Is it just me, or does it seem as though woodworking companies have been doing more hard-sell lately? I guess I shouldn’t mention any specific companies, but let me just say that two very reputable outfits have been calling me about once a week trying to push me to buy very expensive machines. Even after I said I was not ready to buy, they kept calling, telling me about specials they are running or to “just ask where I am in my decision-making process.” All I did was ask for information!
In one case, I requested a catalog from a Web site. I specifically did not include my phone number in the request, but still, they looked me up and called me at home.
Replies
Let me take a stab, may be Laguna and Felder?
i insisted felder take my home number off there records. only because my wife gets suspicious when there is a message from them.
If you ask they will do the same for you.
j
Yes, Felder is one. Laguna hasn't bothered me yet.
My wife gets suspicious hearing those messages. She knows I have a history of being "interested" in woodworking machines.
What the... I requested Felder info about 6 months ago, and am still waiting, maybe they need to get their act together?
I'm sorry Steve, but that's hysterical. 6 months??? If you don't receive marketing info from a company with 10-14 days of request, it's time to call again! I get most catalogs within 1 week of my request.forestgirl Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
FG,
You are absolutely right (as usual), 6 months is ridiculous. Turned out that a couple days after I requested the info, a different TS deal presented itself, so I forgot about the Felder idea. I'm sure if I would have tried again, I would have been nearly drowned by propaganda. Probably a good thing they didn't respond, as my wife would have freaked over the cost of a 700 Series combo machine.
I requested it via e-mail, they are not the first company to not respond to an e-mail from me. Hmmm....Steve
I got a phone call from Rojek a few months ago after requesting information through the internet. The guy called me at 7 a.m.! I guess he didn't realize the Pacific and Central time difference. Otherwise he was pretty polite.
Felder wasn't so bad. The sales guy just emailed me asking "well, what's your decision?" I just told him I'm doing Mini Max. No more emails after that.
Laguna is kind of an odd organization. I asked for information through the internet, twice, and got no information. I wasn't serious enough to call them though. A year later, a sales person emailed me wanting my phone number. I told him "you are seriously lame." He said I was rude and said he would take my name off their data base.
Last fall I was taking a course in industrial materials. I was preparing a report on structural insulated panels. I was only doing a report and was not going to make a purchase. I emailed one company, Kornwall Industries in Arlington, TX and asked for some information on their product on a monday. On wednesday, I recieved a one square foot sample and lot of literature that they had sent priority mail. They called to make sure I had enough information to use several days later. I wish more companies behaved like that. I really dislike asking for info on an item and finding out my name had been sold to other companies.
Matthew,
FWIW, I'll give a different take on this. If these salespeople are using high pressure tactics shame on them. If they are calling and trying to simply sell their products based on an inquiry I can understand.I work in sales and have managers breathing down my neck all the time. With three kids to take care of and a down economy,it has been a rough couple of years for many salespeople of all kinds of products.The last thing I want to do is make telephone cold calls.The next time a true company sales rep calls ( not telemarketers) just tell them you are not interested. Good ones will not waste your time or theirs. They have families to take care of and in most cases will respect your time as well.
Mike Agee
I fully understand what you're saying. I even have sympathy for the telemarketers who call me during dinner time -- although my patience with them has been getting thinner and thinner!
Here's a good rule for salespeople: If I actually say I'm interested in buying a machine, and leave my phone number, then of course go ahead and call me up and tell me about deals and delivery and everything else. However, if I just ask for a catalog, specifically choose not to leave my phone number, and I say that I am still considering several options, I don't want to hear back from that salesperson every week to see if I have made up my mind.
It's just like going to a car dealership. If I go in there and say, "OK, I've decided to buy a Mustang, so what's your best price?" then I expect them to be agressive. But if I'm comparing three different cars, and I tell the salesperson I'm not ready to make a decision, I hate when they seem to not hear that and instead keep asking you what they can do to sell you a car. Do they think you're stupid and don't mean what you say?
