Original > Hot Tub Forum
First Time Purchaser Help
swilly1000:
Echo the above few posts. People can be rude and selfish and just not show up.
Dealer is justifiably jaded by numerous times getting stiffed.
I'm guessing that the decision to require a deposit wasn't made lightly.
silversun:
This risk feels inherent to your industry, and should be factored into your calculations without having to pass this on to the consumer, because it absolutely erodes any trust or goodwill, and sets off alarm bells in the customer.
This happened to me during my hot tub purchase experience and I instantly crossed off the dealer from the list.
Don't listen if you think you have it figured out, but consumers are giving you valuable feedback.
aug0211:
--- Quote from: silversun on December 20, 2018, 07:57:06 am ---This risk feels inherent to your industry, and should be factored into your calculations without having to pass this on to the consumer, because it absolutely erodes any trust or goodwill, and sets off alarm bells in the customer.
This happened to me during my hot tub purchase experience and I instantly crossed off the dealer from the list.
Don't listen if you think you have it figured out, but consumers are giving you valuable feedback.
--- End quote ---
QFT.
Some thoughts from a buyer - dealers, please don't get all in a tizzy over this. I may be right, I may be wrong, you may agree, you may not. My feedback is given as a general reflection as a consumer making a purchase in the lux industry - think high end cars, watches, jewelry, hot tubs, vacations, etc.
Dealers can whine all day about having to do work. I also go to work and do work all day as well. This is why we call it "work." Sometimes, the work I do ends up being for nothing and other times it ends up being valuable. It's frustrating when my efforts are for naught - but that's part of work. That's how life goes, and that's how business is, as well. At a minimum, I hope dealers are doing their best to make informed decisions as to which buyers are serious and which are not, before they start nickel-and-diming over wet tests and the like (how much time am I investing with you? What is my list of comparable products I am shopping? Are the questions I am asking total n00b questions, or are they questions that demonstrate to you that I have invested my time to do research? And, sure, profile me if you want - it's a dangerous game to play, but we all know it happens in sales... what car did I drive up in? What's my wife's ring look like? What clothes are we wearing? Do you think we have the money to spend?).
Surely, this is understood in sales. You are literally trying to convince people to buy your product. By definition, there is not a guaranteed payout in your efforts. Thus, commission. Generally speaking, the better service you can give your customers, the better their experience will be. You need to have a good product and a competitive price, but do not forget that when you are dealing in the lux industries, experience is paramount. Don't nickel-and-dime your customers. We're dropping over $10k on big bowls to hold and heat water. We're not going to be impressed by tactics that are reminiscent of Joe's Used Car Lot. You will lose many good customers (probably the customers you actually DO want, who have the money to spend are are accustomed to being doted on when buying lux items).
If you are being burned by customers, stop to consider the *type* of customer you are attracting, and also the type of customer you are *repelling* (see silversun's post above as an example). Hint: people spending $10-$15k on a hot tub are the people driving the $50k+ vehicles, not the $2k beaters from Joe's lot. Know your market, and know your customer. Corporate HQs for the big brands get this: look at the advertising pamphlets they put out - every picture they have is in a beautiful ~$1 MM+ setting. One particular brand's pamphlet and promotional videos showcase yachts in the backdrop. Again, don't nickel-and-dime these customers, if they are who you are going after (and they are - just reference the marketing). If you want to be a pop-up traveling sales tent, by all means, do that - and I recommend employing these sorts of tactics. However, if you want to attract qualified, high-end buyers - drop the games and start focusing on your customer's experience.
As anecdotal evidence to how this refundable deposit is hurting you as dealers (beyond silversun's post above), my wife and I are going to do a wet test at dealer A this weekend, who does not require a refundable deposit. Dealer B has now agreed NOT to require a deposit, but since he introduced this back-and-forth over the deposit, he is 1 week behind his competition. If the wet test this weekend goes well with dealer A, there is a chance we will tell dealer B to stop his efforts on the wet test and not even get in his tub. Had he just worked on getting things set up (the way dealer A did), we would be sitting in both tubs this weekend and he would have a shot no matter what. It may still work out for dealer B, but now there's a chance that we don't even sit in his tub/give it a shot.
We were also about to buy a bit of suppliers from dealer B (for my father's tub) as gift, but it's we're turned off enough with this dealer now (due to the $300 deposit) that we may just find another gift for my father.
Side note - we did email dealer B back yesterday to assure him that we are "serious buyers," and offered to donate some of our time for a brief phone call with his owner to answer any questions he has (supposedly he needed the $300 to convince his owner that we are serious). Dealer B has now agreed to drop the $300 refundable deposit.
And yes, there is absolutely a chance that both dealer A and dealer B get their tubs filled, we wet test, and decide that neither tub is right for us. This is what we call "the cost of doing business." Their best chance at landing a sale is to have a wide assortment of quality products at competitive prices, and to create a positive experience through good service.
If you want guaranteed sales, you want to be in commodities, not luxury sales.
Sam:
I agree with aug0211 and would never dream of asking for a deposit for a wet test. In a way, I'm sort of glad other dealers do this crap. It makes it much easier for me. It's things like this make the difference for a customer when you are competing against other good brands. It's not hard to provide an awesome sales experience if you just put a little effort in and quit fretting over whether or not someone is gonna flake on you or buy somewhere else. It happens. But if I do the right things all of the time, I end up with way more wins than losses.
Michael Russell:
another user...
I did 3 wet tests before buying. I did get a "thats a lot of prep work on our part, are you sure that is the tub you want to try" but no one asked for a deposit...
Refundable or not. I would walk at the question being asked.... If you need $300 in pocket to assure I come back then you are..
- Really not confident in your product and the fact that I would want to come back to see it, rather then have to come back to get my money
- Really setting poor expectations of business to come and what to expect when I need other work, service and chemicals
- Not understanding your customers demographics
Sure you will get stiffed once and awhile.. So you have another tub setup to demo until the next guy comes in.. I just cannot see any justification for this.
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