Quote Originally Posted by ldgibson76
So, with all of this pontification can we all agree that the true Sales Professional in this genre has become an endangered species, therefore making the his or her more appreciated in today's market?! Look, I've been in high ticket sales for a very long time, from selling Mercedes-Benz to securing business to business multi-million dollar contracts. Regardless of the level of the stakes, it's all the same....perception which then leads to expectation.
If it's a commodity item, our expectations and tends to fall off for the most part. The higher the risk, the higher the expectation. It's like when "Dad" who happens to own an S-Class goes into a Ford dealer with his daughter to shop for a Focus, his expectations are relative to the price of the transaction. He knows what type of service he possibly could be subjected to. His zero tolerance sensibility for unprofessional service could soften a little. If it's at a ridiculous level, then his wrath will most likely be felt all the way up to the ownership. But when he's at the Mercedes' dealer, oh boy, that's a whole different flow! As it should be. Venturing into that area of poor service at that type of establishment would never enter into the equation. Why? Higher expectation. He expects the best and will more times than not get it! I wasn't surprised with the type of demo I received from the BB/Magnolia rep. As a matter of fact, it could be deemed as better than expected. I knew he couldn't do what the Hifi House rep could do. But, when you are spending that type of dough, unfortunately, expectations are higher.
We live in a culture that believes in the bottom line. Your pocket vs. Corporate America's bottom line! Remember this, when you go to work and you do decent job, as a matter of fact, go beyond the call of duty, although it may not happen all the time, but you do welcome some acknowledgment, either thru verbal praise, documentation or pay(bonus/raise/promotion). If you don't receive what you feel is you just due, you feel unappreciated. Different folks, same strokes. Professional salespeople/not clerks, mind you, expect the same. Yes, Corporate America has without a doubt lost sight of that and so has the American consumer. Who's to blame?! Thanks for reading my 2 cents!
I like your posts, just put in a paragraph break or 2.

I think the difference is that some people expect a higher level of service than is really required for the value of the product.

In your case, as a salesman for high end products, good salesmanship is probably NOT in the minority simply because of the expectation of the client. For others, they have gotten confused that a $100 or even a $200 product is somehow in the same class as a $5000 purchase. Its not.

If I shop a local camera shop for a $200 digital camera, I might expect more knowledgeable salesstaff simply because of the location. However, would I expect to pay more for that camera than BB simply because its in a camera shop? No, I wouldn't, nor would I pay more.

But if I were looking for the latest in Digital SLR technology, I might be willing to pay a bit more for the expert help. Then again, the price is over $1000.

Good salespeople are around. If they are REALLY good, (as in your speaker example), you don't really even think of them as a salesperson, more as partner in the purchase.