POLL: Salespeople in Dealers

Given that bikes are a passion for most of us, and we will stop at a dealer just to go in and browse, but most of the time have no intention of buying a bike, and the dealers know this...

Mrs DJ Fridge has started a thread on this recently and it seems to be a VERY common complaint from a lot of people, so I thought I'd poll it out of interest.

The common complaint people post is that they went into a dealer and nobody approached them with a 'Can I help you sir/madam?', therefore customer service is poor and how do they expect to sell any bikes?

There is a flip side to the argument, that people wouldn't want to be 'hassled' by salespeople. Most are just browsing, and perhaps these dealers think they are doing the right thing by leaving you to it and letting you approach them if you are interested in buying a bike.

So, which would you prefer....

I'd prefer a polite greeting and to be told to let them know if theres anything they can help me with.

Also, if staff are near a customer, keeping half an eye on them and being ready to drop their personal conversation is a must, chatting to fellow staff is for filling the time between customers (not the other way round).

They cant win IMHO.
If I go in to browse/ be nosey and I'm approached by a sales rep to whom I need to respond "sorry I'm just killing 10minutes" I would then feel I need to make my departure and leave. However if I'm left alone to look around I "may" buy a smaller item that I see while browsing.
However if I went in with the intention of buying a bike, I too would feel disgruntled if I had to approach the sales counter and ask "can I buy that bike please mister"

So do they approach and risk preventing me from buying some £30/£40 item or do they sit back and wait for me to stand staring longingly at a bike, sufficiently long enough for them to be certain they've got the sale. It a tough one tbh.

[Balky001]

a lot of people go in unsure what they really want and need the saleperson to make themselves available. Some customers also need asking questions to open up while others should be left lone (once they have been acknowledged but not always immediately). Differentiating between the two is a skill.

I worked in retail for 9 years and one thing is for sure, 90% of the general public are slightly mental/quirky/idiots so its a tough gig guessing what certain individual quirk/sensitivity someone is bring in with them

I like to be allowed to browse for a bit then asked if I need assistance. It's also nice to be told if they are doing any offers or some info that might interest me. I don't like pushy sales talk but a salesperson is there to sell. Otherwise they are just a server on a till

[Balky001]

dup

[sniff]

Its a case of damed if you do, damed if you dont.

I like to have a good look for ten minutes before someone comes and asks the question. What they should ask is "What is it you are after today" That narrows the field for the sales person. Boots, Gloves, jacket, jeans, or a lid. At least they can then help to find what type of item you want. Is it Summer, winter, cheap expensive. That way they know how to help you.

This is how it helped me when buying my new Shark lid at the bike show in Birmingham last year.

[rictus01]

this is starkly demonstrated by the two Triumph dealers I normally use, Rosners is like a museum, basic displays, no flash or anything, you get a nod of the head when you walk in and that's about it, they aren't rushed and leave you to wander as much as you want, very helpful when you ask and very polite.

Lilleys on the other hand is all display and coloured lights, bikes set out to there best, you get someone come up to you as soon as you get through the door, once again good service, but a totally different feel to Rosners.

Cheers Mark.

[dizzyblonde]

Goes for anything in sales. There are bad salespeople and good ones.

Take HG for instance. Man with cool beard knows our faces, always polite enough to ignore us when we want, but eager to join in and discuss when we change our mind, he knows when we are browsing, knows when we are buying, decent with the kids, enough for them not to be a problem in his store.....

fat bloke however, nicked off with the Jubilee balloons Oli was playing with in an empty space on Sunday, and put them out of his reach.................cue baby screaming, yeah bad man, how to empty your shop in one hit!!! Cool beardy man got his sale instead


Not as if hes playing with your most expensive items mate!

I expect a standard regardless of where it be, bike dealership, kitchen company or Tesco.

I'd prefer a polite greeting and to be told to let them know if theres anything they can help me with.

This. I think that when sales people come up to you in store it puts a bit of pressure on you to do something, whether that be buy something or leave. If I'm in a store for general browsing and I'm approached and I dismiss them, I feel like I should leave at somepoint soon. On the other hand if I go into a shop with the intention of buying something (which is rare these days as I usually go in store to have a look at something and then buy it off the internet) then it would be nice to have a sales person come up to me.

I'd say in general though, say hello and then leave me be and if I need any help I'll ask.

[Bibio]

you should never feel pressured by a good sales assistant. a sales assistant's job is a boring job and most of the time they just want to chat as they are or should be an approachable chatty person. yes their primary goal is to get a sale and to do this they have to make you feel welcome and take the edge off the customer so the only way they can do this is to assist/chat.

a good sales assistant should know by the look of a punter whether they need help and step in. this i'm afraid is lacking in most younger people these days who would rather huddle in a group and chat amongst each other. the other thing i find lacking in younger assistants is product knowledge and this infuriates me or maybe i'm just old fashioned.

either way i'm not fussed if they approach me or not but when i need to enquire about something and they don't approach me then i usually walk.