Ignored in Bike Shops?

[maybe]

Hi dont get upset just do a trip to Wellington and see Stu or Richard at TSS motorcycles they will give you the service you deserve and sell you a bike to boot.

[Jackrat]

Well I've been in most bike shops in AK and quite a few others in other towns.
Never been ignored in any of them,never been enough of a prat to climb all over their bikes without asking but.
I reckon somebody labeled them selfs without opening their mouth.

[jrandom]

sell you a bike to boot

Myself, I'd rather ride it.

[N3wbbik3r]

Well I've been in most bike shops in AK and quite a few others in other towns.
Never been ignored in any of them,never been enough of a prat to climb all over their bikes without asking but.
I reckon somebody labeled them selfs without opening their mouth.

I luv peeps like you. So Im a prat, because I sat on a bike. :spudwave:

[moko]

But, in fairness to the salesmen/women, they must et a heap of wannabe's looking at and sitting on bikes. Maybe they had troubke deciding if you were a customer or a wannabe?
Either way there is no excuse at not asking, soon sort out a customer(cash) for them to help.

Too right there`s no excuse,that`s their job,that`s what they get paid for.Worth thinking about the reaction to any problem you might have with a bike bought from people who can`t be bothered to even ask if there`s anything they can do for you while you`re looking around the showroom.I always say that it`s as important to choose your dealer as your bike,one of the dealers I use most I`ve been going to since I bought my first bike,not the cheapest but got a rep for being on the customer`s side.
When I bought my bike I was thinking about a new one,a dealer 40 miles away had a good offer on,a place I`d dealt with before and found pretty good.I found the bike I wanted and tried to attract the atention of their gaggle of sales staff.It was raining and I had my scabby gear on,maybe that was the problem,and couldn`t lure them away from their little conflab,having a laugh with some guy looking at a Harley.Fair enough but did it really take all 5 sales staff?Despite my appearance I had the cash on me ready to deal,got pissed off and walked out.Dropped into another dealer on the way home,found a used machine,very low miles and a big saving on new.As I was looking it over the salesman walked over "Take her for a run mate,see what you think".10 minutes later I was out following one of their mechanics on a decent test-ride through town,out across the country,about 15 miles in all.Halfway he waved me past and I carried on at my pace.Got back and the salesman told me that they could pull the stops out and have me taking her home there and then,bit of haggling and they gave over top book price on my bike,handshake and deal done.They even filled the tank right up to the top before I left,which I did with a grin on my face and a feeling that I`d got a good deal,exactly as it should be.This was a small place with 1 salesman,they went out of their way to get the sale and keep me sweet at the same time,a lot of bigger places could learn from that.
Not sure what it`s called but the place that sells Buells in Hamilton has got a top bloke selling.Went in there with a mate and despite us telling him straight away that we were just taking a look he spent plenty of time showing us around the bikes,passing the time with a bit of general "bike talk",even went into the office to get a mag he was reading to show me a pic of an Aprilia he was thinking of buying.

[Redstar]

Show me the bike shop where I can sit on bikes and poke around all day without being approached by a "can I help you mate" sell,sell sell and i would be soo, happy look mate enjoy the being left alone stuff. If you want to ask, ask they are happy to assist. I,m not a salesman but really they can't win if they approach you you might feel guilty that you are not in buying mode and depart, if they ignor you you might think that they dont care?
I always say just kicking tyres today mate and only encourage them if I really am in buying mode and that aint often, I like Bike shops and sometimes go at lunchtime just for entertainment. They don't mind browsers cause a browser treated with respect today is the buyer of tomorrow. I have never been treated badly in a bike shop. I have always been made to feel important.
Bike shops as a customer service are very good compared to many retail environments. Thats perhaps cause they are bikers too.
If you want to be treated like crap try a government department they really know how to wow customers!

