter at losing a job as a systems analyst or something. It’s sad that he can’t adapt, but also sad that so many of those good jobs are disappearing overseas.
I’m putting a link to this post in the original post. Thanks!
Geoffrey James has an awesome blog post here: How to Answer Sales Objections in 6 Easy Steps
Hi Geoffrey! Welcome to PassingThru! Did I mention I’m a fan?
Thank you for reminding me I needed to write this. In this day and age, there is just no excuse for disappointing interactions such as this and the one you described in your post. Thanks for the link back and we hope you’ll stick around.
NOOO DON’T GO TO THE DARK SIDE!
LOL Tony! Welcome to PassingThru! I know, it’s a scary proposition to make such a change, isn’t it? Thanks.
Hi Betsy .. love your story .. and doesn’t it happen when we least expect it. I too would have thought the older person would have spent more time with you & ensured his sale ..
I walk out on occasions too – getting totally frustrated with the lack of information available .. or actually being able to relate to my questions, which are about their product – but perhaps I’ve got the ‘technical terms’ or the terms they use ‘wrong’ .. and just need guiding as to the right term. I try not to get cross – but this week did with a phone operator trying to get a dongle to connect .. !! Sorted – but I think they pulled the plug on me! Still I’d sorted what I needed to know by then & then worked out what to do next time .. I hope ..
As you say in this day and age .. we all need to help each other .. I’d love to have a Mac!! I’d love to have a Pete .. helping me along?! & cooking for me .. ?! Glad you’re getting a Mac though – have fun with it ..
Thanks Betsy .. good story .. cheers Hilary
Hilary has an awesome blog post here: Hanging Hooke
Hi Hilary – It is so frustrating, isn’t it? It seems to me a lot of these issues could be resolved if the customer service person would just take the time to ask, what is it we need done? Thank you.
I find it very difficult to believe he works on commission?? Or maybe he had given up on commissions and just takes the lousy base salary, which might explain his grumpiness.
vered | Blogger for Hire has an awesome blog post here: Your Life- As It Is Right Now- Forever Do You Take This Deal
Hi Vered – Yes, it seems counterintuitive for a commissioned salesperson to be so indifferent. I could be wrong about the pay method, too, although throughout the rest of the store, we observed reps eager to assist and engage. One bad apple spoils the whole bunch, though. Thanks.
Hi Betsy,
Glad I found your blog by way of BNET! Will add you to my RSS Reader as I can already tell you will be providing me more value in the future
My first job was at Circuit City years ago. Sales reps there made commission for some time but it was eventually decided (when middle to upper management realized some reps were making a higher salary than themselves) it might make better financial sense to hire college students and other younger, more novice salespeople, offer a base pay supplemented with an excess of hype to hopefully get comparable results.
Anyway, my point with this is that hourly sales reps rarely work out for the employer or the customer. The only way to make a salaried sales rep work harder is to pay his or her manager more in hopes to inspire a similar work ethic from their employees.
MicroCenter employees average anywhere from $10 – $14/hr AFTER commission! And it sounds like they may be supplementing their pay by hiring inspired employees– and you just so happened to find the one that wasn’t!
Hi Scot – Welcome to PassingThru! Thank you for subscribing. I agree with your point on hourly vs. commission. Hourly – the employee is trading time for compensation (a finite limit on compensation which is a disincentive); commission – the employee is trading results for compensation (with a seemingly infinite amount of compensation possible). True salespeople invariably are made from commissionable structures. Seems from what you have to say that our guy was having a bad day. Thank you for your comment!
Hello Betsy,
My name is Al and I work with the corporate offices of Micro Center. I am saddened to read your story and want to ensure that we will review J’s performance and set an action plan in place for additional training to improve his customer service skills. We at Micro Center realize that the items we offer can be purchased at other places and the only thing that sets us apart from our competition or online sales is the experience we provide to our customer.
Micro Center does not use radio spots or TV commercials to advertise. All of our customers come to us via word-of-mouth conversations or because of our mailed broadsheets. What drives our economic engines is the value of repeat customers.
With all this said the fact remains we FAILED to provide you with the level of service and the shopping experience that we expect from our sales teams. The wow factor was missing, and we failed to show you why we were a better place to shop than any other retailer.
I am leaving my e-mail address and inviting you to contact me directly at anytime. I also want to thank you for sharing your story and giving us an opportunity to improve the levels of service we offer.
Al Rogers
Micro Electronics Customer Relations Manager
4119 Leap Rd.
Hilliard Ohio, 43026
custrel@microcenter.com
Hi Al – Welcome to PassingThru! Thank you for your response. It is very gratifying to be heard, and to know that you are concerned and taking steps to improve. One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch. I can say without equivocation that the second young man we worked with that day did a yeoman’s job of neutralizing our experience so that we will continue to shop at MicroCenter. Thanks.
