Hey Brad,
I apologize for the criticism. However, that particular post I wrote only as a favor to you and your business. Yes, a favor. Maybe my language was a bit crude and my criticisms harsh, but I am only trying to put an exclamation point on all of this so as to get your attention. Belive me, I am on your side and I want to see your business thrive. And the only way I see that happening is through some changes, and perhaps a little "tough love" from some of your potential customers.
A little marketing 101 for you: spend a few dollars and improve the looks and functionality of your web site. Secondly, list a price on all your merchandise. Yes, it is important.
I understand your strategy. Not listing a price allows you to sell the product lower, without violating any agreements with the manufacturer.
Unfortunately, in most cases, I see this strategy backfiring. People like myself and many others become annoyed at the prospect of having to call for a price. A lot of us do our research at odd times, as well -- on our lunch breaks, after dinner, etc. That only represents lost business.
In certain cases, this "call-for-a-price" strategy MIGHT work. But the following conditions MUST apply:
1) The price really does have to be lower than most other advertised prices.
2) You must actually have someone to answer the phone when people call for the price. And it can't be an answering machine, answering service, etc. And I did call several different times on several different days, by the way. I appreciate your call back, which I received several days after the fact. And it was after my second message to you, by the way.
Your follow-up message had a much nicer tone to it, to your credit.
Unless you meet those two conditions, I just don't see this as a realistic business model that can accomodate the volume of orders that will be necessary in order for your low-price strategy to be feasible.
And rip on guitar center all you want, but their prices are clearly printed on all of their merchandise, there are living, breathing human beings to speak to me when I call them, and I can feel fairly confident that they aren't going to cop attitudes with me when I complain about their service or lack thereof.
At least not to my face. That's Marketing 102.
Customers will complain. Non-customers like me will also complain, and call you ass-clowns and much worse!. That is an OPPORTUNITY for you to show the world what your are truly made of. This thread, in fact, was a golden opportunity for you to show 100's of potential online customers what musiciansadvocate is really made of. Talk about some good free advertising that was there for the taking.
And unfortunately, you flunked that test, as well. But that's alright, because you'll have plenty more opportunities. You will get jackasses like me complaining about your service. It comes with being in business. And it's okay to laugh at them and share stories about them with fellow employees. It's called venting, and that is what the BREAK ROOM is for! But when you are in front of the customer, and other potential customers, that is when you have to have a thick skin, smile, apologize, and show that you are above it all. I know it's tough, but the marketplace is tougher, and you have to make it a no-brainer for people to do business with you. If you don't, someone else will.
Now let's try this again, Brad.
How about this:
"Dear Chessrock, I apologize for the problems that you had reaching us. We appreciate the fact that you contacted us, and would like to show you that we are willing to help you in any way that we can. Unfortunately, we are going through some changes here at Musician's Advocate -- Growing pains if you will, and we simply do not have the bandwidth to handle all of the inquiries we are receiving at this time. In fact, we pride ourselves on spending as much of our time and energy as possible servicing each individual customer, which often leaves us tied up at times when the phone rings.
We are working on correcting the problem. In the meantime, if you are having trouble reaching us, try calling us at our alternate number: XXX-XXX-XXXX. Or you can always email me at
brad@musiciansadvocate.com and I will be more than willing to answer your email at my earliest convenience.
Thank you very much.
Regards,
Brad (the assclown)"
And you could put a smiley-face next to the assclown to show that you're not bothered by the insult, and that you are taking it all in good humor.
Call it Public Relations . . . call it Customer Service . . . Call it common sense. What it is is Marketing, and I've spent the vast majority of my career dealing with companies like your own, consulting them on how to grow their business through building a solid reputation and employing sound marketing practices. Coca-cola spends billions per year on it, but fortunately for guys like you, most of it is 100% FREE. That said, I would be more than happy to give you some free advice if you'd like to Private Message me. Although this post probably constitutes as that, I'd be happy to give you even more in my spare time.
Thanks again for the reply, and good luck with your business.