[toads]

If you want to be treated like crap try a government department they really know how to wow customers!

this is sooo true

[Mongoose]

Show me the bike shop where I can sit on bikes and poke around all day without being approached by a "can I help you mate" sell,sell sell

There is a huge difference between being ignored and having a pushy salesman/woman on your arse. Both ends of thwe spectrum are just so annoying and likely to get me to leave the shop for a more friendly one.
To be ased if you want anything is OK but if you say you are just looking thanks, that should be good enough for any salesman, a hint to say, "Come see me if you want anything", or words to that effect

[Hitcher]

There is a huge difference between being ignored and having a pushy salesman/woman on your arse. Both ends of thwe spectrum are just so annoying and likely to get me to leave the shop for a more friendly one.
To be ased if you want anything is OK but if you say you are just looking thanks, that should be good enough for any salesman, a hint to say, "Come see me if you want anything", or words to that effect

Indeed, and that is where places like bike shops let themselves down with poor retailing technique. They probably don't invest in staff training and a whole bunch of other stuff, such as marketing.

The customer may not always be right, but they are the customer. At the very least they should be acknowledged. It is possible to have a conversation with customers in a non-threatening manner. "Would you like to sit on this one?" "Can I arrange a test ride for you?" "Can I order one of those in for you to look at?"

The worst place I've ever struck for pushy sales people is Wellington Mazda. If I was ever in the market for a new Mazda I'd buy one up country somewhere!

[Paul in NZ]

Retailing is a black art.... however, there are some simple rules...

1. Any early interaction with a customer.. ie Talking to them etc ("Can I help you today?" is enough), results in a measurable increase in sales.

2. The more time someone spends in your store, the more chance they will buy something.

Motorcycle shops have a few problems. Number one is that, like bookshops, they are a place blokes go to wait while their wives shop. These browsers have no intention of buying anything large BUT there is always an opportunity to sell them an impulse item (magazines etc) and most bike shops suck at this.

I could go on but I'd bore even myself...

Paul N

[gav]

First off, I worked in a bike shop running parts dept and selling bikes for about 4 years. It is at times hard to read customers, I use to try and approach every customer who came in, even if its just a wave and a "gidday" from behind a parts manual at the parts counter. Some guys are just browsing, and are happy wandering around, some will come straight up and ask, sure its a bit tuff if youre new to the scene and dont want to appear a dork, but one thing is, most who work in a bike shop are enthusiastic bike riders themselves and generally will enjoy a chat.

[Coldkiwi]

BUT there is always an opportunity to sell them an impulse item (magazines etc) and most bike shops suck at this.

Mt Eden seem fairly good at that actually... or it could be i'm a sucker for impulse buying! Carl is particularly good at pushing my buttons for buying new riding gear while I'm waiting for something to get done at the workshop or otherwise!

[tassle]

I bought my 600 form Mike at Mt Eden Motorcycles and he was great. They had a huge range of 250's at the time and always seem to advertising heaps of 250's. I phoned Mike first and then arranged a time to go in and look at the bike, only because we were in Rotorua not Auckland. The bike was everything he said it would be so subsequently I bought it. Another thing I liked about Mike is he didn't feel he neede to speak to my partner to sort out what sort of bike I wanted like other dealers I contacted about bikes.

Tony Rees is awesome to just as everyone else has said, my R1 is there at the moment getting some work done to it and Tony's whole team is great. Bought Chris' 04 R1 off Tony as well an the after sales service has been great as well.

yer but how do ya use the phone,they are evil things,aye dodgy bird

[That Guy]

Like most other industries bike shops are the same I find - some are great and some are shockers. My worst experience was BOOKING in two days in advance to bring my bike in so the shop could assess it for a trade in for a particaulr bike they had. I was ready to pay up and wanted the bike. I arrived on time. After waiting for an hour for someone to see me I spied the boss sitting in his office. I went and saw him and explained myslef and got told angrilly that they were flat out today and I would just have to wait. Needless to say I haven't been back.

My best was Mt Eden - went there to look for Helmets for the missus and man they were really helpful - we didn't buy one either at the time and still they were really good.

[claire]

yer but how do ya use the phone,they are evil things,aye dodgy bird

If you came to work, I'd teach ya how to use the phone. They're not as evil as you think!