Becky,
Unfortunately, this is all to commonplace in the northern regions of this country. If you want to experience true customer support, visit the south. I am not saying the south is better, I am just saying that the attitudes are different. Diana will tell you that she gets disgusted with customer service here after she has visited the south.
Maybe it is a sign of entitlement that seems to be taught in schools up here. I remember when Diana’s nephew was looking for a summer job, he thought that if they had a job opening that all he had to do is ask for the job and that they have to give it to him. I know this is not ever the case, but had to question how did he get this idea?
Whether or not J had a bad day or not, his job is to sell products to the patrons of Microcenter (not that I care for the store). If people continue to treat their job as an entitlement as opposed as a privilege, there will not be too many jobs left. Customers will elect to avoid dealing with people like him and purchase more items from the online stores. Like everything else, there will be a “trickle-down” effect, one that will cause most companies to move out of their brick and mortar store and move to an online presence only. This will mean less and less jobs available to employ people and less property tax revenue for the government. In turn, people will want to continue to have programs from the government which would mean higher taxes on everyone.
But, that is a different economics lesson.
Sorry Betsy, my iPad seems to want to autocorrect your name to Becky…. You have to love Apple.
Hi Harry – Welcome to PassingThru! What’s a Microsoft boy like you doing on the Dark Side?
I think the attitude of entitlement that you point to is part of things, surely. But along with that isn’t there the seemingly deliberate inertia when circumstances are not as wished? In any event, when companies realize how detrimental this is, as Al above rightly does, they’ll take steps to improve the situation, and prevent it from happening altogether. Those that don’t, as you point out, will doom themselves. Thanks.
Greetings,
I’m Justin, the person you met at Micro Center. First and foremost, allow me to apologize for the less than acceptable service that you had received. With the holiday seasons approaching (and now here), the number of customers that we have to deal with are incredible.
The USB audible alarms are sensitive — even touching these can set them off. Usually we recommend a sales associate to come assist you if you’d like to hold the computer to test its weight or structure. We have no problem with people wanting to try out the equipment.
I’m curious as to why I was perceived as a 12-year old, as I’m nearing 30 years old. We do the best that we can, but we’re all human and do make mistakes.
Allow me to publicly apologize once more and ensure that your future visits to Micro Center will be more acceptable, and exceed your expectations.
Justin P. Reese
Apple Sales Product Adviser
Micro Center
Hi Justin – Welcome to PassingThru! Thank you for responding to this post. We had great service from you personally as you cheerfully and expediently resolved our issue with the incorrect item Pete was given by J—. We do know that everyone is busy, especially at this time of year, but I think I took great pains to point out that for most of our visit we were the only customers in the Apple Department that morning, and as such, we were flummoxed by J—’s attitude. As for the 12-year-old business, rest assured that the perception lies with us because we are REALLY long in the tooth. You’ll be happy you look so young in another ten years, trust me.
Thanks again for your comment.
Hi Betsy .. great that you’ve had some reaction from the store – that’s an interesting approach they’ve taken & a good one.
Justin sounds a good chap – gosh wouldn’t we like to be 30 again .. and as you say wait til he’s long in the tooth .. to realise he’ll be making the same ‘mistake-judgements’ we make on the young – as the young do on us!!
Happy days to everyone & hope the Christmas Season is good for all sellers and buyers .. Hilary
Hilary has an awesome blog post here: Talli Roland a favourite and author The Hating Game
Hi Hilary – Yes, it’s very gratifying to get a response and to reaffirm Pete’s favorable impressions of the store. Justin’s response illustrates just how hard the good guys need to work to counteract a not-so-good experience.
Hi Betsy,
Like you, I expect *decent* customer service when I visit a store, but sadly my definition of *decent* has declined over the years. Now I’m thrilled if I get a smile and a “thank you”.
I must say I’m impressed that Micro Center responded to your post. Although I’m not familiar with their store, it does show they care about their customers.
P.S. Your story and the subsequent comments remind me of the TV show, “Undercover Boss” – a favorite of mine.
Barbara Swafford has an awesome blog post here: Friends- Followers and Buddies
Hi Barbara – I love that show! And yes, Micro Center’s response is very impressive and affirmative. We make it a point to try and positively engage with the staff in stores and restaurants, and we return time after time when a positive experience occurs. Minnesota has long been famous for its “Minnesota Nice” attitude, and generally we find that to be true – you generally get what you give. That’s why it’s such a jolt when the opposite occurs.