This is the thing. While it might not be true for you, I guaranty you statistically that the salesperson who keeps making the pestering calls and asking what he can do to close the deal will make many, many more sales than the salesperson who "respects" your stated desire to be left alone.
Of course, the best salesperson is the guy who can make you feel he is respecting your wishes while at the same time continuing to pester you. But comparing apples to apples, pestering will win out every time over a large sampling of consumers.
Why do you think we all get 50 Viagra e-mails each day? It's not just Jon Arno feeding his fantasies about jealous husbands.
Reminds me of the joke -
If a guy stands on the corner and asks 100 women that walk by if they want to screw; he'll get slapped 99 times, and he'll get laid.
Precisely.
Jim,
"Reminds me of the joke -
If a guy stands on the corner and asks 100 women that walk by if they want to screw; he'll get slapped 99 times, and he'll get laid."
Unfortunately, the inverse of that statement is also true. Most here would believe that accepting what a salesman says....is setting yourself up for a screw job.
The Delta rep was visiting my Industrial Suppler recently so I had the chance to inquire about the whole industry in general. His take at it is everyone is under the gun to move product - from low to high end. Profit margins are very small for everyone so there are cost-cutting measures in place in many tool companies including layoffs. Most manufacturers have moved some if not all part manufacturing off-shore and many time are doing full assembly off-shore. And there are other business issues - B&D (purveyor of DeWalt) is being investigated for improper tax shelters that could cost them hundred of millions.
Because there are so many "look - alikes" in tools - the 14" band saw is a perfect example - that firms are now trying to differentiate their machine from others. And they have run out of accessories/options (rebates, Carter accessories included, etc.) that a few are resorting to the "Limited Lifetime Warranty." Those of us who bought portatable and stationary tools before the 80's had Lifettime Warranties on all our equipment - only to see it changed by everyone (except Milwaukee) by the 80's. Now we're coming full circle!
We also discussed "buying market share" - a good example is WMH buying Jet and Powermatic - merging two buying groups into one. Grizzly is privately held - and is coming on strong on the commercial side (lots of 2 page ads in commerical journals). Just speculation but for the right price, the owner could sell and the buyer would get a nice chunk of market share and distribution faciliites/product lines. I think we will see some interesting changes over the next year or two in portable and stationary tools.
Which leads back to the original post - yes they are bugging you because their job is on the line - move product!
"Which leads back to the original post - yes they are bugging you because their job is on the line - move product!" Exactly. Personal experience here: Once in my life, right after I moved up to Washington, I decided to take a job where I could actually make some bucks. It was, essentially, a sales job -- working for the largest employment placement firm in Seattle. It was a real eye-opener, and if you've never been subjected to thousands of dollars worth of sales training, and then sat down at a desk with a monthly quota hanging over your head, it's not likely you really understand what it's like.
That being said, I'm a real hard-a$$ when it comes to telemarketers who call me at home. Incidentally, remember with respect to the "no-call list" -- that no longer applies once you have a "relationship" with the company, so if you've called for info or provided your phone# at a WWing show or whatever, they are allowed to call you. Of course, you can subsequently ask to be taken off their list.
In summary, try to be polite but firm with someone you initiated the relationship with. If they call once to many times, ask to talk to their supervisor and let him/her know enough is enough.forestgirl Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
You're much too nice, Matt. I think the options include: 1. Hanging up, 2. "Just say no", or 3. Tell them you are on the no call list. After that, they won't bug you too much. If they do, however, another ploy if you're in a devious mood is to simply put the receiver down for a few minutes until you no longer hear any "noise" then hang up. Alternatively, you could act very interested and at the last moment say no or tell them you need more time and keep stringing them along. All's fare in love and commerce. Good luck!
Well, I've been getting closer to being not very nice to these people. A couple of years ago, I felt bad for them. But lately, I've been starting to feel like you describe!
I like the idea of keeping them on the line for a while. It's kind of a heroic thing to do in a way. The longer they spend on your line, the less time they spend bugging someone else!
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