This post originated from an RSS feed registered with Agile Buzz
by James Robertson.
Original Post: Not understanding the niche
Feed Title: Cincom Smalltalk Blog - Smalltalk with Rants
Feed URL: http://www.cincomsmalltalk.com/rssBlog/rssBlogView.xml
Feed Description: James Robertson comments on Cincom Smalltalk, the Smalltalk development community, and IT trends and issues in general.
Scoble gives us the tale of the unbought notebook at Best Buy. He goes through a few problem he and Dave Winer had, and outlines some proposed solutions - in the process, demonstrating a lack of knowledge on what niche Best Buy lives in:
First retail mistake: Letting me close to the merchandise. Why? They didn't have enough choices. When we saw that they instantly lost the sale. Solution: hide all laptops behind a counter where you have to "consult" with a salesperson.
Fourth retail mistake: Having a chaotic space that doesn't lead customers through the sales process. What's the sales process? Well, when I sold cameras I'd start out every conversation with "do you want an SLR or a pocket camera?" I'd get an answer. Then I'd ask "do you want a good one or a cheap one?" Do you see that I'm leading them down a path to a purchase? That's the sales process. The Best Buy didn't even attempt to get me to enter into a process. Solution: hide the stock from the customers and have a consultatative sales process
It's not that the steps he outlines are objectively wrong - it's simpler than that. If that's the process you want, don't go to Best Buy in search of it. Best Buy is not a sales process driven place - it's a technology version of Walmart. The items are on the floor for perusal, and, for the most part, what you see is what you get. The staff isn't on commission, and for the most part are not subject matter experts. That's not the niche Best Buy lives in.
If you want a consultative sales process, you have to look for a smaller shop. The "big box" stores aren't about that at all. He goes on a comparison of Best Buy to Ikea - especially on getting rid of sales people - but the two aren't really that comparable. A lot of what a store like Best Buy sells is easily stolen, while virtually nothingthat Ikea sells is. Bear in mind that some of the staff at a Best Buy is simply low tech security first, sales second, restock third. What Best Buy is really after is having you pick out an item you already want and buying it. If you want service more than you want a low price, don't look to a big box store in search of it.
Previous Topic
